The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) presented $3.8 million at their annual Grants Banquet held at The Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, Calif. The evening was hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Talent who accepted grants on behalf of nonprofit organizations included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Taron Egerton, James Corden, Kerry Washington, Ali Wong, Regina Hall, Rob Lowe, Jamie Bell, Ramy Youssef, Corinne Foxx, Sistine Stallone, Camila Morrone, Renée Zellweger, Eva Longoria, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jon Favreau, Justin Hartley, Ben Platt, Beanie Feldstein, Josh Lucas, Julia Butters, and Taika Waititi.

Highlights from the evening included:

·         Lorenzo Soria, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, opened the evening by reaffirming the HFPA’s commitment to supporting the entertainment community and beyond. “Licensing fees from the show allow us to donate millions of dollars to create opportunities, provide access in underserved communities, and foster the development of the next generation of great filmmakers, directors, writers, camera operators, and actors.” Soria said. Prior to introducing Arnold Schwarzenegger to the stage, he closed his remarks by acknowledging the game-changers and innovators from the grant recipients who are working to make the world a better place. 

·         Host Arnold Schwarzenegger took the stage and shared why the efforts of the HFPA are important to him. “I have a special connection to the HFPA because I am actually foreign,” Schwarzenegger said. “And I have chosen not to ‘go back to my country’, but stay here, live here and make a difference here and to me, that is what makes America great.”

·         Kerry Washington announced HFPA grants to Pen in the Community, which offers journalists workshops to improve news literacy and bring to life the importance of press freedoms in underserved schools in the LA area.She also announced grants to the Committee to Protect Journalists, KPCC, the Dag Hammarskjold Fund for Journalists and the International Documentaries Association.

·         Jamie Bell focused on HFPA’s efforts to humanitarian relief and announced grants to Film Aid International, Help Refugees, American Cinemateque, Film Independent, the Hollywood Heritage Museum, and La Plaza de Cultura y Artes Foundation.  Taron Edgerton announced grants to The Latin America Cinemateca of Los Angeles, the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Conservancy/Last Remaining Seats and the American Documentary Association.

·         Taika Watiti made reference to the fact that as a father of two daughters, he recognizes that in the entertainment industry, statistics aren’t great.  But this year, the HFPA is supporting the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women, as well as Women in Film, Women Make Movies, the Motion Picture and Television Fund and Streetlights.

·         Ramy Youssef and Ali Wong followed Taika by referencing that they are both Arab American and Asian American respectively.  The duo celebrated A Place Called Home, a safe environment for art, education and wellness in South Central Los Angeles. Serving more than 11,000 local residents, their facility provides an athletic field, kitchen, dance studio, gallery and theater to the community.  

·         A pillar of the HFPA is film restoration and preserving classic cinema.  Jon Favreau highlighted the HFPA’s work in this space, announcing grants to the Film Foundation, which was established by Martin Scorsese; Institut Lumiere, which will continue the restoration of 300 one minute films that were shot between 1893 and 1905 by the Lumiere Brothers; Indie Collect; Film Noir and Outfest/UCLA Legacy.

·         Eva Longoria and Justin Hartley took the stage next and announced a new initiative with Las Fotos Project, the first photography themed workforce development program for female high school students ages 15-18; and Lollipop Theater Network, which brings the magic of movies currently in theaters to hospitalized children nationwide, as well as, the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Ensemble Studio Theater, Gingold Theater Group and the Pablove Foundation.

·         Once Upon A Time in Hollywood breakout star Julia Butters announced a special performance featuring besties Ben Platt and Beanie Feldstein, who mentioned they met in 2005 at a bat-mitzvah and have been inseparable ever since.  

·         Following the performance, Renée Zellweger addressed the room and shared that she is a strong believer in the power of education and the important opportunities a great school can provide.  Higher education, scholarship programs, and mentorship opportunities is another pillar of the HFPA’s giving.  Grants were announced to CalArts, Los Angeles City College, Mt. San Antonio College Foundation, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State Long Beach, Santa Monica College, UCLA, Cal State Northridge and Southwestern Law School.

·         Sacha Baron Cohen announced a brand new initiative entitled Entertaining America. For the first time, the Smithsonian and Natural History Museums are partnering with the HFPA to celebrate the role of film and entertainment in shaping America and serving as agents of change.

·         Regina Hall and Rob Lowe spoke about educational tools and resources for independent filmmakers and referenced a grant to The Film Collaborative.  

·         To close the evening, James Corden announced a grant to Get Lit, which will help procure equipment, production and classroom supplies, as well as a stipend for Literary Riot, the first content production studio created and run by filmmakers, ages 13-23, who have previously trained as poets or filmmakers. He also acknowledged the California State Summer School Arts Foundation, the Echo Park Film Center, Global Girl Media, The Ghetto Film School, and the Inner City Arts Program.

Grant recipients of the HFPA fall in four major areas: nurturing the development of young artists in film and television through support for scholarships, fellowships and education; preserving the culture and history of motion pictures by supporting film preservation; promoting cultural exchange and understanding through support for major programs and exhibitions that utilize film to ignite critical dialogue; and supporting special projects, educational and cultural activities connected with the entertainment industry. The HFPA began giving grants as early as 1989 to institutions such as University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Southern California (USC) and the American Cinematheque, which continue to receive support today. The HFPA has created endowments at Los Angeles colleges and universities to help underserved students such as Los Angeles Community College and California State University, Northridge.

