ReFrame

What ReFrame does

ReFrame is a nonprofit gender equity initiative founded in 2017 by Women In Film (WIF) and Sundance Institute, focused on increasing representation of women, nonbinary, and trans people working in the screen industries. Its operations are organized around three core programs: the ReFrame Stamp, an annual certification awarded to narrative feature films and scripted television shows that meet gender-balanced hiring criteria in key production roles; ReFrame Rise, a two-year customized fellowship for mid-career women, nonbinary, and trans directors and cinematographers, supported exclusively by Netflix and the Netflix Creative Equity Fund; and ReFrame ReSource, a resource platform providing toolkits and research for industry practitioners.

The underlying technology stack is light: the public website is built on Squarespace, the Stamp application portal is hosted on forms.monday.com, and program content is managed in WordPress. There is no developer-facing API, no proprietary software product, and no AI/ML component disclosed; the core analytical work consists of manual crew-makeup evaluation by staff and interns, which feeds the organization's annual Gender & Hiring reports (1,900+ films evaluated and stamped cumulatively since inception).

The business model is sponsorship- and grant-driven rather than fee-based: programs are free for eligible filmmakers and productions, and the organization is funded by sponsors including IMDbPro and Endeavor, with Netflix as the exclusive Rise partner. ReFrame engages an 84-member ambassador network of studio heads, agency partners, senior network executives, talent, and guild representatives, and maintains strategic partnerships with approximately 40 studios and production companies. The organization is headquartered in Los Angeles and expanded the Stamp program internationally in 2024 to Canada, the UK, Ireland, India, and Australia.

Name

ReFrame

Legal name

ReFrame

Website

https://reframeproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ReFrame is a nonprofit gender equity initiative co-founded by Women In Film and Sundance Institute that certifies gender-balanced film and TV productions via the ReFrame Stamp and runs the Netflix-supported ReFrame Rise fellowship for mid-career women, nonbinary, and trans filmmakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship and Foundation Funding: ReFrame operates as a non-profit initiative funded by sponsors and founding partners. Primary sponsors include IMDbPro and Endeavor. Netflix and the Netflix Creative Equity Fund are the exclusive partners of the ReFrame Rise artist development program. The initiative was founded by and maintains partnerships with Women In Film and Sundance Institute.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ReFrame is a non-profit gender equity initiative that operates three core programs for the film and television industries: the ReFrame Stamp (an annual certification recognizing narrative feature films and scripted television that meet gender-balanced hiring criteria), ReFrame Rise (a two-year customized fellowship accelerating mid-career advancement for women, nonbinary, and trans directors and cinematographers), and ReFrame ReSource (a resource platform with toolkits and research). It also publishes annual gender and hiring reports analyzing representation across the top 100 films and popular television.

Product overview

ReFrame is a non-profit gender equity initiative founded by Women In Film (WIF) and Sundance Institute, offering a portfolio of programs focused on increasing representation of women, non-binary and trans people in the screen industries. The core offerings include the ReFrame Stamp (a gender-balanced production certification for narrative films and scripted TV), ReFrame Rise (a two-year fellowship program for mid-career directors and cinematographers), and ReFrame ReSource (a resource platform with toolkits and research). The organization also publishes annual gender and hiring reports and operates an internship program. ReFrame partners with over 40 production companies and major studios, with sponsorship from IMDbPro, Endeavor, and Netflix.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ReFrame Stamp: A certification mark awarded annually to narrative Feature Films and Television that hire women, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and trans people in key roles across production.
• ReFrame Rise
• ReFrame ReSource

Products and services

• ReFrame Stamp Annual certification awarded to narrative feature films and scripted television shows that hire women, non-binary, trans people, and gender non-conforming individuals in key production roles. Productions submit through an online application portal and are evaluated against comprehensive hiring criteria. Over 1,900 films have been evaluated since inception.
• ReFrame Rise Comprehensive two-year customized program designed to accelerate high-level sustainable advancement for mid-career women, nonbinary, and trans directors and cinematographers. Provides introductions to industry sponsors, in-person filmmaker events including Sundance Film Festival, closed-door Q&As with industry leaders, and career strategy sessions covering publicity, materials development, and pitching.
• ReFrame ReSource Resource platform providing toolkits, research, and informational materials for the ReFrame community and productions seeking gender-balanced hiring guidance.
• ReFrame Annual Gender & Hiring Reports Annual research publications analyzing representation in film and television, including the Top 100 Films report and TV reports tracking gender balance trends, stamped productions, and representation metrics across the industry.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered founding, exclusive, primary and core.

