Filmmaker Services

CID has been collaborating with independent producers in the creation of independent documentaries
for more than 25 years. CID provides a variety of project management services for projects. These
include: managing project funds (including paying project invoices, providing budget oversight,
managing all contributions and grants, and offering technical support and tools for fundraising and
distribution. CID also offers creative and technical support for the project throughout production and
post.
To apply to CID for collaboration an application is required; send the following materials in one
package to the address below. We cannot accept materials sent electronically.
1. Two page project description.
2. Project budget.
3. Producers resume.
4. A DVD or VHS copy of a previously completed work, preferably documentary, of the applicant. If
possible,send a copy you do not need returned.
5. If possible, a DVD or VHS copy of an edited excerpt of the project that is being proposed in this
application.
We accept proposals at any time. It typically takes 2-3 weeks to process an application. CID receives
many more project proposals than we can accept, and the application process is competitive. Please
address any questions to Susi Walsh at Susi@documentaries.org.
CID charges a 5% administrative fee on any funds that it receives for the project. Selected projects will
be listed in the CID filmography and eligible to receive contributions and grants under our tax status.
Please send your materials to :
Fred Simon
via email: fsimon@documentaries.org
via postal mail:
Center for Independent Documentary
680 South Main Street
Sharon, MA 02067
In addition to these services, CID also runs a number of professional development programs for

independent filmmakers. Please check our websites news section for updates on our current
programs including our two programs which we hold in collaboration with the Kopkind Colony:
our week long film camp held each summer in Guilford Vermont and our CID/Cineslam
workshops (http://cineslam.com[1]) on board the Pride of the Ocean Film Festival
(www.prideoftheocean.com[2])
Here is what some of our filmmakers have to say about their experience working with CID:
Eric Stange, Boston
Boston is known nationally even internationally, as a center of serious non-fiction filmmaking. One of
the reasons for that reputation is the Center for Independent Documentary (CID). I have been involved
with CID since 1985, when I was a novice producer with nothing but an idea. In those two decades the
Center has been instrumental in helping me produce two different films for national broadcast on public
television, and two others for educational use; and I am just one of dozens of producers and filmmakers
whose careers have been realized through their help. The CIDs track record is extraordinary. The list of
CID-related projects and filmmakers is a virtual whos who of the documentary community; even while it
has helped many, many first-time filmmakers break into a notoriously difficult field.
Today, when serious non-fiction television is more important than ever, the CID is one of only a handful
of organizations in the country committed to helping producers who work outside the industry
mainstream. The last 20 years have seen a continuous drying up of funding sources for non-fiction film.
Despite a climate that couldnt be harsher, the CID has remained dedicated to the mission of helping
filmmakers bring important and influential documentaries to audiences across the country.
-Eric Stange, Producer, MURDER AT HARVARD, Broadcast nationally on PBS American
Experience
Steve Gentile, Boston:
I have had the pleasure to work with the Center for Independent Documentary for the past ten years
while producing various film projects, ranging from documentary to animation. Along with providing
fiscal sponsorship for independent producers (a necessity these days, if you intend to acquire project
funding), CID is the glue for the independent film community. They are connected with every facet of
independent film and video production in the New England area, and beyond. This immersion on their
part results in an invaluable advocacy for independent producers. Some of the most significant gains
my films have made share a direct credit with the Center for Independent Documentary: a partnership
with ITVS and CPB, followed by a national public television broadcast; sold-out premiere screenings at
the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and a screening at an international public television conference in
Barcelona Spain, where we were one of only 5 participants from the U.S.
Additionally, being involved with CID acts as a sort of endorsement when I apply for funding; CID is
selective about which projects they take on, and have a reputation for being involved with projects

which take creative risks, and pose challenging questions.

