The Doris Duke Foundation (DDF) has announced grants totaling $6 million in support of Muslim-American storytelling initiatives.

Announced by DDF president and CEO Sam Gill during the Sundance Film Festival’s Muslim House event, the investment aims to combat rising Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and hate against Asians and other communities of color. Awarded through the foundation’s Building Bridges program, the grants include support for the Center for Asian American Media, which will receive $4.5 million to establish the U.S. Muslim Documentary Fund; the Muslim Public Affairs Council’s Hollywood Bureau, which was awarded $1.425 million over three years to host events and activations, such as its Muslim House at Sundance; and the Islamic Scholarship Fund, which will receive $100,000 to launch a fellowship program for entry-level Muslim American creatives in the entertainment industry.

“We can’t change what we think until Hollywood changes who and what we see,” said Gill. “These grants will spotlight the underlying causes of intolerance and challenge them by bringing new and diverse stories, voices, and perspectives into the entertainment industry that shapes our culture.”

(Photo credit: Kelly Branan/Muslim Public Affairs Council)