Filmmakers Collaborative accepts only members who are in need of a fiscal sponsor for seeking grants/donations for their media projects.

FC has two tiers of fiscal sponsorship: active members and sponsored projects. Active members are filmmakers living in the Greater Boston area who participate actively in the organization by attending member meetings, voting on new projects, serving on FC committees, and/or participating in the Film Talks program. Sponsored projects are produced either by filmmakers who choose not to take an active role in the organization or by out-of-state filmmakers who, by nature of their geographical location, cannot be active members. Either type of project can be sponsored by FC. Currently, we accept a limited number of out-of-state projects.

Prospective members applying for FC membership should have a project for which they are seeking non-profit fiscal sponsorship for grant applications and/or solicitations of individual donations.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Once application materials are received, it can take up to six weeks for a final decision.

To be considered, your project must be considered a non-commercial work (able to be financed by personal funds, donations, grants, corporate sponsorship, in-kind donations, etc. but NOT by offering investment for profit) and must fall into any of the following categories:

a) documentary films and other works of nonfiction;
b) narrative, experimental, and animated films;
b) films produced by first-time filmmakers.

HOW TO APPLY:

Criteria for FC film/video projects:

• Projects that have social or educational value;
• Projects that present a unique point of view or shed new light on a topic;
• Projects that will appeal to a broadcast or theatrical audience;
• Project director has clearly illustrated a fundraising ability and identified potentially appropriate sources of funding for the project.

If your project fits these criteria, please e-mail the following materials to bonnie@filmmakerscollab.org:

1. A thoughtful, clearly written treatment or proposal (2-5 pp) with an introductory paragraph that concisely explains the intention of your film.

2. For narrative films, please send a film script, if you have one.

3. A well-thought out fundraising strategy (1-2 pp).

4. A well-developed budget, realistic and consistent with your narrative that includes all phases: pre-production, production and post-production.

5. CV’s or bios of principle production personnel (Producer, Director, Writer, Cinematographer, Editor. (generally, 1 paragraph per person).

Your materials will be forwarded to FC’s nominating committee for consideration. If approved, you will be asked to present your film to members of the Collaborative for a vote. An FC staff member will contact you upon either approval or rejection.