The Ford Foundation has announced grants totaling more than $4 million in support of 68 innovative film projects in the United States and around the world that are centered on social justice issues.

Awarded through the foundation’s JustFilms program, the grants include support for 43 filmmakers with new projects and 25 continuing support grants for previously funded films. Projects spanning the foundation’s global offices included works from the United States, Brazil, and Mexico, and 70 percent of the grants were awarded to filmmakers identifying as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or people of color). JustFilms has also piloted a direct support grant program comprised of $75,000 grants for leading filmmakers to deepen their practices, build career sustainability, and advance multiple projects. 

“We believe filmmakers should be able to focus on their work and take greater risks without always worrying about how they will pay to keep the lights on,” said JustFilms senior program officer Chi-hui Yang. “Ensuring sustainable careers and practices for them requires rethinking models of funding and support beyond project funding tied to specific outcomes in an imperfect system of distribution and exhibition, and allowing artists more freedom to explore, imagine, and consider how their contributions can potentially impact the entire documentary film sector.”

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