WeTransfer’s Supporting Act Foundation announces recipients of its inaugural grants
AMSTERDAM – WEBWIRE – Friday, December 16, 2022
Grants and bursaries worth a total of 600,000 are being donated by The Supporting Act Foundation to 26 emerging artists, artist-led initiatives, and grassroots arts organizations
Founded by WeTransfer in 2021, The Supporting Act Foundation is dedicated to fostering a diverse creative landscape and providing opportunities for marginalized groups in the arts
WeTransfer is a certified B Corporation, and has a longstanding commitment to using its platform for good, donating 30% of advertising space to support artists and causes
The Supporting Act Foundation, launched by WeTransfer in 2021 as an independent charity, announces the recipients of its inaugural grants, worth a total of 600,000.
Ten art students, ten artist-led initiatives, and six grassroots arts organizations will be receiving funding over the next year, giving them vital support when they need it most. This extensive financial support will enable them to pursue their practices and careers, to expand the reach and impact of their projects, and to build better futures for under-represented communities in the arts.
Each of the three specially tailored programsCreative Bursaries, Community Grants, and Impact Grantswas launched in September with an open call for applications, all of which were evaluated by three independent juries according to inclusive criteria. The final selection of these twenty-six grantees reflects The Supporting Act Foundations confidence in the potential of these individuals, initiatives, and organizations to create meaningful impact in their diverse spheres. Together, their dedication to pursuing systemic justice in the arts and beyond reflects the Foundations own commitment to promoting a diverse, open, and equitable creative landscape.
The grants awarded include:
Creative Bursaries (10,000 each) for ten art students from marginalized backgrounds working at the intersection of arts and technology
Community Grants (20,000 each) for ten artist-led initiatives creating networks for emerging artists, particularly those from underrepresented communities
Impact Grants (50,000 each) for six grassroots arts organizations focusing on social, intersectional, or environmental justice
As a certified B Corporation, WeTransfer believes in the power of business to be a force for good, and The Supporting Act Foundation is an important milestone in WeTransfers ongoing quest to give back to the global creative community. WeTransfer has endowed the Foundation with an initial 1 million, and will pledge 1% of revenue each year.
About The Supporting Act Foundation
The Supporting Act Foundation is an independent non-profit organization which provides grants and bursaries to artists at the beginning of their careers, with a particular focus on marginalized groups and community-centered initiatives. The foundation is privately funded by WeTransfer.
https://www.thesupportingact.org/
About WeTransfer
WeTransfer streamlines the workflow process for millions of creative professionals. Its suite of creative productivity tools make it easy to collaborate, share and deliver work. WeTransfer has more than 80 million monthly active users in 190 countries. As a certified B Corporation, WeTransfer has long been a champion of using business as a force for good. Since its founding in 2009, WeTransfer has donated up to 30% of its advertising real estate to raise awareness for artists, creative work, and the worlds most pressing issues.
https://wetransfer.com/
WeTransfer, the leading provider of tools to streamline the creative process, unveiled its fourth annual Ideas Report, one of the worlds largest studies on the creative workforce. Among its top findings, the report shows the emergence of new global creative hubs and the immense pressure that Gen Zthose born between 1997 and 2012faces in and out of work. According to respondents, the balance of creative power is shifting under pressure from a variety of avenues and unexpected new creative hubs in Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia are beginning to emerge. Gen Z in particular is feeling the friction of todays changing landscape, citing high amounts of stress and mental health issues; furthermore, roughly 60% of Gen Z respondents are considering switching careersthe highest percentage of any demographic. They want the organizations they work with and for to help shoulder the responsibility of making the world a better place. Similarly, marginalized creatives are asserting values important to them, like sustainability, gender and racial equity, and humanitarian issues, to the forefront of their professional work. The report shares takeaways from more than 10,000 creatives across photography, design, music, tech, and more, with 135 countries represented across all seven continents. It is packed with data-rich insights that illuminate a rapidly changing contemporary creative landscape that prioritizes diverse voices, values-driven work, and corporate responsibility. The creative industryand the individuals its made ofare notoriously challenging to understand. This years Ideas Report offers the perfect roadmap for working with creatives in ways that are supportive, authentic, and fruitful, said Damian Bradfield, Chief Creative Officer. It gives us an unprecedented look into what makes creatives tick and closely examines what they are thinking, doing, and feeling. With this knowledge on hand, we look forward to collaborations that produce beautiful, world-changing ideas. Highlights from the 2021 Ideas Report include: Creativity is dying in the Westmake way for younger, bolder challengers from emerging markets Gen Z is feeling the pressurebut that wont stop their creativity. Women and people of color are fired up for change (white men, wake up) Clients dont care about your creativity The mass exodus of creatives has begun This years report offers an introspective view into how creative professionals are reorienting their lives and work. The result is a forecast of the global creative industry, offering a strong foundation for more impactful collaborations going forward. Experience the 2021 Ideas Report or read past reports at ideasreport.com. To read the full report download the PDF here. Assets Go to LINK to access the online version of the WeTransfer Ideas Report Go to LINK to download the PDF of the results Go to LINK to download all media assets Methodology In July and August of 2021, WeTransfer asked over 10,000 people from 135 countries how their creative worlds have changed in the past year. We partnered with brand transformation consultancy, TRIPTK, and Strategy Consultant Traci Lupo to design the survey and analyze the results. About WeTransfer Having made its name in the game of quick and simple file-sharing, WeTransfer has evolved into a set of tools that streamlines the workflow process for creative professionals, enabling them to collaborate, share, and deliver their work. The company has more than 80 million monthly active users in 190 countries. As a certified B Corporation, WeTransfer strives to use business as a force for good. Since the beginning, WeTransfer has donated up to 30% of advertising real estate to raise awareness for artists, creative work, and the worlds most pressing issues such as climate change and gun reform. This has led to partnerships with artists and organizations like Björk, John Legend, Solange Knowles, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the UN Development Program.
WeTransfer’s Fourth Annual Ideas Report Uncovers Rapidly Shifting Power Balance in the Creative Industries, Shows Rising Dominance of Emerging Markets