Help launch the
Next Filmmaker
DEAR FILMMAKER GIVES AN EMERGING FILMMAKER ACCESS TO EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS, MEANINGFUL MENTORSHIP, AND THE CHANCE TO BRING A SHORT FILM TO LIFE.
WHAT YOUR GIFT MAKES POSSIBLE
Dear Filmmaker gives one emerging filmmaker the opportunity to develop a script, learn alongside experienced professionals, and bring a short film to life.
And the opportunity extends beyond the selected filmmaker. Each production brings emerging actors, filmmakers, crew, and students together with experienced professionals, creating meaningful experience and relationships on both sides of the camera.
Your gift helps fund the people, resources, and experiences that make it possible.
The film is the visible result.
The filmmaker is the investment.
Your support brings the film to life.
FROM SCRIPT TO SCREEN
$125,000
MAKES A YEAR OF DEAR FILMMAKER POSSIBLE.
Each annual cycle requires approximately $125,000 to support an emerging filmmaker, bring a new short film to audiences, and build the foundation needed to create the opportunity again.
$70,000
FILM PRODUCTION
Professional production and post-production of the selected filmmaker’s short film.
$55,000
PROGRAM + FOUNDATION
Filmmaker selection, mentorship, festival participation, communications, administration, and the organizational capacity required to sustain the program and Foundation for years to come.
Help someone else get their chance.
Tyler treated every opportunity as a chance to learn. He asked questions, studied the work happening around him, and learned from people with more experience.
As his own career grew, he began doing the same for others: offering advice, making connections, and helping young actors develop their craft.
In Tyler’s memory, your gift can create that same kind of opportunity for a young filmmaker whose story is still being written.
THERE’S MORE WE CAN DO.
A significant gift can help fund a future production, sustain an annual cycle of Dear Filmmaker, or strengthen the Foundation for the years ahead.
If you’re considering a significant investment in the Tyler Sanders Foundation, we’d love to talk about what that could make possible.
from the director’s chair
“Dear Filmmaker gave me the chance to take something I had written and experience what it meant to bring it to life with a professional team. I came away with more than a finished film. I came away knowing more about the kind of filmmaker I want to become.”
— Keely Boutwell, Writer & Director, The Sun Rises
“There’s a difference between learning about filmmaking and being trusted to make a film. When an emerging filmmaker is surrounded by professionals who take their work seriously, the expectations change. They begin to see themselves differently, and they leave with experience they simply couldn’t get any other way.”
— Scott Brignac, Creative Partner
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. The Tyler Sanders Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
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Yes. You’ll receive an acknowledgment of your gift for your records. The IRS requires donors to maintain appropriate records and requires written acknowledgment for gifts of $250 or more.
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Your gift supports Dear Filmmaker, including filmmaker development and mentorship, professional production and post-production, festival participation, and the Foundation infrastructure required to sustain the program.
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Yes. You can choose a one-time or recurring gift when you make your donation.
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Yes. Dear Filmmaker brings emerging filmmakers together with experienced professionals, and we welcome interest from people who would like to contribute their time or expertise. Learn more and tell us how you’d like to help on our Get Involved page.
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Yes. A gift to the Tyler Sanders Foundation can be made in honor or memory of someone whose life, creativity, or encouragement has made an impact. Tribute gifts are a meaningful way to celebrate someone while helping create opportunities for emerging filmmakers.