In response to the federal government’s $1.8 million cut from its annual budget, Harlem-based Black Public Media (BPM) has launched the Black Stories Production Fund.
BPM stated it seeks to raise $9 million over the next two years and welcomes significant contributions from foundations and corporations, as well as gifts from individual donors as small as $5.
The first year of the campaign aims to reach 1.8 million donors, BPM said.
“As we build the production fund, we will also work with our public media partners to rebuild a better, more responsive and representative public media system,” said BPM Executive Director Leslie Fields-Cruz. “The future of public media should never again be subject to the whims of politics.
“Our mission of supporting independent voices who create work in service to the advancement of our nation, and Black people everywhere, is too important,” she added.
Since 1979, BPM said it has distributed more than $17 million in support to films like Ailey (2021), Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters (2023), Daughters of the Dust (1991), I Am Not Your Negro (2018), Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes (2023), Mr. Soul (2018) and When Claude Got Shot (2022).
BPM said its grantees have gone on to great acclaim, earning Emmys, Peabodys, Telly Awards, and an Oscar nomination, as well as other notable honors.
The non-profit group said it has helped nurture the careers of nationally recognized filmmakers, including Julie Dash, Michèle Stephenson, Stanley Nelson, and Sam Pollard.
BPM said it has brought the work of these makers and others to public media and beyond.
Among its audience favorites are the signature series AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, now in its 17th season; AfroPoP Digital Shorts, which premieres new shorts online every other month; and the children’s podcast Keyshawn Solves It, which garnered Common Sense Media accolades in 2023.
With the rise of emerging media, BPM has trained creative technologists in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and a range of other new technologies, while providing emerging media artists with access to equipment, funding, and opportunities.
“For more than four decades, Black Public Media has supported innovative films and other media that mark our history and herald what’s on the horizon,” said Fields-Cruz. “It is vital that these narratives retain their rightful place in the public square, where they educate audiences, spark conversations, and illuminate solutions.
“We are asking all who share our vision to take action to fuel the future of Black stories,” she added.
BPM is asking members of the public to donate a minimum of $5 to the campaign and to invite their friends, family members, and colleagues to do the same at: https://secure.everyaction.com/IkFxVSdjX0qpQkceW1r27g2.
