I recently attended the SFFS Fiscal Sponsorship Orientation, and of all the SF Film Society classes I’ve attended, this one left me feeling the most energized and hopeful by far. The classes are taught by Michele Turnure-Saleo, who is the Director of Filmmaker Services and simultaneously all-business and approachable. At the Fiscal Sponsorship Orientation we covered what it takes to receive sponsorship, which will allow donors to receive tax credit through the SFFS 501(c)3 nonprofit status. The application is vast and we learned almost immediately that it will likely be rejected for our first 1-4 attempts. In a way, I find this oddly comforting—if I am bound to be rejected it also means that I am bound to be cajoled/assisted in improving my application and I know that I can use all the cajoling I can get.
Since taking the class, my next step is to apply for sponsorship. To begin that process I’ve scored a meeting with Michele herself at the end of this month. I’m trying now to prepare ahead of time. What I need to gather in less than a week are very solid first drafts of my logline (a short and sweet summary); some background info (should be academic); a synopsis that leaves you wanting more and includes briefly information like: it’s a documentary/ arc of story/ stakes/ characters/ issues; a treatment (gulp—this is supposed to be 2-5 pages long), thoughts on my target audience (specific as possible); distribution strategy (including social media, education use, etc); my funding plan; my current status; timeline for completion; key personnel; and last but not least, my budget summary and detailed breakdown, which should be a road map that is easy to read and a sort of $ narrative all of its own.
Okay, deep breath, this is just a first draft…
One Comment
You can do it! I’m so proud of you! I find it difficult to get motivated to apply for grants and other opportunities when the most likely outcome is rejection, but you’ve given me another way to look at it. Thanks!!