CMP connects community, media, and philanthropy to support documentary films and social-impact media that spark people to action, amplify under-represented voices, and drive social change through funding, mentorship, and community engagement.
Chicago Media Project’s giving is organized around documentary films and social-impact media that are meant to move people to action. Through its community-driven model, the foundation funds production, distribution, impact campaigns, and filmmaker support, while also connecting philanthropy with community engagement and mentorship. In 2023, its largest recent grants went to One Story Up for $62,000 and Talos Films for $50,000, showing that it supports both individual film projects and larger filmmaking efforts. The recent grant list also includes Chicago-based recipients such as Mezcla Media Collective Ltd, Chicago Public Media, Kartemquin Educational Films, and Green River Films, alongside grantees in New York, Georgia, and California. CMP’s active programs include member-voted microgrants, membership-funded grants, impact grant funding, and Chicago-focused initiatives such as Homegrown Chicago and the Leg Up Fund. Across those programs, the foundation supports documentary makers, partner organizations, and impact work tied to racial justice, gun violence, climate change, democracy, and human rights.
CMP funds several connected parts of the documentary ecosystem. In filmmaking support, it awarded $20,073 to Mezcla Media Collective Ltd for filmmaking, and $12,500 to Chicago Public Media for filmmaking, indicating support for production and media organizations as well as individual projects. It also backs distribution and impact work: the foundation gave $10,000 to Westchester Institute for Human Development for filmmaking, reflecting support for documentary-related work beyond production alone. Chicago remains an important setting for the foundation’s work, as shown by grants to Kartemquin Educational Films for $9,990 and Green River Films for $7,501, both for filmmaking. The foundation’s stated topic areas include social-impact media, filmmaker sustainability, media literacy, community engagement, and storytelling around racial justice, criminal justice reform, environmental justice, gun violence prevention, and democracy.
Typical grant sizes cluster in the five-figure and high-four-figure range, with p25 at $7,780, a median of $9,990, and p75 at $16,286. The recent grants list also shows a wider spread, from $6,650 to $62,000 in 2023. Chicago Media Project is a public charity and a regular funder, and it also makes program-related investments. Its active programs include both unsolicited and non-unsolicited pathways: Doc Boosters Grant and Homegrown Chicago accept unsolicited submissions, while other grantmaking programs are membership-driven or invitation-based. The grant list shows multiple 2023 awards, but only the provided year is visible here, so the clearest pattern is a current, project-oriented grantmaking cycle rather than a one-off award model.
$204K
$318K
$704K
$1.2M
Most grants fall between $8K and $16K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$16K
About 36% of grants go to recipients in IL.
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Chicago Media Project gives mainly in the United States, with 100% of the recent grants in the country. Chicago is the top state for grant count, and 36% of grants go to recipients in Illinois. Recent recipient cities include Chicago, Brooklyn, and New York, with additional grants going to Valhalla, Snellville, and Monterey Park. The pattern suggests a regional base with some national reach, centered in Illinois but extending to media organizations in New York, Georgia, and California.
Its focus areas include documentary film, social-impact media, filmmaker sustainability, impact and outreach campaigns, media literacy, and community engagement. The topic taxonomy adds documentary production, distribution and outreach, and storytelling tied to racial justice, criminal justice reform, environmental and climate justice, gun violence prevention, democracy, and civic engagement.
The typical award sits in the high four-figure range: p25 is $7,780, the median is $9,990, and p75 is $16,286. The recent grants also range from $6,650 to $62,000, showing that CMP makes both smaller project grants and larger awards.
Some programs do. Doc Boosters Grant accepts unsolicited submissions, and Homegrown Chicago also accepts unsolicited projects. Other programs in the portfolio are membership-driven or non-unsolicited, including Community Model of Philanthropy Grantmaking and the Impact Grant Fund.
No. Chicago is important in its grantmaking, with 36% of grants going to recipients in Illinois, but the recent grants also include grantees in Brooklyn, New York, Valhalla, Georgia, and California. The grant country distribution shown here is entirely U.S.-based.
CMP uses a community-driven model that pools membership and direct-donation support. Its active programs include member-voted microgrants, membership-funded grants, impact grant funding, and Chicago-centered initiatives. The foundation also makes program-related investments and is classified as a regular funder.
2023
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2023.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ONE STORY UP | BROOKLYN, NY | $62,000 | 2023 | FILMMAKING |
| TALOS FILMS | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2023 | FILMMAKING |
| MEZCLA MEDIA COLLECTIVE LTD | CHICAGO, IL | $20,073 | 2023 | FILMMAKING |
| CHICAGO PUBLIC MEDIA | CHICAGO, IL | $12,500 | 2023 | FILMMAKING |
| WESTCHESTER INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT | VALHALLA, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | FILMMAKING |
| KARTEMQUIN EDUCATIONAL FILMS | CHICAGO, IL | $9,990 | 2023 | FILMMAKING |
| BVM PRODUCTIONS LLC | SNELLVILLE, GA | $9,657 | 2023 | FILMMAKING |
| I LOVE YOU CHINGOS LLC | BROOKLYN, NY | $8,059 | 2023 | FILMMAKING |
| GREEN RIVER FILMS | CHICAGO, IL | $7,501 | 2023 | FILMMAKING |
| NEW WAVE PRODUCTIONS LLC | MONTEREY PARK, CA | $7,423 | 2023 | FILMMAKING |
| THE JANES FILM LLC | BROOKLYN, NY | $6,650 | 2023 | FILMMAKING |
ONE STORY UP
$62,000FILMMAKING
TALOS FILMS
$50,000FILMMAKING
MEZCLA MEDIA COLLECTIVE LTD
$20,073FILMMAKING
CHICAGO PUBLIC MEDIA
$12,500FILMMAKING
WESTCHESTER INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
$10,000FILMMAKING
KARTEMQUIN EDUCATIONAL FILMS
$9,990FILMMAKING
BVM PRODUCTIONS LLC
FILMMAKING
I LOVE YOU CHINGOS LLC
$8,059FILMMAKING
GREEN RIVER FILMS
$7,501FILMMAKING
NEW WAVE PRODUCTIONS LLC
$7,423FILMMAKING
THE JANES FILM LLC
$6,650FILMMAKING
Current and upcoming funding from Chicago Media Project that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Not specified on the site. Projects are selected from a set of documentary projects shared with Boosters for review and voting.
Deadline: Bi-monthly selection cycle (six grants per year when at target Booster level); specific project submission dates not listed.
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