New York Women in Film & Television

What New York Women in Film & Television does

New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded in 1977 that serves professional women working in film, television, and digital media in the New York market. The organization is led by CEO Cynthia Lopez, with Kim Jackson serving as Board President for the 2024-2025 term and a refreshed 2025-2026 board slate. NYWIFT operates a portfolio of recurring programs spanning industry recognition (the 45th Annual Muse Awards held in 2024), professional training (Masterclass Series, The Writers Lab, NYWIFT Summit, Finance Institute, Tech Talks, Designing Women), and storytelling initiatives (Immigrant Stories). The Writers Lab, originally a New York-based script development intensive, has expanded to participants across the US, Canada, the UK, and Europe.

The organization runs a Fund for Women Filmmakers (including the Ravenal Foundation Grant, Loreen Arbus Disability Awareness Grant, and Bridge Multimedia In-Kind Grant), the Women's Film Preservation Fund, a Scholarship Fund that includes the Nancy Mysel Scholarship, and a Fiscal Sponsorship Program through which it administers member-produced film projects. Its technology and platform footprint consists of a member portal and member directory, an industry job board, a podcast, blog, email newsletter, and a Bonfire-powered merchandise storefront. Distribution and visibility are amplified through recurring festival partnerships with Tribeca, Sundance, Hamptons Doc Fest, and the Hellenic Film Society. The organization operates at a small staff scale (11-50 employees).

NYWIFT's revenue model is characteristic of a member-supported arts nonprofit: individual membership dues, corporate partnerships and sponsorships, donations and fundraising, event and table revenue from the Muse Awards and Summit, merchandise sales, and administrative fees from the Fiscal Sponsorship Program. As a 501(c)(3), all revenue is reinvested into programs, grants, and operations rather than distributed. The organization does not sell commercial software or licensed media products; its competitive position rests on community depth, brand recognition, and program IP rather than technology differentiation.

Name

New York Women in Film & Television

Legal name

New York Women in Film & Television

Website

https://nywift.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NYWIFT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded in 1977 that serves professional women in New York's film, television, and digital media industries through training programs, awards, grants, fiscal sponsorship, and advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Industry Association / Professional Membership Organization (Film and Television)

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGABAF

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

Keywords

• Women in film membership
• Film industry association
• Screenwriters development program
• Film festival partnerships
• Filmmaker grants and scholarships

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Recurring revenue from individual memberships at multiple tiers (Become a Member, Renew Membership), with access to exclusive programming and discounts.
2. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Revenue from corporate partners and event sponsors, including the LightsCameraAction Society major giving circle and page-level sponsor acknowledgements.
3. Donations: Charitable donations from individuals and supporters, including designated contributions to support specific programs.
4. Event and Program Revenue (Muse Awards, Masterclasses, Summits): Ticketed and sponsored revenue from annual signature events including the Muse Awards, masterclass series, NYWIFT Summit, Finance Institute, Designing Women, Tech Talks, and salon conversations.
5. Boutique Merchandise Sales: E-commerce revenue from branded merchandise (Muse Awards mugs and apparel) sold via the NYWIFT Bonfire storefront.
6. Fiscal Sponsorship Fees: Administrative fees collected through the Fiscal Sponsorship Program, which channels donations to qualifying projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) is a nonprofit membership organization that sells individual professional memberships to women working in the New York moving image industry. The membership gates access to a portfolio of programs including the annual Muse Awards, masterclass series, summits, the Writers Lab screenwriters program, Finance Institute, Tech Talks, Designing Women, and the Immigrant Stories Series, alongside a member directory, job board, committees, and grant/scholarship programs (Ravenal Foundation Grant, Loreen Arbus Disability Awareness Grant, Bridge Multimedia In-Kind Grant, Women's Film Preservation Fund, Scholarship Fund).

