WOMEN IN FILM & VIDEO INC
We serve mediamakers of all genres, genders, and experience levels.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Wednesday Ones and other professional development seminars
Launched in 1979, our core professional development programming is delivered the first Wednesday of each month through this affordable, high-quality seminar series. The program brings a coalition of industry leaders together to present on a variety of practical and theoretical topics.
ScriptDC
SCRIPT DC - (est. 2006, attracts 125+ attendees and speakers annually) To respond to the need for DC area writers, directors, and producers to build skills, get critical feedback, and make connections with producers, we developed this intensive, two and one-half-day conference, the only one of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic region.
In designing the programming, our goal is to present multiple tracks on narrative and documentary film to meet the varying needs of attendees. We also endeavor to provide an opportunity for writers to hear their scripts read by actors and receive critiques by highly qualified professionals. Finally, we strive to enable attendees to develop authentic connections between industry leaders and media makers based in the DC region.
The organizing committee is planning the 2015 edition of ScriptDC (November 13-15, 2015), which will continue to develop the local screenwriting and directing talent we have been mentoring for a number of years through ScriptDC, the Screenwriters Roundtable, and now the Spotlight on Screenwriters program and new Narrative Directors Roundtable.
WIFV Media Job Fair
The WIFV Media Job Fair is the only one of its kind in the Mid Atlantic.
Kids World Film Festival
In this two-part program, WIFV volunteers first deliver media literacy workshops to students in their classrooms. We then bring the children together and show them curated short films from around the globe that explore issues of tolerance, diversity, and conflict resolution. After the screenings, we have a moderated discussion where the students share their thoughts and ask questions.
Fiscal Sponsorship Program
This program provides limited financial and legal oversight for a project initiated independently by a filmmaker. The project must be non-commercial in nature, i.e., not produced solely for financial gain. WIFV accepts applications twice per year via a competitive application process. Submissions are reviewed by a selection committee whose members go on to serve as mentors to accepted filmmakers. When a project is accepted into this program, it opens a critically important door to foundation and other funding and provides mentoring vital to the filmmaker across the long process of making a film.
Where we work
Awards
Recipient 2015
DC Mayor's Arts Award
External reviews

Videos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
In March of 1979, a group of DC area women filmmakers met to address concerns they had about their lack of career advancement and to discuss why their work was largely being ignored by the establishment. They began to help each other make key connections and overcome obstacles that had hindered their success. Later that year, they founded WIFV to act as an advocate for all under-represented voices. Over the years, WIFV has nurtured many careers and has become a critical information hub for the region's media community. Starting with a dozen women, WIFV now serves thousands.
Access to a well-informed, central source of information is critical to successful media careers, especially for women, and WIFV provides consistent, high-quality information, connections, and programs. We are also able to develop strategic, long-term initiatives such as the Seed Fund for Documentary Filmmakers, Spotlight on Screenwriters, our fiscal sponsorship program, the Kids World Film Festival, and Media Job Fair because we have the stability and constancy that volunteer-managed organizations cannot provide.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
As women media makers are stressed with shrinking full-time employment opportunities, constantly changing technology, and the never-ending search for funding, we increase our services, programs, and networking opportunities.There are some clear solutions that emerge from the research and from our own experience working with the area’s media community on the challenges women media makers face, and we provide them all:
Mentoring - When successful WIFV members mentor emerging professionals, they help them build confidence and make key connections in the media industry and funding community. Additionally, a number of our founders and long-time members mentor emerging professionals and act as advisors to the organization.
Raise awareness - Educating leaders currently in the media industry helps generate change. As a recent Sundance study put it, “Forging an environment open to gender parity may begin by providing industry leaders with concrete action steps that encourage a solution-oriented perspective.”
To apply that principle at a macro level, we created the high-profile Women of Vision Awards program in 1989 to celebrate the artistic and technical achievements of women in the industry. Honorees have included household names like Penny Marshall, Patty Duke, and Carrie Fisher as well as DC area stars like Maryanne Culpepper (former president, National Geographic TV), Margaret Parsons (head of media programming at the National Gallery of Art), and Patricia Aufderheide (director of the Center for Media and Social Impact at American University).
Increase funding - Through WIFV’s Fiscal Sponsorship Program, we help sponsees find funders, develop fundraising plans, submit proposals, and obtain grants. In addition, we have two modest scholarship programs and we have recently arranged for the Foundation Center to put on a series of free workshops orienting WIFV members to the center’s vast resources and databases.
Act as an employment catalyst - Our listserv and Media Job Fair (unique in the Mid Atlantic region) help media makers find permanent and freelance media positions in the DC region. By connecting people to jobs, we lift up an underserved population, acting as an employment catalyst for a major segment of DC’s creative economy. Our members are dynamic entrepreneurs who not only produce value-added media products for local, national, and international markets.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
WIFV produces more than 70 program events a year, almost all of which are open to the public. They include workshops, panel discussions, technology demonstrations, a three-day screenwriters conference, a mentoring program for local high school students, and a film festival for middle school students. Since making industry contacts is key to advancing in a media career, we also host a number of networking events, including an open house, holiday party, 20-something happy hours, and monthly coffees with WIFV’s Executive Director and Board members.
