Black Women Film Network

Overview

The Black Women Film Network (BWFN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, that prepares women of color for careers in film, television, and digital media. Founded in 1997 by Sheryl Riley Gripper - a multi-Emmy Award winner and former Vice President of Community Relations at WXIA-TV/WATL-TV - the organization was originally established as the Black Women Film Preservation Project. Its original mission was to preserve the voice of Black women in film and increase the numbers of women of all cultures in the entertainment industry. It has since been rebranded as the Black Women Film Network, with a broader mandate to empower women of color to tell untold stories through feature films, documentaries, television, and digital media.

Over 27 years, BWFN has awarded more than $35,000 in scholarships to women pursuing careers in film, broadcast, and related fields. The organization operates four primary programs: scholarships, an annual summit, screenings, and workshops. The 2026 BWFN Summit is scheduled for Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Atlanta, with the scholarship application deadline on March 2, 2026. Applications are submitted via Jotform.

History

The Black Women Film Network was founded in 1997 by Sheryl Riley Gripper, a multi-Emmy Award winner and former Vice President of Community Relations at WXIA-TV/WATL-TV in Atlanta. The organization was originally established as the Black Women Film Preservation Project, with a mission to preserve the voice of Black women in film and increase the numbers of women of all cultures in the entertainment industry. It has since been rebranded as the Black Women Film Network, with a broader mandate to empower women of color to tell untold stories through feature films, documentaries, television, and digital media. Over 27 years, BWFN has awarded more than $35,000 in scholarships to women pursuing careers in film, broadcast, and related fields. The 2025 BWFN Summit honored Aja Naomi King and Katori Hall. At the 2026 Summit, S. Epatha Merkerson received the On Her Shoulders Preservation Award and pledged $30,000 to support future scholarship cycles. Past summit honorees include Lena Waithe, Mona Scott-Young, and Danielle Brooks.

What BWFN Provides

BWFN is not a production grant program. It does not fund films directly. It provides educational and career-entry support through four mechanisms:

Scholarships are the organization's primary financial offering. Scholarship recipients receive $1,000 each to support their pursuit of a career in film or television. At the 2024 BWFN Summit, multiple recipients received $1,000 checks. At the 2026 Summit, S. Epatha Merkerson (known for her record-setting role as Van Buren on Law & Order) received the On Her Shoulders Preservation Award and pledged $30,000 to support future scholarship cycles. Scholarships are open to aspiring young women of color pursuing film and television careers.

Screenings are held regularly to showcase films by and about women of color, providing both audience development and networking opportunities for filmmakers.

Workshops run year-round, covering practical skills and industry knowledge that women of color need to navigate the entertainment industry. Topics vary but focus on the intersection of craft and career strategy.

The Annual Summit is BWFN's flagship event. The 2026 Summit, themed "Unbreakable Lens: The Power of Community," brings together established talent, executives, and emerging creatives for panels, awards, and scholarship announcements. The summit also hosts the BWFN Short Film Festival, which screens short films by Black women filmmakers in conjunction with the main event. Past honorees include Lena Waithe, Mona Scott-Young, Danielle Brooks, and S. Epatha Merkerson.

Scholarship Details

The BWFN scholarship is a career-entry grant, not a production grant. The $1,000 award is designed to support women of color who are pursuing education or early-career opportunities in film and television. The amount is modest compared to production grants from organizations like the Sundance Institute or Catapult Film Fund, but the scholarship serves a different purpose: it helps cover educational expenses, living costs during internships, or early-career transition costs that can determine whether a talented filmmaker can afford to stay in the industry.

The 2026 scholarship application is open through March 2, 2026, with the summit following on March 21. Applicants should submit through the BWFN Jotform application portal.

Typical Award Size Range

Over 27 years, BWFN has awarded more than $35,000 in total scholarships. The $1,000 scholarship amount is modest compared to production grants, but serves a different purpose: supporting educational expenses and early-career transition costs.

Payment Structure

BWFN scholarships are paid as $1,000 awards to scholarship recipients. At the 2024 BWFN Summit, multiple recipients received $1,000 checks. Scholarships are disbursed at or around the annual summit. The 2026 summit is scheduled for Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Atlanta. S. Epatha Merkerson's $30,000 pledge will support future scholarship cycles, potentially increasing the number or amount of future awards.

Eligibility

• Who can apply: Aspiring young women of color pursuing careers in film and television. The organization does not specify a minimum age or educational enrollment requirement on its public-facing materials, but the scholarship is oriented toward students and early-career professionals.
• What it covers: Educational expenses, career development costs, and related needs for women entering the film and television industries.
• What it does not cover: BWFN scholarships are not production grants. Filmmakers seeking funding for a specific film project should look at production grant programs instead.
• Geographic scope: BWFN is based in Atlanta and has deep ties to the Atlanta film and television industry, but the organization does not explicitly restrict scholarships to Georgia residents. Confirm current geographic requirements on the BWFN website.

Past Recipients and What They Made with the Money

BWFN scholarship recipients have used $1,000 awards to support education and early-career transitions in film and television:

• 2024 Summit scholarship recipients - Multiple recipients received $1,000 checks at the 2024 BWFN Summit to support their pursuit of careers in film and television.
• 2025 Summit honorees - Aja Naomi King (actress, Lessons in Chemistry) and Katori Hall (playwright and showrunner, P-Valley) were honored at the 2025 BWFN Summit, providing scholarship recipients with access to established industry talent.
• 2026 Summit - S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order) received the On Her Shoulders Preservation Award and pledged $30,000 to support future scholarship cycles.

BWFN does not publish a comprehensive public list of all scholarship recipients. The organization focuses on early-career women of color who are students or emerging professionals entering the film and television industries.

What Makes an Application Competitive

BWFN evaluates scholarship applications on several concrete signals:

• Identity alignment: Scholarships are open to aspiring young women of color pursuing careers in film and television. This is a core eligibility requirement.
• Career stage: The scholarship is oriented toward students and early-career professionals. Applicants further along in their careers with established production experience may be less competitive.
• Financial need: The $1,000 award is designed to help cover educational expenses, living costs during internships, or early-career transition costs. Applicants who demonstrate how the scholarship will enable them to stay in the industry score higher.
• Industry commitment: Applicants should demonstrate a clear commitment to pursuing a career in film, television, or digital media. The application is submitted via Jotform.
• Geographic connection: BWFN is based in Atlanta with deep ties to the Atlanta film and television industry. The organization does not explicitly restrict scholarships to Georgia residents, but Atlanta-based applicants may have an advantage.

Application Process

1. Check the timeline: The 2026 scholarship application deadline is March 2, 2026. The BWFN Summit follows on March 21, 2026.
2. Submit through Jotform: Applications are submitted via the BWFN Jotform application portal.
3. Prepare materials: Include information about your educational status, career goals, and how the scholarship will support your pursuit of a career in film or television.
4. Review and selection: BWFN reviews applications and selects scholarship recipients, who are announced at the annual summit.

Check the BWFN website for the most current information.

What Filmmakers Should Know

BWFN is not a production grant program. It does not fund films directly. The $1,000 scholarship is a career-entry grant designed to support women of color pursuing education or early-career opportunities in film and television. Filmmakers with a completed script or project ready for production should look at other programs. The Black TV & Film Collective provides $25,000 production grants to 6 emerging producers per cycle for narrative short films. Black Cinema Collective offers $7,500 microgrants for filmmakers in post-production. Black Women Film & Media, a Canadian organization, runs the REEL CHANGE residency for Black women producers in Canada. BWFN's value extends beyond the scholarship to include screenings, workshops, and the annual summit, which brings together established talent, executives, and emerging creatives. The 2026 Summit, themed "Unbreakable Lens: The Power of Community," also hosts the BWFN Short Film Festival. BWFN's location in Atlanta is significant: Georgia has become one of the largest production hubs in the United States, driven by a 30% state tax credit. BWFN's programming connects its members to that production pipeline through institutional relationships with local broadcasters, production companies, and studios.

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See Also

For an overview of how grants fit into a filmmaker's funding strategy, see Film Grants and Funding. For production grant programs supporting underrepresented filmmakers, see the 360 Incubator+ entry. For festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. For building an indie film budget, see How to Build an Indie Film Budget.