In partnership with the Maine Community Foundation the Maine Arts Commission is proud to offer the Jane Morrison Memorial Film Fund Scholarship. The grant supports educational opportunities for filmmakers in the early stages of their career development. The Fund is designed to help filmmakers attain instructional guidance and skills. Applicants should identify specific opportunities for educational benefit and be prepared to explain why the experience would help them.

• Deadline: April 5, 2013
• Maximum grant amount: $2,000
• Project must take place between May 9, 2013 and May 8, 2014
• Funding will be available after May 9, 2013

In the past funds have been used to support attendance at the Summer Film Institute in New York and the Sundance Institute in Utah. The funds can also be applied to film classes at educational institutions, film workshops, seminars and apprenticeships. The committee prefers applications that cover tuition costs rather than living expenses. Preference is given (but not restricted) to those residing in Maine.

Jane Morrison was an Augusta-area native who died suddenly while on location shooting a film in Africa. Jane's career in filmmaking began when she was an English teacher at Cony High School in Augusta and participated in that school's first Maine Arts Commission-supported Artist-In-Residence Film Program. She received special training in filmmaking, continued to develop the film program at Cony, and then went on to a full-time career in filmmaking. Among her titles are Sarah Orne Jewett's The White Heron, Master Smart Woman, and The Two Worlds of Angelita.

Eligibility Requirements

A profession Maine artist is eligible to apply if s/he has a valid Maine address and has resided full-time in Maine for a minimum of two years at the date of application, is 18 years of age or older at the time of the application, and is not enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student and the application is not a required part of their course of study.

All applicants must have completed and filed all final reports required for previous Maine Arts Commission grants.previous Maine Arts Commission grants

Review Process

Applications are reviewed by a committee composed of the Maine Arts Commission's Media Arts and Performing Arts Committee and/or members of the public selected for their expertise in film.

Grant recommendations will be presented at the next regularly scheduled meeting of either the Maine Arts Commission or its executive committee. The approval of the review process, making the grant official, takes place at that time.

The review process and delivery of funds may take up to four months. This means that grant funds may be used to reimburse costs incurred for the project after the grant has been approved. Please plan accordingly.  

Review Criteria

Grant applications will be reviewed on a competitive basis using the following criteria:

• Artistic excellence of the applicant.
• Evidence that the proposal will have positive impact on the applicant.
• Financial need of the applicant.
• Appropriate use of the requested funds.

Required Application Materials

Please review the following required materials carefully in preparing your application materials. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in disqualification of your application. Only complete applications will be accepted. Make copies of all application materials for your records prior to submitting them.

The preferred format for text files is .pdf, but .doc or .rtf files will be allowed. No other format will be accepted. Failure to save a document correctly may limit its ability to be uploaded through eGRANT and jeopardize the application. Instructions for submitting artistic work samples, if required, can be found below. 

1. eGRANT Application  Applicants are required to upload all supporting documents (with the exception of video, audio, images) through eGRANT.
2. Resume(s)  For the applicant and any other artists to be employed by the project.
3. Application Narrative (form below)  Applicants must submit their narrative form containing clear and specific responses to each of the project description statements; these need to be addressed sequentially and numbered. Responses can not exceed two pages. The project description is the central element of the grant request. The more information the reviewers have about the project and its relation to the artist's growth, the better they can judge its merits.
4. Vendor Form (form below) To be provided by a first time applicant, or those whose contact information has changed. This is information used by the Treasury to generate a check if the grant is awarded. Applicants should be sure to indicate the address the check should be sent to. Mail or fax (207/287-2725) the vendor forms (if required) to the Maine Arts Commission, 193 State Street, Augusta, Maine 04333-0025.

Art Work Sample Submission Guidelines

There are up to ten opportunities to submit work samples with your application, although not every application will ask for ten samples. Work samples are a crucial aspect of your application and it is essential that they are of professional quality and appropriate representations of your current abilities.

