Acra, NY—Wave Farm announced today thirteen grantees for the Spring 2023 round of the MAAF Forward Fund for Organizations, a regrant program with the New York State Council on the Arts. MAAF Forward Fund grantees: American Documentary, Anthology Film Archives, Buffalo International Film Festival, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Educational Video Center, Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), Franklin Furnace Archive, Jacob Burns Film Center, Maysles Documentary Center, MONO NO AWARE, Roulette Intermedium, Third World Newsreel, and Visual AIDS for the Arts.

The Media Arts Assistance Fund (MAAF) supports electronic media and film organizations, as well as individual artists, in all regions of New York State. For organizations, MAAF Forward Fund provides funds to support technical strategies for online development as well as to hire outside consultants to support organizational and professional development. Eligible organizations have missions specific to the media arts, dedicate the majority of their programming to technology as an art form, and are current NYSCA grantees. Organizations are eligible to receive a maximum of $2,500. The biannual application deadlines are May 1 and October 1.

Information about the thirteen 2023 Spring MAAF for Organizations funded projects is available below.

GRANTEES AND PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS

American Documentary (Kings County) - Strategic Development Planning

American Documentary will use MAAF funding to engage a consultant to support the organization’s strategic development planning process and the organization’s Development department. This work is aligned with the organization’s overall strategic planning goals.

Anthology Film Archives (New York County) - New CRM for AFA’s Membership Programs

Anthology Film Archives will use MAAF funding to support the migration of the organization’s membership and donations data to a new open-source CRM. This is the first in a series of major IT infrastructure improvements for the organization.

Buffalo International Film Festival (Erie County) - Creating a Roadmap to Improve Website Design, Information Architecture, and User Experience

Funding will support the engagement of a UX consultant who will analyze Buffalo International Film Festival’s website infrastructure, architecture, and design. The consultant will create a two-year plan for the implementation of site updates and improvements.

Chicken & Egg Pictures (Kings County) - Salesforce Enhancement Project Funding will support the streamlining and enhancement of the organization’s CRM systems in conjunction with an expansion of fundraising efforts. The organization will hire a consultant that specializes in CRM optimization.

Educational Video Center (New York County) - Youth Participatory Action Research Training

Educational Video Center will use MAAF funding to send two key members of their leadership team to the 2023 Critical Participatory Action Research Summer Intensive at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI) (New York County) - Information Management

Funding will support EAI’s engagement of an IT consultant to improve the organization’s information management and remote work protocols, with a focus on streamlining staff workflows. The consultant would improve the functionality of the organization’s hybrid work model specific to remote access and digital file management, as well as provide better public access to videos and archival materials.

Franklin Furnace Archive (Kings County) - Web Accessibility

MAAF funding will support the continuation of their "Alt Text" initiative to address the accessibility of their website. Franklin Furnace aims to refine its accessibility strategies by establishing protocol for Alt Text use, ultimately increasing accessibility to their website and accompanying digital platform for media performances, the FF Loft.

Jacob Burns Film Center (Westchester County) - Strategic Planning and Board Planning MAAF funding will support Jacob Burns Film Center’s comprehensive strategic planning process with the DeVos Institute of Arts Management. This process includes the formation of a Board Planning Working Group that will develop recommendations for a Strategic Plan.

Maysles Documentary Center (New York County) - Syncing Outdoor/Online Content

MAAF funding will support the purchase of updated streaming software. Maysles Documentary Center will use this software to stream events, organizational information, and archival materials on a screen set up at sidewalk level and accessible to the public.

MONO NO AWARE (New York County) - Organizational Development

MONO NO AWARE will use MAAF funding to support organizational development through the engagement of two consultants who specialize in building strategic partnerships with other nonprofits, private donors, and foundations.

Roulette Intermedium (Kings County) - Migration to Google Shared Drives MAAF funding will support the engagement of an IT firm to migrate the organization’s administrative files into intentional and organized shared drives in Google. MAAF funding will help improve functionality, accessibility, and security of their data.

Third World Newsreel (New York County) - Support for Outreach Consultant

Third World Newsreel will use MAAF funding to support the engagement of a marketing consultant to research, plan, and implement an in-person audience development campaign. The consultant will research and evaluate the organization’s online presence, develop an improved outreach plan, and train staff and freelancers in this new strategy.

Visual AIDS for the Arts (New York County) - Supporting Web-Based Initiatives

MAAF Funding will support the acquisition of equipment supplies that will enable more effective approaches to online public engagement, allowing for more updated transcription software to be used for video-based projects.

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About the New York State Council on the Arts

The mission of the New York State Council on the Arts is to foster and advance the full breadth of New York State’s arts, culture, and creativity for all. To support the ongoing recovery of the arts across New York State, the Council on the Arts will award $127 million in FY 2024.

The Council on the Arts further advances New York's creative culture by convening leaders in the field and providing organizational and professional development opportunities and informational resources. Created by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1960 and continued with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, the Council is an agency that is part of the Executive Branch. For more information on NYSCA, please visit www.arts.ny.gov, and follow NYSCA's Facebook page, Twitter @NYSCArts and Instagram @NYSCouncilontheArts.

Wave Farm is a non-profit arts organization driven by experimentation with broadcast media and the airwaves. A pioneer of the Transmission Arts genre, Wave Farm programs provide access to transmission technologies and support artists and organizations that engage with media as an art form. Major activities include Artist Residencies and Fellowships; a Public Transmission Art Park; Wave Farm Radio, including WGXC 90.7-FM: Radio for Open Ears, a creative community radio station based in New York’s Upper Hudson Valley; a Fiscal Sponsorship program; and Regrant Partnerships with the New York Council on the Arts. https://wavefarm.org

For more information about the The New York State Council on the Arts Regrant Programs with Wave Farm visit https://wavefarm.org/grants-services/nysca-regrants.