Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ava Duvernay has launched a $250,000 funding initiative called ARRAY Grants that will provide vital financial support to grassroots entities that serve as cultural catalysts for narrative change. The mission is to help fund organizations and individuals that center people of color and women of all kinds.
Forbes reports that the grant program will be administered through ARRAY Alliance, Duvernay's non-profit foundation that is dedicated to independent film projects. The funding will specifically be dispursed to arts advocates, filmmakers, journalists, regional film festivals, and other grassroots organizations that have the goal of changing the narrative for women and people of color.
$10,000 worth of grants haves already been donated to several organizations including UrbanWorld Festival, Lumbee Film Festival, Sankofa Film Society, Cinema Detroit, the Houston Museum of African American culture, Gary International Black Film Festival, and others.
Submission for the grants is by nomination only and recipients are determined by an independent committee made up of philanthropists, entertainment moguls and academic scholars.
For more details about the program, visit ArrayNow.com or follow Ava Duvernay on Instagram @Ava