A.J. Muste Memorial Institute
Policy on Funding Film, Video, Theater or Art Projects

We often receive funding inquiries for film or video projects. We do fund some film and video productions, but very few, and only under certain conditions. Our grant guidelines do not go into detail on this issue, so we hope this memo will help clarify our grantmaking priorities with regard to such projects. The same criteria apply to theater and art projects.

While we realize that a powerful film on an important subject may motivate people to take action, we rarely fund such projects unless they are part of a broader grassroots organizing or educational campaign. (This was the case with “Father Roy: Inside the School of Assassins,” a documentary we funded in 1997 about activist efforts to shut down the U.S. Army School of the Americas; and “An Act of Conscience,” a documentary about war tax resistance for which we funded a grassroots distribution tour in 1996.) In such cases, the prospective grantee must clearly demonstrate how the film or video will be used in these organizing efforts to further nonviolent activism for social justice.

Occasionally we fund a production which is not part of an organizing campaign, but generally only when the subject matter directly addresses the issue of disarmament, conscientious objection or anti-war activism and when the project appears to stand little chance of finding more mainstream funding. (For example: “Against the Tide...Those Who Refused to Fight,” a documentary about conscientious objectors during World War II, which we funded in 1997; “Regret to Inform,” a documentary about Vietnamese and US war widows, which we funded in 1994; and “Another Brother,” a documentary about the life of Vietnam veteran and anti-war activist Clarence Fitch, which we funded in 1994.)

We hope this helps you decide if applying for funding to the Muste Institute is a good use of your time. Whether or not you choose to seek our support, we wish you luck in finding the resources you need to complete your project.