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Social Impact Media Agency, SIMA Studios, Announces Fiscal Sponsorship Program

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lucy Xiong, Communications Manager

lucy@simaawards.org

 

Social Impact Media Agency, SIMA Studios,  Announces Fiscal Sponsorship Program

Awards Program Extends Services to Impact Creatives

 

LOS ANGELES (June 2018) — SIMA Studios, the global impact media agency best known for pioneering the annual Social Impact Media Awards, has launched a Fiscal Sponsorship program to support creative impact projects around the world that inspire social change. It can be daunting for filmmakers and creators in the social impact space to raise funds and deal with the associated bureaucracy. Being able to incentivize donors or grantmakers via a tax deduction and removing the burden of administration can help a project take flight.  

 

SIMA’s Fiscal Sponsorship allows creators to solicit tax-deductible donations in the US with the administrative oversight and endorsement of SIMA. The inaugural fiscally sponsored projects selected by SIMA are: Augmented/ Mixed Reality Experience, WISDOM, that re-defines cultural education through technology, providing individualized access to indigenous knowledge and sacred practices; PENNIES FROM HEAVEN, a feature documentary about the growing implications of prostitution and sex-trafficking of Native Women in Minnesota; and CINEMOVEL’S AFRICA SERIES that brings local community festivals, young-filmmaker trainings, educational screenings and cultural communication campaigns to the Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Cameroon and Uganda.

 

SIMA exists to support independent filmmakers, content creators, producers and artists around the globe in utilizing their creativity to create positive change in the world. Over the past seven years SIMA has supported over 200 projects through their awards and signature distribution programs. The new Fiscal Sponsorship program allows SIMA to elevate projects in all stages of development, production, distribution, outreach and impact campaigns. The primary objective is to help creators and creative activists to be able to secure the funding they need to see their projects financed, finished and distributed.

 

“We’re excited to extend our services to the creative impact community and offer creators more opportunities to thrive, and a greater support system they can rely on.” Daniela Kon, Founder and Executive Director, SIMA Studios

 

Applications will be considered on an ongoing basis.

 

ELIGIBILITY:

  • The applicant must be 18 years of age or older and an independent filmmaker, producer, social entrepreneur, documentarian or artist.
  • The project must be a media or arts project with an evident social, environmental, humanitarian or human rights theme.
  • Applicant must be the creator who owns the copyright of his/her work and has artistic, budgetary, and editorial control.
  • Proven Access: The applicant must be able to provide proof/documentation of access to the people, locations, or other specific subject matter of the project.
  • The project can be in any stage of development, production, post production or distribution.
  • As a fiscally sponsored project, the applicant is responsible for his/her own fundraising. Applicants should take some time to think about his/her development strategy, project identity and whom he/she will contact as potential sources of funding. Applicants will be expected to submit a fundraising plan along with the application.

WHAT SIMA CANNOT SPONSOR:

  • Grant programs, scholarship programs, or any other scenario in which you’ll be re-granting the money you receive from us
  • Commercial projects with the primary goal of making money
  • Projects without a substantial social issue media component
  • Student films produced through universities or colleges
  • Projects where the applicant is not the owner and direct controller of the project
  • Projects that could be considered in support of a political campaign or candidate

 

For more information and to apply please visit: https://simastudios.org/fiscal-sponsorship/

 

Please direct any questions about Fiscal Sponsorship to projects@simastudios.org

For media inquiries please contact: lucy@simaawards.org