City's Total Investment Increases to $7.5 Million, Awarded to Women-Led Projects
Fourth Round of Applications Opens Today at NYFA.org/nycwomensfund
New York -- The Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) proudly announces that applications are open for the fourth round of grants for the NYC Women's Fund for Media, Music and Theatre. Qualified applicants can apply for $2 million in finishing grants through November 1, 2022 at www.nyfa.org/nycwomensfund.
Since its launch in 2018, the NYC Women's Fund grant program has awarded $5.5 million to 246 film, theatre, and music projects, with NYFA acting as the grant administrator. The NYC Women's Fund is a signature initiative launched to address the underrepresentation of women in the entertainment industry.
"Women's perspectives in the arts, media, and entertainment industries are crucial to telling the rich and diverse stories of our city," said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. "This additional $2 million in city funding to the NYC Women's Fund will provide a tremendous leap toward leveling the playing field and ensuring all creatives, regardless of their gender, are given the platform they deserve. I look forward to seeing the incredible work this fourth round of applications brings to audiences throughout the city and around the world."
"We are proud to extend our commitment to the NYC Women's Fund to offer a fourth cycle of grants, ensuring that more women-led creative projects are given the support needed to reach wide audiences," said Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Anne del Castillo. "Now, more than ever, it is critical that we continue to elevate women's voices and perspectives in order to advance gender equity and women leadership in the creative industries and beyond."
"We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and to support the work of women-identifying creatives through the NYC Women's Fund," said Michael Royce, Executive Director, New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA). "We are proud to help media, music, and theatre-makers realize projects that add new depth to New York City's vibrant media and entertainment landscape," he added.
Recent success for NYC Women's Fund program participants is a testament to the quality of applications received and the appetite for their entertainment projects. Film projects from previous grant recipients have been collectively seen by over 339,000 viewers, while film, theatre, and music releases have been featured at 99 premieres. Highlights of past award recipients include:
A series of online informational sessions will be available to all those interested in applying at www.nyfa.org/nycwomensfund:
Film, theatre, music and web productions are eligible for finishing funds in the following categories (amounts listed are the maximum potential grant):
Film, theatre, and webisode/webseries projects are eligible if they feature a woman's perspective prominently, and/or include a woman director, and/or include a meaningful woman producer credit, and/or prominently include a woman's perspective or writing credit, and/or include a woman protagonist(s).
Eligible projects for music grants will include new EPs, albums, and videos for yet-to-be released works from all genres. Projects must significantly include a woman as a writing credit, producer credit, engineering credit, and/or musical lead. NYC-based producers, composers, engineers, solo musicians, ensemble bands, and orchestras that are not currently signed to a major label can apply. Applicants must also show evidence of a growing fan base and have played multiple live shows.
All recipients must be residents of NYC. Anyone can apply and be awarded a grant regardless of actual or perceived sex, gender, gender identity or gender expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, partnership status, marital status, disability, race, color, national origin, alienage, citizenship status, military status, or any other class protected by City, State, or Federal law.
Applications and eligibility requirements are available at www.nyfa.org/nycwomensfund. To sign up for updates on the Fund, please visit MOME's website. You can use hashtag #NYCWomensFund to participate in the conversation.