Cinereach
/OVERVIEW: Cinereach supports innovative fiction, nonfiction and hybrid film projects with grants, financing and production.
IP TAKE: Cinereach is known for its adaptive development, financing, production, distribution and other engagement models. It may get involved with a project at any stage in the production process, from development through post-production, and may support multiple stages of an individual project as it progresses. Cinereach also engages in media research and evaluations of its projects.
Cinereach is not accepting unsolicited submissions at this time, but it welcomes contact. Profiles of its leadership and staff are provided on the website.
PROFILE: Established in 2006, Cinereach was created and is led by a savvy group of philanthropists, entrepreneurs and filmmakers with the goal of “pioneering new ways of developing and producing compelling, popular entertainment designed to shift culture and build momentum for change.” Describing itself as a “not-for-profit story incubator,” Cinereach supports the creation of innovative fiction, nonfiction and hybrid film projects through financing, producing and grantmaking.
Grants for Film
Cinereach’s process involves connecting “storytellers with researchers and experts to empower creators with new tools and to infuse the creative process with lived experience, diverse perspectives and data-driven insights.” The organization’s website does not explain how projects are chosen for financing, production or grant support. Instead, Cinereach uses a garden analogy to describe its process.
Surveying the Garden, or “systems mapping” involves examination of “larger systems in partnership with others working towards the same goal.”
Planting the Seeds refers to the use of “collective knowledge” to create an “informed foundation where we can develop authentic and entertaining stories that can make an impact across audiences.”
The Enriching the Soil stage concerns “accountability to impact” and involves “cross-check[ing] our ideas with social scientists and audience researchers to ensure we aren’t going down an unproductive path.”
When the Flowers Bloom, Cinereach applies its “community learning and design research to select and fund creative concepts to prototype or pilot.”
Growing the Garden involves “partnership and co-creation” with changemakers and creators who want their ideas or works-in-progress to have impact and reach.”
Finally, the Prune and Replant stage involves evaluation of projects to “measure our results to understand the real impact of our stories.”
Cinereach does not explain how it selects the projects it supports, but information about its projects is available at its work page, which is organized by both support and film type. See recent grant-supported film here. Cinereach has collaborated with organizations including Anima Interactive, the Sundance Institute and Film Independent.
Important Grant Details:
Cinereach grants range from about $8,000 to $300,000.
Cinereach supports fiction, nonfiction and hybrid films with financing, production and grants.
Information about past projects and the types of films it supports is available at its work page.
This funder does not accept unsolicited proposals but welcomes contact via a Get In Touch tab located in the top left corner of its website.
Keep up with news about Cinereach by signing up for its newsletter.
In addition to the Get In Touch tab located in the top left corner of its website, profiles of staff and leadership are available at the organization’s team page.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
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