PBS and Skoll Establish Fund to Produce Programming About Social Entrepreneurship
The PBS Foundation (www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/pbsfoundation) and the Skoll Foundation (www.skollfoundation.org) have announced the establishment of the PBS Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Fund with a three-year, $2.5 million grant from the Skoll Foundation. The PBS Foundation will use the funds to enable filmmakers, documentarians, and other journalists to produce work that promotes large-scale public awareness of social entrepreneurship and highlights individuals who are pioneering innovative approaches that address far-reaching social issues.
The fund will provide independent producers with grants on a competitive basis to develop original content for dissemination by PBS across a variety of distribution platforms, including full-length documentaries and independent films or shortersegments on PBS television programs, Web sites, and digital services. Each project supported by the fund may include an outreach initiative, to be determined by the applicant. This component could include community screenings, Web sites, podcasting, and classroom materials, among other possibilities.
In order to be eligible to apply for these funds, producers must have a demonstrated track record in television and/or film production. Two funding rounds at $1.25 million each will be conducted. Round 1 proposals must be received by PBS no later than November 5, 2006. The timeline for Round 2 funding will be announced in February 2007. Complete program information and guidelines for applying can be found at the PBS Web site. Deadline: November 5, 2006
