Contribution to Community Projects
Community Projects
When you contribute an additional discretionary amount at checkout then firstly...thank you! That money is held separately within our company accounts, clear and distinct from sales income.
We then make decisions throughout the year to invest the fund into projects and ideas that will benefit the wider UK film photography community - supporting historically under-represented groups wherever possible.
For example this might include:
- providing equipment, films, resources or funds for folks to run photowalks in areas that don't traditionally host film photography events - or for people who wouldn't normally attend these events
- putting on courses or workshops to help folks learn new analogue skills
- helping small independent suppliers with early prototypes for a new idea that might turn into a viable film photography product
- marketing or advertising a community project that doesn't have the funds to publicise themselves on the scale they deserve
- supporting a new community darkroom or gallery
Who decides on the right projects?
Paul and Karen (Marketing Manager), with guidance from the rest of the Analogue Wonderland team! We used to run the Fund in a more formal way, with twice-yearly applications, but this ran out of momentum (more background is below)
So in March 2022 we decided to simplify the way we run the project, removing the formal applications and instead taking personal responsibility for spending the money in ways that we believe will benefit the wider film photography community.
By necessity this means that we won't be able to openly share the exact amounts spent on different projects - but hopefully if you're reading this then you believe in the integrity and passion of the AW team 😊 and can trust us to make good decisions.
You may remember: the Community Fund
When we first set up the ability to contribute a discretionary amount to community funds - back in Winter 2020 - we hosted rounds of applications twice a year for folks to bid for the money to run their own community projects.
Across the next two years we saw the amount of donations and applications drop dramatically.
While we could always spend more time/money to advertise the Fund and encourage applications, ultimately the Fund sits outside our core job of dispatching your films and developing your photos, and if the appetite for a formal Fund dips then we don't want to push it on the community 😊
Therefore we decided to close the Fund in its original design and move to a simpler/easier method of holding and spending the pot.