Independent Feature Project Inc
Independent Feature Project Inc is a public charity based in Brooklyn, New York, that supports independent film and media creators. It operates as The Gotham Film & Media Institute, whose stated mission is to celebrate and nurture those creators by providing career-building resources, access to industry influencers, and pathways to wider recognition. The organization was formed in 1979.
Independent Feature Project Inc at a glance
In short: Independent Feature Project Inc gave $2.0M across 36 grants in 2025 (avg $54K), mostly in New York. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,955,341
- +68.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 36
- +16.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $54,315
- +44.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $27,336
- Total assets
- $1,066,078
- -7.9% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- New York (60% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Independent Feature Project Inc
- How to Apply
-
The fiscal sponsorship program reviews applications year-round. Approved projects receive a public profile. The website describes access to foundation and government funding and tax-deductible donations as benefits of fiscal sponsorship.
- Review Cycle
- The fiscal sponsorship program has no application deadline; applications are reviewed year-round.
- Deadline
- The fiscal sponsorship program has no application deadline; applications are reviewed year-round.
- Contact
Mailing address: 55 Washington Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: (212) 465-8200
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
5 open opportunities from Independent Feature Project Inc
Cannes Producers Network Fellowship
Independent Feature Project Inc
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Executive Leadership Program
Independent Feature Project Inc
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Fiction Feature Lab
Independent Feature Project Inc
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Independent Feature Project Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Fear City LLC ($576K). Together the top 10 received $1.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
67 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 52 grants of 67 (78%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The fiscal sponsorship program is described as serving creative, artistic, and/or educational film, video, and transmedia projects. In 2025, 60% of reported grant dollars went to recipients in New York, 17% to Texas, 10% to California, 3% to Massachusetts, and 2% to Florida.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 36 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Independent Feature Project Inc gives
- 39% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2024 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.2M (2024) to $2.0M (2025). In 2025 it made 36 grants totaling $2.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Fear City LLC Brooklyn, NY | Fiscal Sponsoree - Drop Dead City" | $576,000 |
| Wrong Turn Productions LLC Dallas, TX | Fiscal Sponsoree - "Things We Shouldn't Talk About" | $340,000 |
| Kairos Cinema LLC Brooklyn, NY | Fiscal Sponsoree - "Untitled Internet Archive Film" | $93,850 |
| An Island Film LLC Los Angeles, CA | Fiscal sponsoree - "an island / mouth of the bull" | $65,484 |
| Ramzi Bashour Brooklyn, NY | Fiscal Sponsoree - "Tomahawk Springs" | $61,223 |
| Maxcvision New York, NY | Fiscal Sponsoree - "Ayahuasca Diaries" | $55,000 |
| Vast Productions USA Inc New York, NY | Fiscal Sponsoree - "Singing up the Past" | $53,914 |
| Mighty Squawk Productions Somerville, MA | Fiscal Sponsoree - Nine | $50,000 |
| Neuman Films LLC Westhampton Beach, NY | Fiscal Sponsoree - "Looking up" | $49,910 |
| Ode to LB LLC New York, NY | Fiscal Sponsoree - "Bernstein's Wall" | $48,015 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,066,078 | $6,797,810 | $6,939,969 | $1,955,341 | 36 | $3,438 |
| 2024 | $1,157,600 | $5,601,175 | $6,149,663 | $1,162,742 | 31 | $51,869 |
| 2023 | $1,948,473 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022 | $2,489,682 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020 | $3,453,615 | $7,239,136 | $7,473,296 | — | — | — |
| 2019 | $3,154,222 | $6,601,304 | $7,379,361 | — | — | $170 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s mission is to celebrate and nurture independent film and media creators, providing career-building resources, access to industry influencers, and pathways to wider recognition. Its filing describes a member-driven program that includes awards, publishing, artist training, and a curated marketplace for film and TV creators.
Its reported 2025 grants were primarily identified as fiscal sponsorship for film projects. The Gotham also supported The New Festival Inc, which describes its own mission as showcasing international, domestic, and New York-centric film, video, and other media to foster awareness and community among LGBTQ+ audiences and their allies.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the organization reported 36 grants totaling $1,955,341. Grants ranged from $5,300 to $576,000, with a median of $27,336. The largest reported awards included $576,000 to FEAR CITY LLC for the fiscally sponsored project “Drop Dead City”; $340,000 to WRONG TURN PRODUCTIONS LLC for “Things We Shouldn’t Talk About”; $93,850 to KAIROS CINEMA LLC for “Untitled Internet Archive Film”; and $65,484 to AN ISLAND FILM LLC for “An Island / Mouth of the Bull.” The New Festival Inc received $6,000.