Product overview

NYWIFT operates as a nonprofit membership-based professional association rather than a single unified software product; instead, its offering is a portfolio of programs, services, and resources organized around its core Membership offering. The membership is the central product through which members access adjacent offerings including the Muse Awards annual event, the NYWIFT Masterclass Series, the NYWIFT Summit, The Writers Lab, the Finance Institute, Tech Talks, Designing Women, and the Immigrant Stories Series. The Member Directory and Job Board sit alongside the membership as online utilities, while grant and funding programs — Fund for Women Filmmakers (encompassing the Ravenal Foundation Grant, Loreen Arbus Disability Awareness Grant, and Bridge Multimedia In-Kind Grant), the Women's Film Preservation Fund, and the Scholarship Fund (including the Nancy Mysel Scholarship) — operate as dedicated sub-products that distribute financial support to women filmmakers. Editorial and community channels such as the NYWIFT Blog, Podcast, and Newsletter, plus member community sub-products like Committees and Affinity Groups, Actors Gallery, and Crew Up, round out the portfolio, and the NYWIFT Boutique generates revenue through branded merchandise via a third-party storefront.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NYWIFT Individual Membership Annual subscription membership for individual women professionals working in film, television, and digital media, providing access to exclusive programming, professional development, member directory, job board, committees, and affinity groups.
• Muse Awards Annual signature gala honoring women who have made significant contributions to the entertainment industry, with broadcast coverage on NYC Life and a roster of distinguished honorees (e.g., Judith Light, Patina Miller, Whoopi Goldberg).
• NYWIFT Masterclass Series Multi-week training series led by industry professionals covering topics such as TV writing and creative practice, designed for members seeking to refine specific craft and career skills.
• The Writers Lab The only program in the world dedicated exclusively to elevating the work of women and nonbinary screenwriters over 40, with labs now operational in the US, Canada, UK, and Europe and renewed support from Meryl Streep.
• NYWIFT Summit Annual gathering convening NYWIFT members and broader industry leaders around current topics affecting women in the moving image industry.
• NYWIFT Finance Institute Educational program focused on financial literacy, deal-making, and funding strategy for women working in film and television.
• NYWIFT Tech Talks Programming series addressing technology trends and their impact on the moving image industry.
• Designing Women NYWIFT program spotlighting women in costume, production, and set design across film and television.
• Immigrant Stories Series Programming showcasing immigrant experiences and stories from women filmmakers from diverse backgrounds.
• Fiscal Sponsorship Program Program through which NYWIFT acts as a fiscal sponsor for eligible independent film and media projects, enabling donors to receive tax deductions and projects to apply for grants through NYWIFT.
• Fund for Women Filmmakers NYWIFT's primary grant-making initiative encompassing the Ravenal Foundation Grant, Loreen Arbus Disability Awareness Grant, and Bridge Multimedia In-Kind Grant, supporting women directors and producers at various career stages.
• NYWIFT Ravenal Foundation Grant

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Women in Film: Los Angeles-headquartered nonprofit membership organization advocating for women in the entertainment industry. Direct peer to NYWIFT: same mission (gender equity in film/TV), similar offering of networking, education, grants, and signature events, but with a national rather than NYC-only geographic anchor.
• Women in Film & Television International (WIFTI): Global network of women-in-film chapters including NYWIFT as an affiliate. Direct peer operating the umbrella structure and international coordination that NYWIFT participates in; comparable mission, membership model, and programming philosophy.
• Women Make Movies: New York-based nonprofit that distributes, produces, and champions films by and about women. Direct peer in NYC with overlapping women-in-film mission, fiscal-sponsorship-like distribution support, and grant/screening programs.

Emerging players

• Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media: Research and advocacy nonprofit focused on gender representation in entertainment. Comparable nonprofit mission (advancing women in film/TV) but emphasizes industry research and content analysis rather than member services and festivals.
• Alliance of Women Film Composers: Membership organization supporting women composers in film, TV, and media. Comparable nonprofit advocacy and community model, but narrower craft focus (music) than NYWIFT's industry-wide scope.
• Women in Animation: Nonprofit advocating for women in the animation industry with chapters, mentorship, and awards. Comparable professional association structure and gender-equity mission, but focused specifically on animation rather than the broader moving image industry.

Broad incumbents

• Film Independent: Los Angeles-based nonprofit supporting independent filmmakers through labs, fiscal sponsorship, festivals (Spirit Awards), and education. Comparable fiscal sponsorship, filmmaker development, and festival programming offerings, but broader (all independent filmmakers) and not women-specific.
• Sundance Institute: Major nonprofit running the Sundance Film Festival, labs, grants, and artist programs for independent storytellers. Comparable lab/grant/festival infrastructure NYWIFT leverages through partnerships, but at a far larger scale and broader (not women-specific) mission.
• International Documentary Association: Los Angeles-based nonprofit serving the documentary community through membership, grants, and the IDA Documentary Awards. Comparable membership, grants, and awards programming overlap with NYWIFT's documentary-side offerings (DOC NYC placements, WFPF).

Others

• Made in NY / NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment: City of New York program supporting the local entertainment workforce, including training, hiring, and recognition (Made in NY Awards referenced in NYWIFT CEO letters). Adjacent ecosystem partner that complements NYWIFT's NYC-based programming rather than competing directly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nywift
• Facebookfacebook.com/55253944148

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about New York Women in Film & Television