Native American Public Telecommunications - Public Television Production Fund
Contact information:
1800 North 33rd St.
Lincoln, NE 68503
Phone: (402) 472-3522
Fax: (402) 472-8675
Email: native@unl.edu
Website: http://www.nativetelecom.org
Type of foundation: Public charity
Types of grants: Research, production and acquisition funds
Description: Native American Public Telecommunications (NAPT) is the premiere source of authentic Native audio, video and programming for public broadcasting. NAPT exists to serve Native producers and Indian country in partnership with public television and radio. NAPT works with Native producers to develop, produce and distribute educational telecommunications programs for all media including public television and public radio. NAPT supports training to increase the number of American Indians and Alaska Natives producing quality public broadcasting programs, which includes advocacy efforts promoting increased control and use of information technologies and the policies to support this control by American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Reaching the general public and the global market is the ultimate goal for the dissemination of Native-produced media that shares Native perspectives with the world. NAPT receives major funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
NAPT makes grants to producers through its Public Media Content Fund. Proposed programs should be accessible to a broad audience, have the potential for a national broadcast and be usable for effective outreach and engagement activities. Projects will be offered additional distribution opportunities through NAPT, including educational and home DVD distribution. Theatrical, non-theatrical, television (free, pay syndicated and video-on-demand), multimedia and Internet broadcasting (including podcasting and streaming) rights are included in this distribution opportunity.
For the 2012 round of funding, priority will be given to projects that can be part of an overarching series presented to PBS about Native American peoples, history, culture and contemporary issues. NAPT is particularly interested in projects that profile Native American leaders, activists and artists—those whose work has great impact on Native culture today. NAPT will consider funding projects at any stage of production.
NAPT also acquires finished programs intended for national public television broadcast (genres including documentary, performance, cultural/public affairs and animation). Proposals for this opportunity can be submitted at any time.
Sample grants: Public Media Content Fund production grants in 2010 went to individual producers as well as to the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and NET Television Production.
Fit for public broadcasting: Funds from NAPT support production by Native American producers and/or programs focusing on Native American issues or history. Content funded or acquired by NAPT is intended for broadcast via public media.
Eligibility:
- Independent and public television producers, film and video makers. Applicants must hold artistic, budgetary and editorial control and must own the copyright of the proposed project.
- Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and a U.S. citizen or legal resident of the United States or its territories.
- Applicants must have previous television or filmmaking experience as demonstrated by video work samples submitted with the application.
NAPT does not fund:
- Commercial, industrial or promotional media projects.
- Student productions such as thesis films.
- Projects for which four-year exclusive public television broadcast rights are not available.
- Projects intended solely for theatrical release.
- Producers or production entities that are foreign-based, owned or controlled.
- Projects funded in part by a government entity or group featured in the content of the program.
Deadline: Spring deadline for the Public Media Content Fund is March 16.
How to apply: Guidelines and the application form for the Public Media Content Fund are available here.
Giving range: Public Media Content Fund grants range from $5,000 to $25,000 for Research and Development, and for New Media projects. Grants range up to $100,000 for production or completion.
Assets: $1,650,714 (year ending September 30, 2010).
The 2010 Annual Report can be downloaded from this page.
