reported by Sam Kirkman, CyberScreenwriter.com

For the third year in a row, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is donating more than $1,000,000 in financial grants to film schools and non-profit organizations.

These awards were announced during the Association's Annual Installation Luncheon honoring its 2006-2007 slate of officers at the Beverly Hills Hotel today.

HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION 2006 GRANTS

Higher Education Grants -- HFPA Fellows Scholarships & Institutional Support

American Film Institute

$30,000 for HFPA Fellows Scholarships for second-year MFA candidates

California Institute of the Arts, School of Film/Video

$50,000 for HFPA Fellows Scholarships for up to 12 scholarship awards ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 each for top-ranked upperclassmen and graduate students in the School's four programs (directing, film/video, character animation, and experimental animation).

California State University, Long Beach; Department of Film and Electronic Arts

$30,000 for HFPA Fellows Scholarships, $8,000 institutional support toward equipment for scholarship recipients.

California State University, Los Angeles

$20,000 for HFPA Fellows Scholarships.

California State University, Northridge, Department of Cinema and Television Arts

$50,000 for HFPA Fellows Scholarships for 10 senior film students to enable them to complete their required final film projects.

Columbia University School of the Arts

$50,000 for HFPA Fellows Scholarships for seven international MFA candidates.

University of California, Los Angeles, School of Theater, Film and Television

$50,000 for HFPA Fellows Scholarships for five MFA Directing students, with preference given to foreign students.

Pre-Professional Training and Education

California State Summer School Arts Foundation

$20,000 to provide scholarships for Los Angeles students to attend the 2006 session of the CSSSA InnerSpark, a summer training program for California high school students who have demonstrated exceptional talent in the arts.

The Ghetto Film School, Inc.

$10,000 to provide training and experience for New York City inner-city children interested in film industry careers.

Inner-City Arts

$15,000 for equipment for animation program for low-income youth in Los Angeles.

Inner-City Filmmakers

$15,000 towards a year-round pre-professional training and support for low-income/minority youth from Los Angeles to prepare for careers in the film industry.

LA County High School for the Arts Foundation -- $20,000 for the film program

Professional Training and Mentoring for Emerging Filmmakers

Caucus for TV producers, Writers and Directors Foundation

$10,000 to provide finishing funds and mentoring for thesis films

IFP West dba Film Independent [FIND]

$30,000 to support the job placement component of "Project: Involve," a professional training and mentoring program that provides 40 under-represented filmmakers the opportunity to develop their craft and make valuable connections that can become the basis for their careers.

Independent Feature Project, New York

$10,000 toward the IFP Rough Cuts Lab, a mentorship and networking program for emerging filmmakers with quality works-in-progress, so their films can successfully enter the marketplace.

National Association of Latino Independent Producers, Inc.

$20,000 toward costs for mentors in the 2006 Latino Producers Academy, which identifies and nurtures new Latino/a filmmakers though intensive workshop and practicum sessions to support the development of their film projects.

The Sundance Institute

$100,000 toward the next phase of the Sundance International Initiative, which supports international filmmakers across all programs, including the Feature Film Program and Film Festival.

Preserve the Culture and History of Motion Pictures

A) Funding film preservation and archival programs with national and
international significance

The Film Foundation Inc.
$300,000 to initiate a series of restorations in 2006. Specific projects to be identified and approved by HFPA.

Outfest

$20,000 toward costs of LGBT Film Study Center at UCLA , a new, extensive collection of LGBT films.

Funding major film retrospectives that showcase masterworks and
prominent filmmakers of world cinema to advance knowledge and appreciation
among diverse audiences, primarily in Los Angeles

American Cinematheque
$20,000 for Golden Globe Foreign Language Film Nominees Series and $20,000 for "Acclaimed Performers" tribute to world cinema leaders.

Los Angeles Conservancy

$30,000 for "Last Remaining Seats," to strengthen public appreciation the motion pictures and movie palaces that are part of Los Angeles' history.

Promote Cultural Exchange through Film

FilmAid International

$50,000 to continue the "HFPA Kakuma Peace and Reconciliation Series" serving Sudanese and other refugees in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwestern Kenya.

Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles LACLA

$10,000 for special screening

Special Projects

Ensemble Studio Theatre -- The LA Project

$5,000 for the 2006-07 season of play development and West Coast premiere productions featuring emerging playwrights and theater artists.

FINCA International

$10,000 special grant to support micro-loans for impoverished entrepreneurs in Tajikistan.

Young Musicians Foundation

$5,000 special grant to support the YMF Debut Orchestra.

SUBTOTAL: $1,008,000

President's Discretionary Fund

The Trustees unanimously approved an additional $30,000 for the President's discretionary fund.

GRAND TOTAL: $1,038,000