Recently launched programming includes:
Spotlight on Screenwriters – VP Monica Lee Bellais worked with almost 100 DC-based screenwriters in a series of workshops to bring their work to industry standards, develop marketing strategies, and expand their networks. We distributed the inaugural Spotlight on Screenwriters Catalogue, which features 39 production-ready screenplays from this cohort, to producers across the country. This ground-breaking source of screenplays from outside the standard entry points has been praised by Academy Award-winning producers and is opening doors for local talent. Volume 2 is in process.
Fiscal Sponsorship – WIFV serves as a mentor and provides financial oversight for documentary filmmakers. In three years, sponsored projects have screened in festivals and leveraged tens of thousands of dollars of additional funding.
Seed Fund for Documentary Filmmakers – WIFV is fundraising to provide four $2,500 grants for each of three years to support critical start-up expenses. A competitive application process will begin when $10,000 is raised.
Gallery of Member Work - To mark our 35th anniversary, WIFV offered our members the opportunity to feature their work in an online gallery accessible via a playlist on the WIFV-DC YouTube channel. We called on all members --directors, producers, makeup artists, musicians, documentary filmmakers, costume designers, voiceover artists, writers, and more -- to submit three-minute clips or compilations of their best work. The submissions were reviewed by the WIFV board. They were provided a button to feature on their websites to showcase their inclusion in the Member Gallery. We are adding to the gallery, which gives viewers an idea of just how diverse the work of WIFV members is, every quarter.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
All of WIFV’s efforts are aimed at helping our members build the skills and make the connections they need to overcome barriers and advance in a highly competitive environment. Our work has helped women create narrative films and documentaries, training and industrial films for commercial and government clients, television programming, advertising and marketing, animation and special effects, and innovative new media products. Their work is among the best in the industry and has been recognized with Oscar nominations and dozens of Emmys, Peabodys, CINE Golden Eagles, and Tellys.
Starting with fewer than 20 women in 1979, WIFV now serves thousands. Since our founding we estimate that we have served more than 250,000 media professionals and film aficionados. Many of our founders remain involved with the organization through our Advisory Committee and Legacy Circle, and most continue to produce media. Testimonials (please see attachment) reveal that WIFV is the critical hub for the area's media community. We are pleased to report that WIFV has been recognized as a "Top Rated" organization by Great Nonprofits for three years in a row, one of only a handful of media organizations across the country so honored.
WIFV provides the professional development, mentoring, access, and encouragement for independent filmmakers to tell their stories. Something as simple as our "Power of the Purse" announcements about buying tickets to women-made films showing at area theaters is a powerful statement to the community that there is an audience for these stories and that we will rally an audience to see these films. Without our direct service to artists, diverse voices would be silent.
As more media makers are pushed into the freelance economy, the consistent support system provided by WIFV can be a lifeline. WIFV is a key employment catalyst in DC's creative economy, and our members constitute a major economic force in the region. We empower dynamic entrepreneurs who:
1) Start businesses, make investments, and hire employees.
2) Produce value-added news, entertainment, and innovative media products for local, national, and international markets.
3) Give back to WIFV, other organizations, and the community at large through their own contributions of expertise and funding.
Carlyn Davis, Owner, Carlyn Davis Casting and WIFV Corporate Member, says it all:
"I have been a member of WIFV since the early 90's, and this strong organization has helped me network and build my company name into what it is today. I believe WIFV is a worthwhile organization to sponsor."
We will continue to expand WIFV's role as an advocate for independent media makers to respond to changing business practices and technology and push for better gender representation on both sides of a camera. In addition to the plans outlined for each program above, we are strengthening existing collaborations and broadening our coalition.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
WOMEN IN FILM & VIDEO INC
Board of directorsas of 06/29/2023
Connie St. John
Sara Barger
Freelance
Monda Webb
Little Known Stories
Tara Jabbari
Freelance
Anna Reid Jhirad
Marigold Productions
Steve Lack
Steve Lack Audio
Emma Mankey-Hidem
Sunnyside VR
Malikkah Rollins
DOC NYC
Sheri Ratick Stroud
Wonder Pictures
Connie St. John
No Weapon Productions
Sandra Abrams
Communications Professional
Candice Bloch
Freelance
Carolyn Dodd
Business Consultant
Jacqueline Greff
Tonal Vision
Mark Maxey
Rolling Pictures
Amy Oden
From the Back of the Room Productions
May Santiago
Faculty/PhD Candidate
Kirk Schroder
Shroder Brooks Law Firm PLC
Lisa Scott
Screenwriter
Sheila Smith
SNS Productions
Judith Snyderman
Producer
Ariel Baska
Ride the Omnibus, Inc.
Akima A. Brown
Reel Families for Change
Sandra Brennan
Freelance
Kate Tsubata
Dancing Joy, LLC
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 12/22/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.