New grantmaker for aspiring pilots and filmmakers
Howard Lake | 13 October 2014 | News
The Matthew Martino Benevolent Fund is a new organisation that has been set up to support young people with an interest in following a career in the film industry or to become pilots. It will start accepting applications for grants from 27 October 2014.
Applications will be accepted from around the world. In particular the Fund aims to support individuals whose careers are at a standstill and who need a helping hand. It will also provide sponsorship for film-related events such as film festivals and film award ceremonies.
The Fund was created by Zimbabwean English filmmaker Mathetes Chihwai, whose stage name is Matthew C. Martino. He said:
“Our charity is working to tackle some of the toughest challenges within the Film & TV industry as well as the Aviation industry to ensure that adequate support is available for the aspiring generation who will conquer tomorrow. We only focus on a few projects as we feel it’s the best way to gain more impact.”
The Fund is currently awaiting registration from the Charity Commission.
As a Benevolent Fund, the organisation will not undertake fundraising. It will simply disburse the set income that is given to it each year.
For 2014-2015 the Trustees have agreed to award 20 grants or sponsorships, with a total planned expenditure of £15,000.
Chihwai will not be involved in the day to day running of the Matthew Martino Benevolent Fund as he wishes to “maintain the credibility of the foundation and also allow the awarding process to be free and fair”, according to his publicist Carol Suvarov.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.