Naming of all files should use the following convention: last name_title_year of work (Eg: Doe_Untitled_2010.jpg). There is a maximum of 72 characters file name limit and the name should NOT contain spaces or characters other than letters, numbers, underscores and hyphens.

A Description of Work Samples must be included to provide an additional reference for the submissions. Information on this document should list the work and include artist name, title, medium, size (if applicable), year of creation, and any other (brief) information that will better inform the reviewers about the artwork.

For Individual Artist Fellowship applications only: The review process is anonymous therefore there should be no evidence of your name anywhere on your actual samples. You are asked to submit a work sample description with your name that only staff will see during the review

Represented work must be current; preferably within the past three years

FORMAT REQUIREMENTS FOR WORK SAMPLES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Literary

Preferred format PDF, but WORD documents will also be accepted. Literary samples should be examples of an artists literary creation(s), submitted in the way that corresponds to the application. Manuscripts should include works of prose or up to five poems. Script and playwriting applicants should include one act or scene. Manuscripts in all genres must not exceed 20 pages. Selections from a longer script or work of prose may be accompanied by a synopsis of the complete work. All materials must be legible in 12-point or larger type and double spaced.

Images 

Preferred format JPEG, but PDF images will also be accepted.Optimal image size is 1920 pixels on the longest side (to accommodate HD viewing) at a resolution of 96 dpi and a file size under 5mb. Images can be a digital photograph or a digital scan.

AudioPreferred format MP3, but WAV or AIFF files will also be accepted.Optimal audio submissions should be an audio file under five minutes in length in a file size under 10mb. If the audio file is longer than five minutes listening points should be indicated on the explanatory document about how to listen to the work sample(s). Links to audio files that are housed online can count as audio submissions.

Video

Preferred Format MPEG-4, but MOV and AVI files will be accepted.It is preferred that time-based works submit at least one video work sample. Optimal video submissions should be a video or video clip under five minutes in length in a file size under 20mb. If the video file is longer than five minutes viewing points should be indicated on the explanatory document about the work samples. Links to a video URL that is housed on a hosting site such as Youtube, Vimeo, or the artist’s website can count as a video submission.

If you are unable to upload your materials or you wish to submit files that are copy-protected you may submit the work samples on a CD or DVD. If you do this you must send six copies of the material. Please write the appropriate information to identify the application on the disc itself (not on the case).

Web 

Website URL address in a PDF, but WORD documents will also be accepted.If the artist has their materials in an online resume or some other networked means of exhibition they can direct reviewers to the material by providing a URL. The URL should link to a specific page containing the work sample. An applicant should not assume the reviewers will navigate into the site if directed to the home page. The applicant may suggest preferred web browsers for optimal viewing of submitted materials in the explanatory document about the work samples.

The Maine Arts Commission reserves the right to use submitted materials in the promotion of the artist and/or Maine Arts Commission programs. The material will be used in a promotional manner only and will not be used for commercial purposes.

We recommend that contributors consider licensing their media files under a Creative Commons Attribution/Non-Commercial/Share-Alike license. 

Stop!

Each applicant must speak with Kerstin Gilg, performing arts and media arts director at 207/287-6719, kerstin.gilg@maine.gov or TTY/NexTalk 877/887-3878, about the project before submitting an application. Failure to do so will disqualify the application.

How to Apply

Applicants are required to apply through the Maine Arts Commission e-GRANT system. E-GRANT will accept applications until 5:00pm, E.S.T. Because of the volume of e-GRANT submissions on the day of any grant deadline, we strongly recommend you give yourself a 24 hour buffer.

Applicants who are unable to apply through e-GRANT must contact Kathy Ann Shaw at 207/287-2750, 877/887-3878 TTY/NexTalk User ID: kathy.shaw or kathy.shaw@maine.gov to discuss an alternative prior to applying. Alternative submissions will not be accepted without prior authorization.

The agency will not accept late or incomplete applications under any circumstance.

Grant information is available in large print format by request. All Maine Arts Commission programs are accessible to people with disabilities. All programs funded by the Maine Arts Commission must also be accessible.

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