Over the last 25 years, the HFPA has donated $37.5 million to entertainment-related nonprofit organizations, academic programs, and humanitarian organizations, provided more than 1,500 scholarships to college students, and funded the restoration of over 125 classic films. This year, licensing from the Golden Globe Awards has allowed the HFPA to donate over $6 million to 74 nonprofits and colleges that assist diverse filmmakers and students interested in filmmaking, film preservation, journalistic organizations committed to free speech, and humanitarian organizations worldwide that support refugees and that provide critical aid when natural disasters occur.

Hollywood Foreign Press Association 2019 Grant Recipients:

HIGHER EDUCATION: FELLOWSHIPS & INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT

·         California Institute for the Arts (CalArts) – $60,000

·         Cal State Dominguez Hills – $40,000

·         Cal State Fullerton – $60,000

·         Cal State Long Beach – $60,000

·         Cal State Los Angeles – $60,000

·         Cal State Northridge – $60,000

·         Los Angeles City College – $25,000

·         Mt. San Antonio College Foundation – $30,000 

·         Santa Monica College – $30,000

·         Southwestern Law School – $50,000

·         University of California, Los Angeles – $125,000

HFPA ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPS/FELLOWSHIPS

·         American Film Institute – $20,000

·         CalArts – $12,500

·         Cal State Dominguez Hills – $5000

·         Cal State Fullerton – $5000

·         Cal State Long Beach – $5000

·         Cal State Los Angeles – $5300

·         Loyola Marymount – $20,000

·         Mt. San Antonio College Foundation – $5000

·         Santa Monica College – $5000

·         UCLA – $20,000

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING & MENTORING

·         American Film Institute – $40,000

·         Australians in Film – $10,000

·         City Year Los Angeles – $10,000

·         Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment – $20,000

·         Exceptional Minds – $25,000

·         Film Independent, Project: Involve – $60,000

·         Film Independent, Venice/TIFF Residency – $121,000

·         Independent Filmmaker Project (Brooklyn) – $20,000

·         International Documentary Association – $10,000

·         Motion Picture & Television Fund – $15,000

·         New Filmmakers Los Angeles – $41,000 

·         SAG-AFTRA Foundation – $10,000

·         Streetlights – $20,000

·         Sundance Institute – $225,000

·         Veterans in Film & Television – $30,000

·         Women in Film – $20,000

·         Women Make Movies (NYC) – $10,000

PRE-PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION & MENTORING

·         California State Summer School Arts Foundation – $25,000

·         Echo Park Film Center – $10,000

·         Get Lit – Words Ignite – $20,000

·         Ghetto Film School – $30,000

·         GlobalGirl Media – $10,000

·         Inner-City Arts (Downtown LA) – $30,000

·         Inner City Filmmakers (Santa Monica) – $40,000

·         Kids in the Spotlight – $10,000

·         USC Arts & Engineering Magnet – $25,000

·         Los Angeles County High School for the Arts – $25,000

·         Outfest / Los Angeles LGBT Center – $10,000

·         POPS the Club – $10,000

·         Sharewell (Zimmer Children’s Museum) – $10,000

·         The Music Center – $5,000

PRESERVE THE CULTURE & HISTORY OF FILM

·         Film Noir – $90,000

·         IndieCollect – $77,900

·         Outfest (UCLA LGBT project) – $35,000

·         The Film Foundation – $350,000

PROMOTE CULTURAL EXCHANGE THROUGH FILM

·         American Cinematheque – $45,000

·         American Documentary Association (POV) – $30,000

·         Cal State Northridge – $12,000

·         Film Independent/Film  Series – $305,000 

·         FilmAid International – $100,000 

·         Hollywood Heritage Museum – $10,000

·         LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes Foundation – $10,000

·         Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles – $15,000

·         Library Foundation of Los Angeles – $40,000 

·         Los Angeles Conservancy, Last Remaining Seats – $35,000

·         Museum of the Moving Image – $10,000

·         San Francisco Silent Film Festival – $10,000

·         University of California, Berkeley Film Archive – $20,000

·         University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (Ebertfest) – $10,000

 JOURNALISM/PRESS FREEDOM

·         Committee to Protect Journalists – $100,000

·         Dag Hammarskjold Fund for Journalists – $20,000

·         International Documentary Association – $25,000

SPECIAL PROJECTS

·         Children’s Hospital – $35,000

·         Ensemble Studio Theatre – $10,000 

·         Gingold Theatre Group/Shaw Festival – $20,000

·         Lollipop Theater Network – $20,000

·         Pablove Foundation – $20,000

·         The Actor’s Gang – $10,000

·         The Moth – $105,000

·         Young Musicians Foundation – $10,000

·         Young Storytellers Foundation  – $10,000

2019 NEW GRANTEES

·         A Place Called Home – $25,000

·         Institut Lumiere – $225,000

·         Las Fotos, Hire Her – $10,000

·         National Museum of American History (Smithsonian) – $150,000; $1 million over 7 years

·         KPCC/California Public Radio – $20,000

·         PEN America – $40,000

·         The Film Collaborative – $25,000