GOLD2023

Video Project

documentary films on critical issues: environment, equity, diversity, inclusion, education and current issues

San Francisco, CA   |  http://www.videoproject.org
GuideStar Charity Check

Video Project

EIN: 83-3917931


Mission

Realizing the potential of documentary films to educate, inspire and compel audiences, fostering a more just and sustainable society.

Ruling year info

2019

Co-Director of Acquisitions, Treasurer

Mr. Michael Kuehnert

Co-Director of Operations, Secretary

Mr Arlin Golden

Main address

145 9th St Ste 230

San Francisco, CA 94103 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

83-3917931

Subject area info

Arts and culture

Education

Environment

Film and video

Human rights

Population served info

Children and youth

People of African descent

At-risk youth

Academics

Activists

NTEE code info

Film, Video (A31)

Educational Services and Schools - Other (B90)

Alliance/Advocacy Organizations (R01)

IRS subsection

501(c)(3) Public Charity

IRS filing requirement

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

Tax forms

Show Forms 990

Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

In this media landscape, where a handful of conglomerates profit from click-bait style reporting, our society is losing its ability to absorb, reflect, and act on the stories that are most vital to our future. Our mission at Video Project is to fill this gap by providing factual documentary films about the critical issues of our time, to Colleges, Universities, K-12 schools and other types of institutions. The topics addressed in our films include: BLACK LIVES, ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, IMMIGRATION, LGBTQ & GENDER, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION, SOCIAL JUSTICE, LABOR RIGHTS, ALTERNATIVES IN EDUCATION, HEALTH AND WELLNESS, POLITICS, NUCLEAR ISSUES, PRISON REFORM, THE ARTS, and much more.

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?

FREE K-12 film screenings, equity, diversity, inclusion

Support equity, diversity and inclusion in schools, and for Black girls, by providing FREE documentary film screenings and educational resources to K-12 schools, school districts and states.

Films:
PUSHOUT: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools
Starting At Zero: Reimagining Education In America
Black Boys
Rap Squad
Crossroad Stories
Petersburg Rising
On These Grounds
Teach Us All
The Road to Justice



Population(s) Served
At-risk youth
People of African descent
Academics
Activists
Indigenous peoples

Provide FREE screenings of the documentary film "Teach Us All" to Colleges and Universities in the United States.

Synopsis of Film:
Sixty years after the Little Rock Nine faced mobs of racially charged hatred and became cornerstones of the Civil Rights movement, Teach Us All examines how the present day United States education system fails to live up to that promise of desegregation as it slides back into a re-segregation of its modern schools.

The film weaves together interviews from two Little Rock Nine members, archival images, and news footage to ask: How far have we really come in 60 years and where do we go from here?"

Population(s) Served
People of African descent
Children and youth
Adults
Academics

Provide free screenings in schools in the U.S. for environmental conservation education.

Synopsis of Film:
"In a world increasingly dominated by humans, three teams of determined conservationists go to extraordinary lengths to save three threatened species in the American heartland. Stunningly photographed in the Grand Canyon and on the American prairie, The Nature Makers follows biologists who’ve deployed helicopters, giant bulldozers and a host of human tools in order to defend nature.

In the 21st century, defending the wild often paradoxically requires technology and aggressive human intervention. The Nature Makers is a moving portrait of passionate people and the extraordinary creatures whose existence they fight for. The film is a story of how we found ourselves on the brink of losing so much of the natural world, yet it charts an optimistic, though unmistakably challenging, path forward. "

Population(s) Served
Young adults
Adults
Academics
Activists

Where we work

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

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.

To continue our mission of providing engaging and relevant documentary films on the most critical issues facing society to schools and other organizations, to provide free resources to underserved school and communities, and to support the filmmakers by paying them royalties on sales.

To aid in the effort of providing free screenings and resources,, we are in search of impact funding for individual film outreach campaigns to provide free screenings and resources to underserved schools and communities who need it most, and for the issues that are most relevant to their populations. Currently, we are seeking funding to provide the film PUSHOUT: The Criminalization of Black Girls In Schools for free to school systems at the state level, including many states across the country. Funds can be targeted to individual states or regions.

In providing these services, we also seek to continue to support documentary filmmakers, whose essential work helps us to better understand our evolving culture, as well as support and represent marginalized communities.

Finally, we also seek unrestricted funds to support both the continued growth and evolution of Video Project, and a living wage and benefits to its employees.

In the interest of providing the film PUSHOUT and other films available for free to K-12 schools, Colleges and Universities, we have contacted the Equity and Diversity offices in many states and are aware of their funding needs and desire to use the film. In many cases, the individual states will not promote the film unless it is made available for free. So through our relationships with these state representatives, we can get the films to the populations that need it most. And through our mailing list of 50,000, we are able to swiftly utilize donated funds to make a wide variety of films free to Colleges and Universities for screening and classroom use. Donors are welcome to browse our recent releases and chose the film or program they wish to support, subject to a short discussion with us.

By continuing to expand the reach of our films, Video Project is able to support filmmakers by providing them with much needed sales income and return on their investment, and also provide both marketing and fulfillment capabilities for their films.

Our contact database contains over 50,000 individuals at Colleges, Universities, K-12 schools, non-profits, corporations, government agencies and municipalities. Our marketing team creates customized content for both regular film sales and special events and free resources. And we engage in special outreach for each film, depending on the audience and the needs. We maintain regular contact with our customers in an effort to help educators and communities harness the power of documentary film to empower and inspire action around critical social and environmental justice issues. Video Project thoughtfully curates and provides impact-oriented distribution for up to 20 new film releases each year delivering valuable educational resources that create lasting impressions on future generations, encouraging them to become responsible and compassionate citizens.

We fulfill both DVD and digital streaming orders in house, while also partnering with various organizations and partners to help ensure maximum reach, offering a one-stop solution for filmmakers seeking to make meaningful change in the world.

In our normal course of business, we distribute hundreds of issue-based films to faculty members, media libraries, public libraries, K-12 schools and administrators. We have been in continuous business since 1983 and are a well-known and trusted documentary film distributor.

We continue to acquire and distribute 20 films per year and create and administer programs for free film screenings.

In 2021 we initiated impact campaigns for STARTING AT ZERO, about universal pre-school, to the departments's of education in 3 states. The result is targeted film screenings to the hundreds of stakeholders in each state.
In 2021, we initiated an impact campaign with a mid-Atlantic state for 50 screenings of films about equity, diversity and inclusion in education, with the intent of supporting underserved youth.
In 2019, we provided free screenings and speakers to 25 colleges and universities of the film Living In The Future’s Past, a climate change film produced and narrated by Jeff Bridges.
In 2018, we provided free screenings and live speaking events of the STRAWS documentary film to over 11,000 K-12 students in LA and Dallas. STRAWS documents the worldwide issues with plastic pollutions and provides alternatives and solutions.

Our film collection features programs for all ages from over 300 independent filmmakers, including Oscar and Emmy winners. Our films are regularly honored with top festival awards and with critical praise from major review publications. We will continue to provide the best media programming available on critical social and global issues to classrooms and communities to help advance awareness and encourage action on the most important concerns of our times.

Financials

Video Project
Fiscal year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

Revenue vs. expenses:  breakdown

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info
NET GAIN/LOSS:    in 
Note: When component data are not available, the graph displays the total Revenue and/or Expense values.

Liquidity in 2021 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

59.19

Average of 67.97 over 3 years

Months of cash in 2021 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

6.2

Average of 4.1 over 3 years

Fringe rate in 2021 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

16%

Average of 8% over 3 years

Funding sources info

Source: IRS Form 990

Assets & liabilities info

Source: IRS Form 990

Financial data

Source: IRS Form 990 info

Video Project

Revenue & expenses

Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Fiscal year ending: cloud_download Download Data

Video Project

Balance sheet

Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.

Fiscal year ending: cloud_download Download Data

Video Project

Financial trends analysis Glossary & formula definitions

Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

This snapshot of Video Project’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.

