Register Now | Film Pitches and Grant Applications: What Funders Really Want to Know, and Why

April 21 online workshop will provide an overview for early and mid-career filmmakers and media artists wishing to improve their fundraising skills.

New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is pleased to present “Film Pitches and Grant Applications: What Funders Really Want to Know, and Why” for early and mid-career filmmakers and media artists on Tuesday, April 21 from 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM EST. The workshop, presented by NYFA Coach and Media Specialist Matthew Seig, is part of our Online Learning Initiative that provides professional development workshops to artists and creatives nationally and internationally through a webinar platform. 

Workshop Description:
Your letters of introduction and grant applications do more than just describe what your project is and who you are. They are a window into your skills, the viability of your project, and your professional and personal profile. We are going to talk about all of this, and some of the important factors that will govern your success, in “Film Pitches and Applications: What Funders Really Want to Know, and Why.” Regardless of whether your project is nonprofit or for-profit in nature, many of the same practices are important to both.

Topics will include:

• The format: Do you understand the rules and standards of the community?
• The narrative: Are you really a storyteller?
• The budget: Does it tell the same story as your narrative?
• The outreach and distribution: Who is your audience specifically?
• The biography: Why is this the right project for you right now, and what is your network?
• The team: Do they complement and elevate you, your project, and your network?

Presenter: Matthew Seig, NYFA Coach and Media/Film Specialist 
Title: Film Pitches and Grant Applications: What Funders Really Want to Know, and Why

Date: Tuesday, April 21, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM 
Location: Online 
Program Fee: FREE*
Registration: We have unfortunately reached the registration limit for this webinar. Please check NYFA’s event page for details on future programming.
Questions: Email [email protected]

This workshop will be recorded and shared with all previously-registered participants after the session concludes. It will be available for viewing up to one month after the workshop date.

*NYFA’s mission to empower working artists and emerging arts organizations across all disciplines at critical stages in their creative lives and professional/organizational development. We aim to be a resource to artists, arts administrators, and students everywhere, especially when so many in our creative community are reeling from lost jobs, opportunities, and income as a result of the coronavirus crisis. As such, we are taking action in a variety of ways including waiving registration fees on our webinars. 

Presenter’s Bio:
A Media Specialist at NYFA, Matthew Seig is an experienced producer and production executive for film and television, director of documentary films, film programmer, exhibitor, and rights licensor. He manages a library of copyrights including those belonging to the late producer/director Robert Altman. Seig helped establish the Altman Archive at the University of Michigan, and edited a book about Altman’s life and films that was published by Abrams Books in 2014. 

For NYFA and with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, he produced a series of interviews with independent filmmakers on the subject of building audiences—one of the many skills that funders look at when considering financial backing for a filmmaker—that were conducted by Eugene Hernandez of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. In recent years, Seig has spoken about and moderated panels on fundraising for filmmakers at The Foundation Center, Producers Guild of America, Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, and others.

Our 2020 Spring workshop series highlights NYFA Coaching, a professional development service that offers access to one-on-one individual guidance from a variety of arts professionals, including NYFA staff. 

This program is part of NYFA Learning, which includes professional development for artists and arts administrators. Sign up for NYFA’s free bi-weekly newsletter to receive updates on future programs.

Image: Courtesy NYFA