7 Arts Nonprofits Perfect for Filmmakers
There are many charitable people in the world, whether it’s with their time or money. When you put both of these together through GivingWay, it’s possible to “Volunteer Abroad” and visit a nonprofit in another country, where you can really get hands on with the place you choose to help. Volunteering abroad has so many benefits; it’s a great experience to see how the rest of the world live as well as magnificent sights you don’t see in your backyard, all while giving back to a nonprofit and community that could really use your support.
Creative nonprofit organizations that focus on the arts and filmmaking could always use help from filmmaker volunteers to get the word out about their nonprofit through film projects. It can also be incredibly beneficial for the volunteer as well, while building their own portfolios.
Here are some notable filmmaking nonprofits on GivingWay that would love to get creative volunteers:
- Lola Kenya Screen, Kenya
- Biodiversity Research Institute, Brazil
- ASMO, Brazil
- Iris Mission Africa, Uganda
- Salt Lake City Prayasam, India
- Films 4 Peace Foundation, Bangladesh
- Junior Art Club, Ghana
1. Lola Kenya Screen
Where: Kenya
“We are a movie festival, skills-development, and marketing platform focusing on children and youth in eastern Africa.”
Lola Kenya Screen conducts volunteer programs every three months throughout the year for students of Communication, Journalism, Public Relations, Video/TV Production, and Web Development/Graphic Design.
They are looking for volunteers to teach animation, art, photography, videography, graphic design, website-development, art appreciation, creative writing, journalism, event organization, theater, English and more. They are looking for knowledgeable, experienced, enthusiastic and energetic volunteers from all over the world.
Lola Kenya Screen would help you grow in your professional career as well. One volunteer stated that “Volunteering at the Lola Kenya Screen has been and always is a great learning experience, my writing skills have really improved greatly, and also good opportunities have come along. At Lola, there is a very wide platform for skills to grow and mature if you take the opportunity!”
Learn more about Lola Kenya Screen>>
2. Biodiversity Research Institute
Where: Brazil
The Biodiversity Research Institute is a nonprofit that develops biodiversity research and environmental education programs for the purpose of ecological conservation. They focus on sustainability and using reusable natural resources and promoting eco-tourism. Relating to filmmaking, they are set up to give you all of the resources that you’d need to create the perfect video with your artistic vision for them. All of the volunteers who’ve gone have left glowing reviews.
The description on their GivingWay page for filmmaking is: The Biodiversity Observatory OBBIO – is a network of video cameras that record the fauna and flora 24 hours a day, generating films and content for use in research and education. Our videos have been used on the Discovery Channel and are regularly published on our YouTube channel. People interested in adding content to the database or putting the content to good use in clips, documentaries or magazine publications are welcome. Anyone with editing or digital AR skills would be of great help also.
Learn more about Biodiversity Research Institute>>
3. ASMO
Where: Brazil
Alliance of Slum Media Organizations (ASMO) is a consortium established by 6 organizations working in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Established in 2016, ASMO works with children, youth and their communities, giving them opportunities to nurture talents, create jobs and communicate critical development messages about slum communities. ASMO supports its members in carrying out relevant people-centered art, film and photography projects that address contemporary issues advocating for societal change.
ASMO would like volunteers to help continue to grow the organization and build a strong foundation. They would like to focus on the area of organizational development and by creating quality films for ASMO, you would be helping grow their nonprofit tremendously.
Learn more about ASMO>>
4. Iris Mission Africa
Where: Uganda
Iris Mission Africa is a nonprofit organization in Kampala, Uganda. They empower communities, especially youth in fighting unemployment, poverty and other injustices through art, photography, and film. Iris Mission Africa focuses on giving youth the tools and disciplines to excel in painting, acting and still and motion photography. With many children in the founder’s hometown being semi-illiterate, he decided that teaching them about the arts would be the best way to expand their minds and give them tools to succeed as well as give them opportunities to get jobs.
They need volunteers to help develop the organization, help instruct youth on the ways of filmmaking, what it takes to create movies and how to operate all of the equipment and programs that go with filmmaking.
Learn more about Iris Mission Africa>>
5. Salt Lake City Prayasam
Where: India
Salt Lake City Prayasam’s goal is to educate, advocate and inform through and about cinema. They have many needs for volunteers in the fields of program documenting, monitoring and evaluation research volunteering, teaching yoga, Zumba, dance, music, sports, or art in Kolkata, online mentoring for on-track students and more.
The long list of 30 services/classes which Prayasam offers includes: Ontrack (life-skills session), Visual Basics (film viewing and discussion, film-making and community screening and discussion), Technology (Computer hardware and software class), Social Media (Comics, Role play, poster slogan, etc), Rights (Child Rights session), Performing Arts Studio (Dance, drama, drawing and craft class) and Talk Jhal Misti (Storytelling session).
Learn more about Salt Lake City Prayasam>>
6. Films 4 Peace Foundation
Where: Bangladesh
Films 4 Peace Foundation is an independent advocacy organization located in Dhaka, Bangladesh, that uses film and strategic communication to expose global problems and promote solutions that are essential to building a peaceful future.
The volunteering activities that Films 4 Peace Foundation have highlighted are: arts, fundraising, teaching, women empowerment, disaster relief, human rights work, and web work. These issues are expressed through film and the organization believes that with the right push and following, they would be able to make a real difference in the community by promoting togetherness.
Learn more about Films 4 Peace Foundation>>
7. Junior Art Club
Where: Ghana
Junior Art Club aims to develop, empower, and educate children and youth with the arts. Their vision is to: “Use the Junior Art Club as a proven social and educational incubator capable of identifying and developing the creative potential of children and youth through the arts so as to provide them with progressive youth empowerment opportunities.”
Volunteering at Junior Art Club is very exciting too! For the half-day volunteering option, they have activities such as drumming, drum making, traditional cooking, dancing, and basket and kente weaving lessons. The club welcomes both professional and amateur artists, painters, photographers, social workers, graphic designers, creative writers, dancers, dramatists, specialists, film and video makers, and ecotourism. Another option is to facilitate a workshop on ICT, creative writing, film and video making, performing arts and ecotourism.
Learn more about Junior Art Club>>
Filmmakers and those with arts skills looking to share their knowledge would be greatly appreciated by any of these nonprofits, so what are you waiting for? Get your cameras ready!