Created in partnership with

Business model indicators

Profitability info 2020 2021
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation $90,603 $36,644
As % of expenses 45.4% 13.5%
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation $90,603 $36,644
As % of expenses 45.4% 13.5%
Revenue composition info
Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) $279,966 $307,700
Total revenue, % change over prior year 0.0% 9.9%
Program services revenue 0.0% 19.6%
Membership dues 0.0% 0.0%
Investment income 0.0% 0.0%
Government grants 0.0% 0.0%
All other grants and contributions 4.8% 8.7%
Other revenue 95.2% 71.7%
Expense composition info
Total expenses before depreciation $199,363 $271,056
Total expenses, % change over prior year 0.0% 36.0%
Personnel 67.1% 73.3%
Professional fees 12.4% 7.7%
Occupancy 9.4% 8.0%
Interest 0.0% 0.0%
Pass-through 0.0% 0.0%
All other expenses 11.1% 11.0%
Full cost components (estimated) info 2020 2021
Total expenses (after depreciation) $199,363 $271,056
One month of savings $16,614 $22,588
Debt principal payment $0 $0
Fixed asset additions $0 $0
Total full costs (estimated) $215,977 $293,644

Capital structure indicators

Liquidity info 2020 2021
Months of cash 6.1 6.2
Months of cash and investments 6.1 6.2
Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets 6.1 6.1
Balance sheet composition info 2020 2021
Cash $102,026 $140,336
Investments $0 $0
Receivables $0 $0
Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) $0 $0
Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) 0.0% 0.0%
Liabilities (as a % of assets) 0.7% 1.7%
Unrestricted net assets $101,321 $137,965
Temporarily restricted net assets N/A N/A
Permanently restricted net assets N/A N/A
Total restricted net assets $0 $0
Total net assets $101,321 $137,965

Key data checks

Key data checks info 2020 2021
Material data errors No No

Operations

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

Documents
Form 1023/1024 is not available for this organization

Co-Director of Acquisitions, Treasurer

Mr. Michael Kuehnert

Michael is the Co-Director of Acquisitions and CFO for Video Project, a documentary film distributor since 1983. Since 2013 he has signed over 150 high quality social justice and environmental documentaries. He works closely with filmmakers to find the best distribution strategies and implementation, develops and and oversees impact campaigns, and leads the company's fundraising. His award-winning documentary SAVE THE FARM is about activist’s 11th hour attempt to save the largest urban farm in America. The film appeared on Netflix, The Doc Channel, and PIVOT. He has produced over 20 short films. Previously, Michael was the co-owner of a commercial production company for 7 years where he oversaw all aspects of production and was CFO. Prior to entering the film business, Michael enjoyed a successful career as a finance & sales professional in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Co-Director of Operations, Secretary

Arlin Golden

Arlin is Video Project's Director of Operations, joining the distributor in 2014. His roles include leading educational marketing, managing marketing and operations staff, filmmaker relations, royalty reporting, film research and acquisitions, 3rd party distributor liaison, and promotion of a catalog of over 200 documentaries. Golden received his BA in Film Studies form UCSB in 2010. In addition to serving as a distributor, Arlin is also a filmmaker, programmer, and writer. His most recent short “Back Yard” had its premiere at the 58th Ann Arbor Film Festival, and his most recent co-production "The Great Toilet Paper Scare" was acquired by The Atlantic after premiering at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. He has programmed the documentaries for the Drunken Film Festival in Bradford, UK since it's inception in 2015, and directs and curates the full program of films for the US branch of the festival held in Oakland, CA, begun in 2018.

Number of employees

Source: IRS Form 990

Video Project

Officers, directors, trustees, and key employees

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Compensation
Other
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Compensation data
Download up to 5 most recent years of officer and director compensation data for this organization

There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.

Video Project

Board of directors
as of 03/30/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board of directors data
Download the most recent year of board of directors data for this organization
Board chair

Mr. Michael Mitrani

Eddie Madril

San Francisco State University

Kevin White

Filmmakers Collaborative San Francisco

Kathy Douglas

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 10/30/2020

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
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability