AIFF Receives Grants from the NEA and the OCF; Named “Top 25 Coolest Festivals in the World”
For Immediate Release – December 11, 2013
For more press information, contact Anne Ashbey, (541) 488-3823
Ashland Independent Film Festival Receives Grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Oregon Community Foundation; Named one of the “Top 25 Coolest Festivals in the World” by Movie Maker Magazine
[ASHLAND, ORE]— National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Senior Deputy Chairman Joan Shigekawa announced today that the Ashland Independent Film Festival (AIFF) is one of 150 not-for-profit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Challenge America Fast-Track grant. The AIFF is recommended for a $10,000 grant to support the 13th annual film festival, which takes place April 3 – 7, 2014. Earlier this month, the AIFF was awarded $10,250 from the Fred W. Field Funds of the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) in continuing support for its youth programming. In November the Festival was voted one of the “Top 25 Coolest Festivals in the World” by the readers of MovieMaker magazine.
The NEA Challenge America Fast-Track category offers $10,000 matching grants to support projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. In this FY 2014 funding round, the NEA received 294 eligible Challenge America Fast-Track applications requesting $2.94 million in funding.
“The NEA was founded on the principle that the arts belong to all the people of the United States,” said NEA Senior Deputy Chairman Joan Shigekawa. “We’re proud that Challenge America Fast-Track grants bring more opportunities for arts engagement to underserved communities.”
This is the second consecutive year that the AIFF has received funding from the Fred W. Fields Fund of the OCF. The 2013 Community Grant Award will support the AIFF’s continuing efforts to expand programming for younger audiences through the Launch, a free film competition for students in the Siskiyou region, and the Family Shorts program, a curated selection of independent films suitable for ages 5+. The mission of the OCF is to improve life in Oregon and promote effective philanthropy.
This fall, the AIFF was voted one of the “Top 25 Coolest Festivals in the World” by MovieMaker Magazine, one of the nation’s leading resources on the art and business of making movies and the world’s most widely read independent film magazine. The competition spanned four months and logged more than 15,000 votes from readers.
“We are thrilled and grateful for this financial support and industry acknowledgement, and it could not come at a better time,” said AIFF Executive Director Anne Ashbey. “In our 12 year history, the AIFF has established a strong reputation for our programming and hospitality. With this funding we will be able to strengthen our outreach to younger and more geographically diverse audiences, sharing the power of independent film with those who otherwise would not have access to this programming.”
A complete listing of projects recommended for Challenge America Fast-Track grant support can be found at www.arts.gov. Information about the Oregon Community Foundation can be found at www.oregoncf.org. MovieMaker’s Top 25 Coolest Festivals can be viewed at http://www.moviemaker.com/festivals/the-coolest-film-festivals-in-the-world-2013-top-25-general-film-festival-winners/.