2 sessions: Saturday-Sunday, April 17-18, 9am-12pm

This interactive, hands-on online workshop is designed for emerging artists who are new to applying for grants. Learn how to research grants for your projects, read grant instructions, and understand their language and what funders are looking for in your proposal. During the workshop you’ll have the opportunity to write a mock grant proposal based on a mock application that will be provided to you. Your proposal will be evaluated in class. You’ll also learn how to select your best work samples for proposals.

About a week prior to the workshop the instructor will email you a sample completed grant application and request that you select 3-5 of your best work samples to share in class. You should also plan to prepare a budget to present in class based on a budget form that will be provided to you.

Instructor Statement
For my latest project, Little Men, I was a recipient of a $10K Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant, in 2018. I have also previously received grants for a variety of film and script projects. As a past panelist for the MSAB, I was exposed to the ins and outs of the grantmaking process, which I believe will be beneficial for you to learn.

Space is limited – early registration encouraged!

NOTE: Participation in this online course requires that you use the free Zoom cloud-based video conferencing service. For optimal performance it is recommended that you install Zoom on your computer rather than running it from a web browser. We’ll e-mail you a course reminder and Zoom link a few days prior to the first session. Click here for a Zoom tutorial.

Tuition: $105 / $80 low-income

Atlas O. Phoenix (they/them/theirs) is an award-winning director, writer, producer, actor, and editor who creates compelling, provocative film work. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, their previous artistic work has been about the darkness of human nature, child abuse, and familial dysfunction.

Atlas’ work has been screened at multiple film festivals, Intermedia Arts, online, and on MNTV.

In 2020, Atlas helmed their third short successful film, “Do I Qualify for Love?”, which details an evening of child abuse they survived. In 2021, “Do I Qualify for Love?” began its festival tour at the Flikkers Queer Film Festival in Birmingham, England, and in March 2021 it was invited to the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The film also competed at this festival for Best Short Documentary and was invited to be included in the Best of the Fest.

In 2018, Atlas received a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant to produce and direct their short screenplay, Little Men. In 2020, Little Men won Honorable Mention at the Black Continental Independent Movie Awards festival and was nominated for six awards, including Best Director and Best Short Film. Also, in 2020, Little Men won an Award of Recognition from IndieFEST, among other awards from various festivals. Little Men was also an official selection for the 17th annual Seattle Black Film Festival and the 39th annual Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival amongst other festivals including tours in Bucharest and the UK. In 2018, Little Men won a Platinum Remi Award from the WorldFest Houston International Film Festival for the short screenplay category.

Atlas is the recipient of multiple grants including the Jerome Foundation Media Arts Grant, The Jerome Foundation Travel Grant, and the VSA Emerging Artist Grant. In addition, they ran a highly successful campaign on GoFundMe for their film, Little Men, raising over $8,000 with another $2000 in private donations.

Class Registration Guidelines & Cancellation Policy

• Space is assigned on a first-come basis. Registrations must include payment in full. Registrations are accepted after registration deadlines if space is available.
• If minimum enrollment has not been reached by 7 days prior to the start date of a class, FilmNorth may cancel it, in which case registrants will immediately be notified and receive a full refund within 2 business days. A check will be issued for registrations that were paid in cash. In lieu of a refund, students have the option of applying their tuition to another class scheduled in the same calendar year.
• For those wishing to cancel a registration prior to the class registration deadline, 100% of the tuition will be refunded minus a $25 administrative fee. For registration cancellations received after the registration deadline but prior to the first class session, 50% of the tuition will be refunded minus a $25 administrative fee. As of 5:00 pm the day prior to a class start date, no refunds or credits/exchanges will be given (Friday at 5:00 pm for Sunday classes). 
• Tuition is not prorated for missed class sessions.