• Women In FilmfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Women In Film (WIF) is a founding partner of ReFrame alongside Sundance Institute. WIF is a non-profit organization dedicated for women working in film, television, and digital media. The partnership was established in 2017 to advance gender equity in the screen industries.
• Sundance InstitutefoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Sundance Institute is a founding partner of ReFrame alongside Women In Film. Founded by Robert Redford, the Institute is known for discovering and supporting independent cinema. The partnership was established in 2017 to advance gender equity in the screen industries.
• NetflixexclusiveStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetflix and the Netflix Creative Equity Fund are the exclusive partners of the ReFrame Rise artist development program. Netflix provides support specifically for the two-year fellowship that accelerates advancement for mid-career women, non-binary, and trans directors and cinematographers.
• IMDbProprimaryGTM or Marketing PartnerIMDbPro is a sponsor of ReFrame's work. IMDbPro and ReFrame jointly announce the ReFrame Stamp recipients for films, with IMDbPro helping to highlight gender-balanced productions on its platform.
• EndeavorprimaryGTM or Marketing PartnerEndeavor is a sponsor of ReFrame's work. Endeavor supports the organization's initiatives to advance gender equity in the entertainment industry.
• Partner Companies (40 studios and production companies)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner40 Partner companies have pledged to participate in ReFrame's three main programs and take concrete actions in their own teams to bring about sustainable change towards gender parity. Partners include major studios, networks, and production companies including A+E Networks, Amazon Studios, AMC Networks, Annapurna Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, HBO, Hulu, Lionsgate, Netflix, and others.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sundance Institute: ReFrame's other co-founding partner; a broader non-profit dedicated to supporting independent film and artists—provides institutional credibility and access but operates with a wider scope than ReFrame's gender-equity focus.
• Women In Film: ReFrame's co-founding partner and a broader industry advocacy organization for women in film/TV/digital media—provides the foundational infrastructure and membership that ReFrame builds on, but operates with a wider mandate beyond gender-balanced hiring.
• Academy Gold Program: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' mentorship and internship program for underrepresented film industry talent—comparable to ReFrame Rise as an artist development program, but with broader diversity scope and institutional backing.

Emerging players

• Time's Up: An advocacy organization addressing workplace equity and gender-based issues across entertainment and other industries—overlaps with ReFrame's mission on gender equity but focuses on harassment and pay equity rather than hiring representation metrics.
• Center for Scholars & Storytellers: A UCLA-based research organization studying youth media representation and working with major studios to improve diversity and inclusion in storytelling—comparable to ReFrame's research-driven approach, though focused on youth audiences.

Direct peers

• Film Fatales: A membership organization for women and non-binary feature film directors providing peer support, networking, and advocacy—directly comparable to ReFrame's mission of supporting underrepresented filmmakers in the industry.
• Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media: Founded by Geena Davis, this non-profit institute conducts research and advocacy on gender representation in media and entertainment, closely mirroring ReFrame's research-driven approach to gender equity in film/TV.
• USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative: Founded by Dr. Stacy L. Smith, AII produces annual inclusion reports evaluating gender and racial representation across film, TV, and music—ReFrame's annual gender hiring reports directly overlap with AII's research in the same domain.
• Free The Work: A non-profit talent marketplace and advocacy organization connecting underrepresented creators (including women and non-binary filmmakers) with productions—directly comparable to ReFrame's mission of advancing gender-equitable hiring in film/TV.

Others

• Color of Change: The nation's largest online racial justice organization that has actively engaged Hollywood on diversity and inclusion in hiring and storytelling—an adjacent advocacy organization addressing similar industry representation issues, with a racial justice focus rather than gender.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/reframestamp
• Xx.com/ReFrameProject
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reframe-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ReFrame