Humanitarian Media Foundation (HMF) is a non-partisan, non-sectarian 501(c)(3) entity in the United States.
Mission Statement
Employ multiple forms of media (film, television, journalism, photojournalism art, photography, music) to explore aspects of domestic and international humanitarian crises, issues and histories; raise awareness for humanitarian matters; and facilitate change in areas where it is most needed.
Scope of Humanitarian Matters
Including, without limitation: refugee crises, medical relief, human rights, war, genocide, debt relief, cross-cultural and political conflict, other war crimes and international criminal tribunals, indigenous populations and conflicts within and without their communities, and humanitarian needs during natural disasters.
Focuses and Activities
HMF's primary areas of focus will include:
1) Create an International Film/Media Festival, Conference, and Awards. HMF will create the HMF International Film/Media Festival, Conference, and Awards to promote humanitarian media for international exposure; to promote cross-fertilization of ideas among filmmakers, industry, artists, journalists, government, policy, and news agencies; to create a travelling exhibition of media appearing in any such festival to major international cities; and to promote fundraising for the HMF and its grants programs, as well as other humanitarian NGO's and agencies with which the HMF has strategic partnerships.
2) Facilitate the Creation of Humanitarian Media. HMF will:
a) Offer both Emergency and General Program Grants, as well as other co-production resources in association with industry partners, to Grant Recipients across all media to empower them to create influential works of international humanitarian importance (hereinafter "Humanitarian Media")
b) Create a Major Feature Film Financing, Development, and Production Division, the HMF Film Fund. The HMF will, with film financing partners, create a specialized production company ("HMF Films") which will develop and produce major narrative and documentary features in connection with major studios, larger production companies, and industry talent. Such films will meant for the international distribution for which all HMF film proceeds as a production partner will help finance further development efforts, as well as HMF emergency and program grant funds.
3) Enlist Media Industry Resources to Further Humanitarian Causes. HMF will enlist the support and involvement of powerful individuals, production companies, publicity agencies, news outlets, artists, and exhibition and/or distribution companies to substantively support, finance and bring international visibility to Humanitarian Media and causes.
4) Distribute, Exhibit & Promote Humanitarian Media. In addition to a travelling exhibition, HMF will act as the lead or facilitating entity in both the primary and secondary/specialized distribution, exhibition, and promotion of Humanitarian Media through traditional, new media (Internet and mobile), and specialized distribution channels.
5) Establish a Humanitarian Media Archive. Through rights acquired in its core efforts and additional licensing, HMF will aggregate a comprehensive library of Humanitarian Media (completed works and raw); digitize it; create an online Humanitarian Media Archive; and, via its distribution and new media relationships, license Humanitarian Media to 3rd parties for use in humanitarian endeavors as well as to consumers for personal consumption on a streaming and/or download basis..
6) Devote Funds Directly to the Resolution of Humanitarian Crises. HMF will direct funds to imminent matters of humanitarian emergency while acting as an immediate conduit for international public awareness of any such emergency.
Relevancy and Importance
1) There is no specific entity or foundation which is exclusively devoted to all areas of humanitarian importance, and dedicated to fostering all such projects according to the media context and platform in which they will find their greatest impact.
2) As an independent, non-profit foundation, HMF is not influenced by the financial interests of for-profit corporate parents and their shareholders (production companies, news agencies, etc.) and thus can maintain integrity towards its mission, and act with immediacy.
3) HMF is also not limited by the narrow purview of other non-profit entities and humanitarian NGO's in which media interests are (1) relegated to the limited reach and financial resources of such foundations' communications departments, or (2) in the case of grant-making organizations, only one area of limited funding.
Current Action Items
HMF is currently focused on the following objectives (2008-2010):
1) Secure Operating and Grant Funds. HMF seeks to raise an initial minimum of $500,000 for General Operations and a further $2 million for General and Emergency Grant Programs via corporate and individual philanthropic donations and sponsorships, venture philanthropy, and grants from appropriate sources for its initial three years of operation.
a) 2008 Budget items: General Operatons, the 2008 HMF International Film/Media Festival & Conference, promoting the launch of the HMF and emergency and general program grant funds for 2009 & 2010, creating HMF Film Fund.
b) 2009 Budget Items: 2009 General Operations, the 2009 HMF International Film Media Festival & Conference, instituting Emergency Film/Media Project Grants, developing films for HMF Films in partnership with studios and other production companies.
c) 2010 Budget Items: General Operations, the 2010 HMF International Film Media Festival & Conference, instituting General Program & continuing Emergency Film/Media Project Grants, and developing and producing films for HMF Films in partnership with studios and other production companies.
3) Secure Strategic Partnerships. HMF continues to secure partnerships with entities in the following categories (i) media co-production and financing, (ii) media exhibition, (iii) media distribution, and (iv) media promotion.
4) Continuing to Iinitiate the First Areas of Involvement. HMF has initiated planning for the first areas of involvement, including the first HMF Film/Media Festival & Conference (2008); creation of initial project grants across its varying divisions (2009-2010); and development, financing and production of initial projects (2009-2010).
Also available is a "Chip In!" widget for PayPal for smaller donations, from which the HMF will be creating grants so that NGO's and aid agencies in underdeveloped countries may attend to speak about certain humanitarian crises firsthand.
