At FilmNorth, community is at the heart of everything we do. We knew that the film community in Minnesota was being hard hit by the COVID-19 crisis, so we recently conducted a survey to gauge the impact of the crisis on filmmakers and film crew. The results were startling:
73% of respondents were unemployed
64% of this group have not received unemployment assistance
85% of this group have not received any other financial assistance (PPP, EIDL, Artist Relief funds, etc.)
48% of respondents cannot pay all bills due May 1st
Armed with this data, we were able to secure important initial gifts from Bill & Michelle Pohlad and the Ray Christiansen Foundation and donations from leaders in our community. Along with funds from FilmNorth and its Board of Directors, FilmNorth is launching the Minnesota Film Community Emergency Relief Fund today to support our filmmaking community. This fund will provide $500 grants to filmmakers and film crew in need until funds are exhausted.
If you are able, please consider a donation to this Fund. All donations are 100% tax deductible and your funds will go directly to those in need.
If you are a filmmaker or a film crew member in need, you can access the Fund Application here.
Together, we’ll get through this crisis.