-Steve Gentile, Producer, LOADED GUN: LIFE, DEATH AND DICKINSON, National Broadcast on
PBS Independent Lens.
Anne Makepeace, Connecticut:
CID has been absolutely invaluable to me over the years. The support they provided for my first
documentary, Baby Its You, freed me to focus on the creative work and helped make that film the
success that it was, screening as the lead show on POV, at the Whitney Biennial 2000, and the
Sundance Film Festival. I am very happy that CID is sponsored my recent ITVS-funded project, RAIN
IN A DRY LAND, as I knew I would be in good hands!
-Anne Makepeace, Producer, RAIN IN A DRY LAND, Broadcast nationally on PBS P.O.V
Peter Frumkin, Boston:
Im very pleased to offer my full support, a strong endorsement, and my hearty thanks to the Center for
Independent Documentary. Ive worked with the CID for over five years and its been invaluable in
helping me to navigate the complex waters of fundraising and grant administration. As a filmmaker my
primary skills do not include either managing large amounts of funding or navigating complex
bureaucracies. By taking on these difficult tasks the CID has allowed me to focus on the process of
making films. Its been critical to my ability to proceed with a very large and complex project (a 90
minute comprehensive biography of Woody Guthrie) over the last several years. Chief among the
services they provided was the management and monitoring of a nearly $900,000 budget that came
from a variety of sources including the NEH, NEA and WNET. Each funding source required different
reporting and accounting procedures. On the other end of the equation, I worked with a huge number of
individual artists, crafts people and vendors, each of whom was dealt with in a prompt and professional
manner. The CID helped me to operate nearly flawlessly in this complex environment something I
would have had difficulty doing on my own.
I know Im not alone in my appreciation of the CID. Over the years the CID has brought together and
supported a remarkable number of filmmakers working on a huge range of projects. In doing so it has
not only provided critical support services, but it has also become a vital institution in the world of
Boston filmmaking.
-Peter Frumkin, Producer, WOODY GUTHRIE: AINT GOT NO HOME, Broadcast nationally on
PBS American Masters
Nancy Kates, San Francisco, CA:
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways Okay, so maybe quoting Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a
little bit sappy, but CID has been there for me, consistently, in so many ways, that it is hard to know
where to begin. I became associated with CID about seven years ago, after we were funded by ITVS for

Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin. They patiently walked us through numerous producing
issues related to our project, from the most mundane and arcane accounting details to larger strategic
issues about what to do, when, and how to engage with funders, distribution possibilities, audiences,
etc.
Since completing the Rustin project, I was honored to be invited by CID to the 2006 Kopkind retreat in
Vermont, which is an enormously supportive environment in which to engage in questions faced daily
by filmmakers. I loved the Kopkind film camp so much that I applied again, and was fortunate to be
accepted for 2007 as well. Every filmmaker needs this kind of opportunity to stop and reflect on their
film practice, where they and the field are going, and how they can create community with other
documentary makers.
As I develop my new documentary project, CID has been there for me in every possible way, helping
me strategize about raising money in a challenging funding environment, responding to my newly
completed trailer, and even fielding emergency phone calls when I needed to make a strategic decision
in a big hurry. CID does all this while keeping on top of the day-to-day accounting support that makes it
possible for me to focus on my role as the director of a major film project.
In short, the Center for Independent Documentary is there for me as a filmmaker whenever I need it, in
ways so numerous and varied that it is hard to mention all of them in a single paragraph. I feel
extraordinarily lucky to have this association with such an important media nonprofit. If making films is
like being a professional boxeryou do get beat up a fair amount out thereCID is the wise, seasoned
and very kind trainer in your corner. Its simple: I wouldnt want to make films without CID.
-Nancy Kates, Producer/Director, BROTHER OUTSIDER: THE LIFE OF BAYARD RUSTIN,
Broadcast nationally on PBS as a POV special
Ann Carol Grossman, Boston:
We would be dead without CID. Because of tight funds, weve had to do everything ourselves on this
productionEXCEPT the tasks that CID handles. If we had to do our own accounts and bill payments on
top of everything else, I think it would be the last straw. We are extremely grateful to CID for handling
these tasks, and doing it with wonderful efficiency. In addition, they have viewed some of our rough
cuts, and given us very helpful feedback. Long live CID!
-Ann Carol Grossman, Umbrella Films, Producer/Director, THE POWDER AND THE GLORY,
Broadcast nationally on PBS
Julie Mallozzi, Boston:
There is so much happening today in the media-making world but it is becoming ever more dispersed
as the major institutions that support independent filmmakers collapse one by one due to lack of
funding. In Boston we mourned the loss of Boston Film and Video Foundation and, a few years later,
the Association of Independent Film and Videomakers.

Thank goodness that the Center for Independent Documentary is still going strong, and staying on the
cutting edge by presenting screenings, panels, and workshops every month; building an active online
social network; and connecting filmmakers to each other and their audiences through blogs and
websites. Not to mention supporting individual filmmakers through fiscal sponsorship.
CID has served as fiscal sponsor for three of my projects and has been instrumental in allowing me to
get these films made and out into the world. My films have shown on public television, universities, film
festivals, museums, and community groups. They have been there to help at every turn, and to connect
me with resources and other filmmakers I can collaborate with.
What has been most surprising, I think, has been the way CID has stepped in to help provide the
connections between different sectors of the indie mediamaking communities: filmmakers, funders,
public television entities, universities, and businesses serving filmmakers.
I was blown away in a recent Filmmakers Workshop event by the intensity of conversation around
teaching film and video at the college level. CID had brought together 25 filmmaker/teachers
representing 13 different colleges (BU, Harvard, Emerson, Fitchburg State, Museum School, MassArt,
etc.), and we were able to have a focused, productive conversation about how we balance our
filmmaking work with our teaching responsibilities, what types of assignments we give, and what
resources we can connect students with in the community. The event was streamed live and included
questions submitted from cyberspace. We posted notes from the dicussions on our social networking
site and the conversation continues there.What a very special event to be a part of, and at no cost to
participants.
CID is an ESSENTIAL part of our independent filmmaking community!
-Julie Mallozzi, Documentary Filmmaker and Teacher; Producer, MONKEY DANCE, Broadcast
nationally on PBS Independent Lens
Beth Harrington, Vancouver, WA:
The folks at the Center for Independent Documentary have shepherded three of my projects to date.
Two have been successfully completed (aired on public television, viewed at numerous festivals and
widely distributed) with the third in-progress. I dont know what Id do without their help fiscal
sponsorship, fundraising assistance, advice on working with funders, emergency hand-holding, peptalks
and other (oft-needed) morale building. Susi and Fred are a godsend for independent filmmakers!
- Beth Harrington, Producer/Director, THE BLINKING MADONNA & WELCOME TO THE CLUB
Henry Ferrini, Gloucester, MA:
I have been a working filmmaker in Massachusetts since 1976. During the 80s I became involved with
the Newton Television Foundation which became CID some years ago.

