This webinar is hosted in partnership with Color Congress, a national collective of majority people of color and POC-led organizations aimed at centering and strengthening nonfiction storytelling by, for and about people of color. This event is also offered in association with Grantmakers in the Arts and Media Impact Funders. This webinar is free to attend, but registration is required.

Rooted in values of racial equity, power sharing, and accountability to communities, trust-based philanthropy (TBP) offers a set of recommendations for funders who are ready to use their positionality toward a more just, equitable, and democratic society. The movement, which was originally inspired by calls from the nonprofit sector for more flexible and equitable approaches to traditional grantmaking, has gained significant momentum in recent years amidst the convergence of a global pandemic, racial reckoning, and mounting climate crisis. 

Funders around the United States and abroad are recognizing that if we are to be ethical and accountable stewards of the resources we distribute – then we must reckon with how our systems, structures, and practices may be perpetuating more harm than good.

In this era of power reckoning, the trust-based philanthropy movement has many parallels to the calls for accountability in the documentary film world. Documentary film funders – private foundations, intermediary funders, and individual donors alike – maintain a good amount of power over which films get made and how they get made. While some established filmmakers may have longtime funders and donors, many emerging filmmakers and filmmakers of color often lack the access or power to secure the funding and support they need in order to build sustainable careers in film. So what does it look like to embed trust-based values in film funding? And what are the advantages of embracing dialogue, reflection, and accountability in funder-filmmaker relationships?

Join us for an interactive discussion where we’ll break down the core tenets of a trust-based approach, review the latest trends in documentary film funding, and hear directly from funders who are actively working toward advancing trust-based grantmaking practices in their approach to documentary film funding.

This event is specifically for funders of film, media, and the arts. We encourage the attendance of trustees, executives, and program staff of grantmaking organizations that support documentary filmmakers, film-based impact campaigns, and media arts organizations.

Speakers

• Caty Borum Chattoo, Executive Director, Center for Media and Social Impact

• Sonya Childress, Co-Director, Color Congress

• Sahar Driver, Co-Director, Color Congress

• Molly Murphy, Director of Partnerships and Innovation, Working Films

• Denae Peters, Program Officer, Perspective Fund

• Eleanor Savage, Program Officer, Jerome Foundation

  Moderated by Shaady Salehi, Executive Director, Trust-Based Philanthropy Project