GOLD2023

The Chimaera Project

Champions for Women Filmmakers!

Burbank, CA   |  www.chimaeraproject.org
GuideStar Charity Check

The Chimaera Project

EIN: 46-3714174

Mission

The Chimaera Project recognizes the collective voice as a catalyst for social change. We are dedicated to empowering women and non-binary filmmakers to fearlessly create, inspire and lead. Our goal is to create change by demonstrating an inclusive model.

Notes from the nonprofit

We believe that all individuals have the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships and create. It is our belief that only when people from different life experiences and points of view are given a chance to express themselves can we really create change.

Ruling year info

2014

Executive Director

Cheryl Bookout

Co-Board President, Co-Founder

America Young

Main address

2219 W Olive Avenue 344

Burbank, CA 91506 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

46-3714174

Subject area info

Film and video

Arts and culture

Population served info

Women and girls

Adults

Multiracial people

LGBTQ people

NTEE code info

Film, Video (A31)

Film, Video (A31)

IRS subsection

501(c)(3) Public Charity

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990-N.

Tax forms

Communication

Programs and results

Reports and documents
Strategic Plan

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The reach of entertainment is vast and powerful. Unfortunately, the media infrastructure still supports the usual paths for the usual people. This is where The Chimaera Project steps in to pave new inroads for creatives to tread. We lead by example by supporting new voices in concrete ways to create concrete results (finishing funds, public exhibitions, panel discussions, mentorships, etc.). The more support we give artists and filmmakers, the more they flourish. So, big picture - we find the filmmakers, support their creativity and facilitate the distribution of the fruits of their labor for the world to see. Stories that grow our hearts, open minds and inspire us to ask questions are at the heart of creating an equitable world. Filmmakers and artists participating in our programs range from late teens to seniors with a wide ethnic breakdown. The overarching goal of our programs are to assist and prepare participants to find careers in the entertainment and media arts industries.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Mentorship Program

ADULT PROGRAM: SUPPORT.HER is a mentorship program to help pair established filmmakers with emerging talent. We aim to uplift women and non-binary filmmakers and light the path for their future careers. We at The Chimaera Project understand first-hand the struggle to move our careers to the next level, and we know how life-changing a great mentor can be. We are happy to announce our first cycle of mentorships as we all strive to “lift as we rise.”

YOUNG ADULTS PROGRAM: The Chimaera Project offers partnerships with community and industry professionals to meet the needs of our youth participants by providing mentoring in front of and/or behind the camera.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Ethnic and racial groups
Women
Heterosexuals
LGBTQ people

THE MEDIA ARTS PROGRAM overarching goal is to provide opportunities to create and promote filmmaker projects through mentoring, funding, public conversations and public screenings.

Our TO.GET.HER finishing fund program awards funds to women and non-binary directors who work in short and long formats, narrative and documentary. We look for a wide range of films – from social commentary to action and sci-fi.

Population(s) Served
Women and girls
Adults
Multiracial people
LGBTQ people

OUTREACH WORKSHOPS & EVENTS seek to rebel against the statement “Women can’t …” and give our filmmakers the tools to prove this isn’t so. We present panel discussions on the topic of equity in entertainment at local and national film festivals and Cons. One thought-provoking project, Flip the Script, involves table reads of scripts from popular shows, with white male character parts being read by women and people of color. This is followed by a panel discussion. Other events and conversations we produce bring together women working in non-traditional areas of filmmaking such as horror, action, and animation.

Population(s) Served
Women and girls
Adults
LGBTQ people
Multiracial people

Where we work

Videos

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

2022 - 2024 Goals:
1. Enhance public awareness of The Chimaera Project's work.
2. Expand our Programming to further amplify the voices of filmmakers who identify as women.
3. Increase sustainability through diversification of streams of revenue.
4. Establish adequate paid leadership and staffing to support our. mission.









How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive 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 strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), 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, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback

Financials

The Chimaera Project

Financial data

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The Chimaera Project

Revenue & expenses

Fiscal Year: 2022

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Revenue
Contributions, Grants, Gifts $105,340
Program Services $0
Membership Dues $0
Special Events $0
Other Revenue $0
Total Revenue $106,116
Expenses
Program Services $25,500
Administration $9,683
Fundraising $0
Payments to Affiliates $0
Other Expenses $0
Total Expenses $40,182

The Chimaera Project

Balance sheet

Fiscal Year: 2022

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Assets
Total Assets $65,000
Liabilities
Total Liabilities $40,182
Fund balance (EOY)
Net Assets $30,751

Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

Documents
Letter of Determination
Form 1023/1024

Executive Director

Cheryl Bookout

LinkedIn profile

Julia Cheryl Bookout has a passion for filmmaking and collaborative public art projects. As an individual artist, Bookout is included in the California Women Artist Project archived at the University of Southern California and Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries, a project organized by Gloria Orenstein, Professor of Women in Literature and Art at USC. Bookout is a member of the Advisory Board for Mil-Tree Veteran Project and serves on the board of directors for the Joshua Tree Retreat Center; and Advisory Board Member for Southern California Women’s Caucus for Art (SCWCA); past President of SCWCA 2012 – 2016; 1999-2017 curated numerous gallery and museum exhibitions and has been a guest speaker on film and art-related panels throughout the U.S. Bookout has directed a short documentary film, co-produced three award-winning short films and is co-producing a feature-length documentary film with a 2023 release date.

Co-Board President, Co-Founder

America Young

LinkedIn profile

is the writer/producer of Geek Therapy (licensed by Stan Lee & POW! Entertainment). She has stunt coordinated/action directed films and music videos for Katy Perry, Ashley Simpson, The Used, Chris Cornell and Natasha Beddingfield. America helped start, run and program the non-profit Feel Good Film Festival and was the Director of Operations of The Catalina Film Festival. She was one of the executive producers and directors of the feature film anthology called Girls! Girls! Girls! starring Octavia Spencer, Beth Grant and French Stewart. She has directed the pilot Wrestling with Parenthood, starring professional wrestlers and written by, Steve Jaros, the writer of the critically acclaimed Saints Row video games. She just directed the comedy feature, The Concessionaires Must Die this year. She’s attached to direct a punk rock, super hero feature called Smash Girl.

There are no officers, directors or key employees recorded for this organization

There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.

The Chimaera Project

Board of directors
as of 07/17/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board of directors data
Download the most recent year of board of directors data for this organization
Board co-chair

Shana Betz

ABC Network

Term: 2013 -


Board co-chair

America Young

MayDay LA

Term: 2013 -

Timothy Campbell

Santa Ana College

America Young

Indepent Filmmaker

Foster Corder

Daughters 2 Feed Films

Shana Betz

Director/Writer/Producer

Nicolette Daniel

Non-Profit Specialist

Dove Meir

Actor

Rosanna Sun

The Werk Howse, Inc.

Yuka Kobayashi

Trifecsome Media LLC

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • 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 ? No
  • 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? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 7/17/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

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:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 11/09/2019

GuideStar 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

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • 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 measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • 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.