This organization has been important to me as an independent filmmaker by creating a professional

community of filmmakers, providing important information from funding to a master classes on nonlinear editing or creating a venue for filmmakers to address issues that effect their work and life. They
have assisted with providing a discerning eye regarding NEA, NEH, MCH, ITVS and LEF applications.
As a senior member of the Massachusetts film community my work would not have found venues on
Public Broadcasting around the country and in twelve different countries if it had not been for the hard
work of Ms Walsh and Mr. Simon.
-Henry Ferrini, Producer/Director, LOWELL BLUES, POEM IN ACTION, POLIS IS THIS
Jocelyn Ajami, Boston:
Without the CID, I might not have had a career as a filmmaker. Their sponsorship as a fiscal sponsor,
their unequivocal support, their resources, their insight and their encouragement, matched by sense of
realism, are an invaluable asset to any project. I will always be grateful for their continued efforts on
behalf of the filmmaking community.
-Jocelyn Ajami, Producer/Director/Writer
Nancy Kelly, San Francisco:
The Center for Independent Documentary is a key to the vitality of American independent filmmaking.
As a filmmaker who has worked with CID on four projects, I have found that they are ideal partners
they help you when you need it and leave you to do your work when you dont. They provide an
enormous amount of support in all phases of an independent films life from paying the invoices to
sending out the 1099s to thinking through budget strategies.
The most valuable service CID offers is that they write the checks, do the cost reports, write the fiscal
reports for the grants they receive for filmmakers. All for 5% of the grant. And it is a tremendous service
accurate, timely, and saves me (and Im sure others) a ton of time better spent on aspects of
filmmaking we do better.
-Nancy Kelly, Producer/Director, DOWNSIDE UP, SMITTEN, National Broadcasts on PBS
Independent Lens
Melanie Perkins, Boston:
For nearly 7 years I struggled to grasp the story of the disappearance of my childhood friend and its
effect on me. I was a 9 year-old girl with a crush on a handsome and friendly 10 year-old boy named
Andy Puglisi. On a hot summer day Andy vanished without a trace. I was never the same.More than 20
years later I returned to Lawrence to begin my search for Andy. As I began filming I didnt have a dime
and was relying solely on the charity of friends and the advice of colleagues. Several colleagues

suggested going to the Center for Independent Documentary. Fred and Susi spent an afternoon
listening to me eagerly describe the intent of the film and they offered their help. CID became the fiscal
sponsor for Have You Seen Andy? Over several years and many rejections, CID never wavered in
their belief in this film.
In 2006 the Center for Independent Documentary screened the rough cut of Have You Seen Andy? to
a standing-room only audience. The feedback and encouragement we received that night helped give
us the strength to continue our vision and finish the film. Have You Seen Andy? premiered on HBO
Documentary Films to rave reviews. The BBC called it a powerful documentaryan extraordinary film.
The Washington Post said it is a distinguished contribution to the true-crime genre and The Week
called it a wrenching emotional journeya powerful plea for the protection of children
This film was much more than a film to me it was a personal journey through trauma and healing. The
Center for Independent Documentary acted as a nurturing parent guiding the film and the filmmaker
through difficult times always allowing us our independence but never wavering in their belief in our
ability.
-Melanie Perkins, Producer, HAVE YOU SEEN ANDY, National Cablecast- HBO
Laurel Greenberg, Boston:
In 2004 I finished and released my documentary Trouble in Paradise. This was the second film that I
have made for which CID was my fiscal sponsor. CID was, as usual, meticulous with keeping track of
my donations and expenses, and fulfilled the necessary requirements for applying for grants as an
independent filmmaker. In addition, they consulted with me about my film, provided information during
funding and outreach phases, and spoke to WGBH on behalf of my film. (Trouble in Paradise was then
broadcast on WGBH.) My experience with CID has been that they are devoted to providing services,
advice, information and connections for independent filmmakers.
-Laurel Greenberg, Producer, TROUBLE IN PARADISE
Cynthia McKeown, Boston:
The Center for Independent Documentary is much more than a fiscal sponsor for independent
filmmakers like me. While fiscal sponsorship is a huge job that entails processing checks, paying bills,
maintaining tax records and other responsibilities (allowing filmmakers to focus on our creative work),
CID also provides countless hours of support through sponsoring professional development workshops,
assisting with grant applications and management, and strategic planning for outreach campaigns, to
name a few areas. Without CIDs support, the independent film community would be far less rich,
productive and organized.
-Cynthia A. McKeown, Director and Producer, ONE IN EIGHT: JANICES JOURNEY
Joel Katz, New York

