Our Process

As a funding group, our goal is to provide grants and funds to Somali creatives “back home” through small aggregate collections from Somalis funders in the “west”. This isn’t anything new. Our single aim here is to be clear.

The whole process encompasses three components.

1. Everyone involved can know the aggregate funds in an objective way. There’s no external funding, all there is are the two tiers of funders and the number of funders. Bank Statements are provided to clearly indicate what’s come in.

2. The expectation and amount of funding are clearly laid out. Creatives and Funders know in an open way what each project will receive. Filimada.org aims to ensure that everyone gets the same amount for the same set of work.

3. Finally, the end result are clear outputs. A video is made and all involved in Filimada know what it entailed.

As with everything else, the how comes down to the details.

How We Do It.

At its core, this is an experiment in institution building. The challenge is to be consistently focused on the goal without direct external support. We do this by first committing to being 100% Somali funded.

Secondly, we create tracks and boundaries. In this way, we aim to put in place actions that are repeatable and consistent .

Our Tracks

Fundamentals

Filimada is committed to always being open about our goals and especially finances. Membership is our way of meeting and collaborating with our community, sparking new ideas and relationships that inform our work.

This means Members can get involved in Filimada directly or just show support.

Members can ask to see our finances at any time and we intend to structure so that no single individual can unilaterally withdraw from the funds without approval.

A development program for the next storytellers

We try to seek opportunities at the cross-section where stories, systems, and communities overlap. Where we can help creatives shape stories from their lens, giving them insight, support and direction, one story at a time.

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