California · Nonprofit
THE FILM FOUNDATION INC
THE FILM FOUNDATION INC (California) receives grants from 16 organizations whose IRS filings report $13,301,940 to it, the largest being HOBSONLUCAS FAMILY FOUNDATION ($6,500,000). 7 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2024
- $2.0M
- Funders on record
- 16
- Grants received
- $13M
- Net assets
- $3.9M
What The Film Foundation Inc does
Mission
The film foundation (tff) is a non profit organization established in 1990 dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history. By working in partnership with the archives and studios, the foundation has restored over 1000 films, (continue on schedule o)which are made publicly accessible through screenings and programs at festivals, museums, and educational institutions around the world. Tff's world cinema project has restored 64 films from 31 countries representing the rich diversity of world cinema. The foundation's free educational curriculum, the story of movies (som), teaches young people, over 10 million to date, about film language and history.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
The film foundation (tff) was created in 1990 by martin scorsese to raise awareness and funds for the preservation and restoration of our cinematic history. Joining scorsese on the board of directors are leading filmmakers committed to advocating and supporting film preservation. Tff is aligned with the directors guild of america.tff has helped to preserve and restore over 1000 films, including a diverse group of features, documentaries, newsreels, shorts, home movies, experimental, and silent films.the foundation established the world cinema project (wcp), to preserve, restore and share neglected works by (continue on schedule o) filmmakers from regions all across the globe. To date, 64 films have been restored and screened exposing a new generation to classic cinema and educate audiences on the importance for its preservation. As part of the wcp, the foundation created the african film heritage project to locate, restore and preserve significant african titles in partnership with the pan african federation of filmmakers and unesco. In addition, the wcp provides training for students and archivists through its restoration film school held at partnering institutions around the…
$474,901 spent36% of program spendingTff's cinema literacy program, the story of movies (som), continued to expand its reach in 2024 to educators across the country with its "portraits of america: democracy on film" curriculum. The curriculum introduces middle and high school students to films addressing the ideals and challenges of american society. The som team also began work on a new curriculum, "the american west and the western film genre." the 17 films include silent westerns from the earliest decades of cinema history, classics from hollywood's golden age, and contemporary films that represent fresh perspectives on the genre. (continue on schedule o)three previous units continue to be distributed: to kill a mockingbird (1962, d. Robert mulligan), mr. Smith goes to washington (1939, d. Frank capra), and the day the earth stood still (1951, d. Robert wise). The program is distributed free of charge; educators have access to the materials on the story of movies website (storyofmovies.org); as well as to the film lesson library and professional development resources. The program is used by over 150,000 educators. Workshops were presented at educational conferences, including the american federation of teachers…
$577,901 spent44% of program spendingTff provides additional educational and outreach programs through its partnership with film festivals, museums, educational and cultural institutions around the world. The foundation also hosts a website to educate visitors about its work, as well as social media for current news, resources, and articles.
$244,805 spent18% of program spendingAnother key objective of the foundation is to protect the work of film artists from censorship, alteration, and internet theft. It created the artists rights education and legal defense fund council to advocate for the protection of artists' rights.
$30,357 spent2% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $1,327,964.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2019 to 2020, from $3.3M to $4.8M (+44%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
94% of THE FILM FOUNDATION INC’s revenue is contributions — more reliant on donations than three-quarters of its peers (63% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 1 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Margaret Bodde
Executive director
Board chair
Martin Scorsese
Chair, founder
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 4 funders to 5 funders, grant income rose $1.1M → $2.8M.
2 of 16 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 4% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
Left out of every figure on this page: $500k from one payer (the payer shares this organization's board, largest American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees). These are real filings, and they are not money THE FILM FOUNDATION INC raised.
From the IRS filings of THE FILM FOUNDATION INC’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
THE FILM FOUNDATION INC leans on a few funders — its largest provides 49% of grant income and the top three 85%; half comes from just 2 funders.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 2 funders to its left
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 45% · 2018 59% · 2019 59% · 2020 64% · 2021 53% · 2022 100% · 2023 69% — growing more concentrated.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
30% of THE FILM FOUNDATION INC's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 44% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
96% of THE FILM FOUNDATION INC's grant income comes from California funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $528k arriving through sponsors registered in 2 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
THE FILM FOUNDATION INC runs a healthier operating margin than three-quarters of the 5,127 arts & culture nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 5,127 arts & culture nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2024
Organizations like THE FILM FOUNDATION INC
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In California
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
85% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
29%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Part of a family of 1 related entity
- Directors Guild of America · exempt
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for THE FILM FOUNDATION INC: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds THE FILM FOUNDATION INC?
- THE FILM FOUNDATION INC (California) receives grants from 16 organizations whose IRS filings report $13,301,940 to it, the largest being HOBSONLUCAS FAMILY FOUNDATION ($6,500,000). 7 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does THE FILM FOUNDATION INC have?
- IRS filings report 16 organizations giving $13,301,940 in grants to THE FILM FOUNDATION INC, 7 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of THE FILM FOUNDATION INC?
- HOBSONLUCAS FAMILY FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $6,500,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like THE FILM FOUNDATION INC find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in California. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Film →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 16 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing