Overview
The NYWIFT Women's Film Preservation Fund (WFPF) funds the preservation and restoration of films made by women that face deterioration or permanent loss. Founded in 1995 by New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) with the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the fund awards cash grants of up to $10,000 per project plus in-kind post-production services from Cineric, Inc.
In 2025, the WFPF celebrated its 30th anniversary. Over three decades, the fund has preserved more than 150 women-led films spanning silent cinema, early color, experimental, documentary, and narrative works. The 2025 cycle supported 8 films by women filmmakers across experimental, documentary, narrative, and performance-based practices, reflecting nearly a century of moving-image history.
The WFPF is the only program in the world dedicated exclusively to preserving films made by women. It also preserves "orphan films" with no clear copyright holder, where preservation responsibility remains unclear.
History
Documentary filmmaker Barbara Moss founded the WFPF in 1995 after presenting a deteriorating 35mm film canister to the NYWIFT Board of Directors. She wore white gloves, opened the canister, and the film disintegrated before their eyes. NYWIFT established the fund in conjunction with MoMA that same year.
Key milestones include preserving over 150 films by 2025 and receiving the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York's 2019 Outstanding Support of Archives award. Multiple WFPF-preserved films now appear on the Library of Congress National Film Registry, including Growing Up Female, Illusions, and Where Are My Children. Preserved works screen regularly at MoMA's annual "To Save and Project" festival.
What It Funds
Grants of up to $10,000 support the preservation and restoration of specific film works in which women played a significant creative role. Funded activities include:
- Film-to-digital transfer and digitization: Converting prints, negatives, or original camera materials to digital formats
- Physical preservation of film elements: Cold storage, cleaning, and repair of deteriorating film stock
- Restoration work: Scratch removal, color correction from deteriorated elements, and audio restoration
- Creation of archival preservation masters and access copies: For educational and exhibition use
- Documentation of preservation work: For institutional archive records
The fund supports works at significant risk of loss. Films where deterioration is already advanced or where original materials face threatening storage conditions qualify. The WFPF also preserves "orphan films" that have no clear copyright holder.
Important restriction: Eligible films must have been originally shot on film. Born-digital works and videotape productions do not qualify.
Typical Award Size Range
| Tier | Amount | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Varies by project | Small preservation tasks such as cleaning and minor repair |
| Typical | $5,000 to $10,000 | Standard preservation including digitization and access copies |
| Maximum | $10,000 cash | Full preservation project; in-kind services from Cineric, Inc. supplement beyond the cash cap |
The cash grant caps at $10,000 per project. Cineric, Inc. provides in-kind post-production services that can cover restoration work exceeding the cash cap. Filmmakers and archivists should factor this in-kind contribution into their preservation budget when planning an application.
For projects with budgets higher than $10,000, all additional funding must be in place within one year of acceptance before WFPF releases any funds.
Eligibility
- Applicants: Individuals and not-for-profit organizations, including film archives, educational institutions, and media arts centers. Women filmmakers, as well as the estates, archives, or institutional custodians of films made by women, qualify.
- The film being preserved: Must have been originally shot on film (not born-digital or videotape). Women must have played a significant creative role in the production.
- Evaluation criteria: Applications are assessed on artistic, historic, cultural, and educational importance of the film, especially its relation to the role of women in film history. The panel also weighs the significance of key creative women, evidence of technical expertise, urgency of preservation need, budget appropriateness, and a realistic access plan.
Payment Structure
The WFPF disburses funds as a cash grant of up to $10,000 plus in-kind post-production services from Cineric, Inc. For projects with total preservation budgets exceeding $10,000, all additional funding must be secured within one year of acceptance before WFPF releases any funds. The in-kind services from Cineric supplement the cash grant and can cover restoration work that would exceed the cash cap.
A panel of professional filmmakers, film historians, preservationists, curators, and educators reviews all applications. Selections are announced the following spring.
Past Recipients and What They Made with the Money
The WFPF has preserved over 150 films since 1996. Notable recipients include:
- Julie Dash, Illusions (1982): A short film about an African American woman passing as white in 1940s Hollywood. The film entered the Library of Congress National Film Registry and screens regularly at museums and cinematheques.
- Barbara Kopple, Harlan County USA (1976): An Academy Award-winning documentary about Kentucky coal miners. Preservation ensured the film remains available for theatrical and educational screenings.
- Michelle Citron, Daughter Rite (1978): A landmark experimental feminist film. The 2025 grant supports preservation at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
- Gloria Swanson, Sadie Thompson (1928): A silent film produced by and starring Swanson. The 2025 grant, awarded to Milestone Films, supports preservation at the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research.
- Zeinabu irene Davis, Cycles (1989): An experimental film exploring Black women's experiences. The 2025 grant supports preservation at the Academy Film Archive.
- Liz White, Othello (1980): An independent all-Black cast adaptation. The 2025 grant supports preservation at the Black Film Center and Archive, Indiana University.
The 2025 cycle funded 8 films total, including works by Susan Delson, Lisa Leeman, Kavery Dutta Kaul, and Josephine Sales. A complete list of recipients from 1996 to 2025 is available on the WFPF Recipients page.
What Makes an Application Competitive
The review panel uses specific signals to rank applications:
- Urgency of deterioration: Applications that document advanced vinegar syndrome, fading, or physical damage score higher than films in stable condition.
- Historical significance to women in film: Films that fill a documented gap in women's cinema history rank above films with similar artistic merit but less historical weight.
- Lab assessment quality: A detailed budget and assessment from an approved film preservation lab signals project readiness. Vague or incomplete lab assessments weaken applications.
- Access plan: A concrete plan for screening, teaching, or distributing the preserved film matters. Applications that name specific archives, festivals, or educational partners score higher.
- Confirmed co-funding: For budgets above $10,000, listing secured additional funding strengthens the application. Pending applications elsewhere should be disclosed.
Application Process
The 2025 grant cycle had an application window from April 10 to June 30, 2025. The deadline was May 31, 2025, with a subsequent extension to June 30, 2025. Applicants should check the NYWIFT WFPF page for the next cycle's dates.
Required materials:
- A detailed budget and assessment from an approved film preservation lab
- For budgets above $10,000: documentation of all additional secured funding
- Contact wfpf@nywift.org with application questions before submitting
Review process: A panel of professional filmmakers, film historians, preservationists, curators, and educators reviews all applications. Selections are announced the following spring.
What Filmmakers Should Know
The WFPF fills a narrow but vital niche: preservation of films shot on film stock by women. If your earlier work exists on deteriorating 16mm or 35mm elements, this fund can save it. The key trade-off is the $10,000 cash cap, which means larger restoration projects need secured co-funding before WFPF releases funds.
The in-kind services from Cineric, Inc. can stretch the effective value well beyond $10,000, but only for post-production work Cineric handles. Budget for lab costs, scanning, and storage separately.
Filmmakers with born-digital work cannot apply. The fund requires original film elements. If your work exists only on videotape or digital files, explore the National Film Preservation Foundation or the Library of Congress National Recording Preservation Board instead.
Plan early. The application requires a lab assessment, which takes weeks to arrange. Contact a preservation lab before the deadline opens.
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See Also
For understanding how grants fit into a funding strategy, see Film Grants and Funding. To estimate preservation and post-production costs for a grant-supported project, use the Budget Breakdown Calculator. For grants that do not require US citizenship, see Film Grants No US Citizenship Required.