The organization’s filing says grant recipients must submit written reports on project status, budget, documented expenses, and future installment plans when applicable. Funds must be used for the stated purpose and not for political lobbying. The organization reserves the right to terminate a grant contract for noncompliance. Recipients must acknowledge support in film credits, press materials, and on their websites, and provide copies of related materials upon completion.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Jeffrey Sharp as executive director; Kia Brooks as deputy director; Colin Whitlow as senior director of development and operations; Jeffrey Sigmund as controller; and Regina Dvorin as director of advertising.
The filing lists James Janowitz and Anthony Bregman as board co-chairs until September, after which they were board members. Drew Wilson was listed as a board member until September and then as chair. Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar was board secretary, and John Schmidt was board treasurer.
Independent Feature Project Inc is led by Jeffrey Sharp, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 5 of 27 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Jeffrey Sharp
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$254K (2020) → $410K (2025)
Regina Dvorin
Director of Advertising
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$115K (2025)
Jeffrey Sigmund
Controller
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$127K (2024) → $136K (2025)
Colin Whitlow Sr Director
Of Development & Operations
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$192K (2025)
Kia Brooks
Deputy Director
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$197K (2025)
Amy Emmrich
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Daniel Crown
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gerry Byrne
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Schmidt
Board Treasurer
Board Member → Board Treasurer, 2020
On filings since 2019
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Abraham
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Soledad O'Brien
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alina Cho
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Celia Winchester
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Colman Domingo
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dee Poku
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Franklin Leonard
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar
Board Secretary
On filings since 2024
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jason Cassidy
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeb Brody
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Taback
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Riley Keough
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stephanie March
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Teddy Schwarzman
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anthony Bregman Board Co-Chair
New on the 2025 filing
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Drew Wilson Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James Janowitz Board Co-Chair
New on the 2025 filing
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Theresa Peters
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (16)
- Former: Anthony Bregman (2019–2024) — Board Co-Chair
- Former: James Janowitz (2019–2024) — Board Co-Chair
- Former: Kai Falkenberg (2019–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Phillip Engelhorn (2019–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Drew Wilson (2020–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Colin Whitlow Asso Dir (2024) — Director of Development
- Former: Jonathan Majors (2024) — Board Member
- Former: Kia Brooks Operations Manager (2024) — Deputy Director of Programming
- Former: Katherine Oliver (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Mark D'arcy (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Mitchell Micich (2019–2020) — Deputy Director
- Former: Sharon Solomon (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Amy Dotson (2019) — Deputy Director
- Former: Christine Vachon (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Joana Vicente (2019) — Executive Director
- Former: Lance Weiler (2019) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $410K, to Jeffrey Sharp (Executive Director). 5 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Independent Feature Project Inc
How much does Independent Feature Project Inc give each year?
Independent Feature Project Inc gave $2.0M across 36 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $1.2M across 31 grants.
What is Independent Feature Project Inc's typical grant size?
Independent Feature Project Inc's median grant in 2025 was $27,336, and its average grant was $54,315, across 36 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Independent Feature Project Inc give grants?
Independent Feature Project Inc gives mostly in New York: 60% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest states were Texas (17%) and California (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Brooklyn, NY (8 grants), New York, NY (8 grants) and Los Angeles, CA (5 grants).
Does Independent Feature Project Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 36 grants with a stated purpose on Independent Feature Project Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Independent Feature Project Inc's largest grantees?
Independent Feature Project Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Fear City LLC ($576,000), Wrong Turn Productions LLC ($340,000) and Kairos Cinema LLC ($93,850), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 52% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Independent Feature Project Inc?
Independent Feature Project Inc reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $6.8M.
What does Independent Feature Project Inc fund?
The organization’s mission is to celebrate and nurture independent film and media creators, providing career-building resources, access to industry influencers, and pathways to wider recognition. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Independent Feature Project Inc?
The fiscal sponsorship program reviews applications year-round. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Independent Feature Project Inc's EIN?
Independent Feature Project Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3118525. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS January 15, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS January 14, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS January 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Independent Feature Project Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/independent-feature-project-inc-morg_058a3b03a7a545f096a358e10b2487cc
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_133118525_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Independent Feature Project Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/independent-feature-project-inc-morg_058a3b03a7a545f096a358e10b2487cc},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Independent Feature Project Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Independent Feature Project Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?