The Center for Independent Documentary was instrumental in the completion of my film Strange
Fruit, which went on to show on the national PBS series Independent Lens, receive wide educational
distribution, and show theatrically in a number of cities. CID managed the fiscal sponsorship of the film
with great competence, efficiency, and style. I am very grateful for their fine work, and believe they are
an important resource for the independent film community.
-Joel Katz, Independent Filmmaker / Producer, STRANGE FRUIT, Broadcast nationally on PBS
Independent Lens
Marc Fields, Boston:
The Center for Independent Documentary has played a crucial role as the fiscal sponsor for my
documentary The Banjo Project, a history of Americas quintessential instrument from its African roots
to the present. I have no doubt that CIDs reputation and track record in the world of non-profit funding
lent credibility to my proposals, including two successful grants from the Massachusetts Foundation for
the Humanities. Beyond their fiscal sponsorship, the CID is an invaluable resource for independent
producers seeking advice in grant-making strategies, production contacts and promotion.
-Marc Fields, Producer, THE BANJO PROJECT
Claire Panke, New York:
The Center for Independent Documentary literally rescued my documentary film project and me
when my previous fiscal sponsor went bankrupt, taking the money and trust of many filmmakers. The
staff at CID renewed my faith, providing professional advice and services, giving personal attention to
my project, and working to create a community of filmmakers through seminars, workshops, and their
website. Now working on my second film, I had the choice of many fiscal sponsors, including several in
my home state, but I chose to work with the Center for Independent Documentary and recommend
them highly to other filmmakers.
-Claire Panke, Producer / Director
PatchWorks Films, San Francisco, CA:
I am writing to support the outstanding services CID gives independent documentary makers. Not only
do they offer critical technical support, community, and cheerleading for what can be a lonely,
complicated road, but they provide the very practical service of liberating filmmakers from tracking their
projects financing. I know of no other fiscal sponsor that takes that heavy load off our shoulders, and
does it with such aplomb. Many funders are reassured knowing that their grants are in good hands.This
is our second project with CID and well come back as often as theyll have us.
-Marcia Jarmel & Ken Schneider, PatchWorks Films, BORN IN THE U.S.A. & SPEAKING IN
TONGUES

Ben Achtenberg, Boston:

At this point I probably qualify as an old settler in the Boston film community, and Ive worked with and
benefited from the services of CID in a variety of ways, almost from their inception in the days of the
Newton Television Foundation. Ive picked up valuable information and insights from several
generations of their workshops, while meeting important professional contacts (and new friends) at the
same time. Ive edited video projects on their facilities, with Freds supportive advice. Ive worked with
Fred on a production sponsored by NTF, and theyve been fiscal sponsor on a couple of my other
projects as well including my latest. Its hard for me to imagine that there would even be a Boston
film community without them.
-Ben Achtenberg, Fanlight Productions
Claire Andrade-Watkins, Boston:
CID has been the fiscal sponsor for my project since 1995. Over the years, all non-profits, and those
specifically focused on preserving the independent documentary spirit have faced difficult challenges. It
has created a crisis in the documentary community, and has been dispiriting, because we have seen
BFVF, the other venerable Boston 501c3 community media center close down. CID, through astute
leadership, good management and thriftiness during the good times, has managed to stay afloat and
continue to support all of their projects, many of major national and international prominence. Susi
Walsh and Fred Simon devote inordinate amounts of time to running and managing the details, large
and small, for scores of projects, yet making each person and project feel that they are getting personal
attention.
-Claire Andrade-Watkins, Producer, SOME KIND OF FUNNY PUERTO RICAN
For more information about fiscal sponsorship in general; visit the FISCAL SPONSOR DIRECTORY[3],
which will provide you with detailed information along with lists of fiscal sponsors around the country.

Links
1. http://cineslam.com/?page_id=989
2. http://www.prideoftheocean.com/
3. http://www.fiscalsponsordirectory.org/index.php

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