Southern Documentary Fund (SDF)

The Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) is a media advocacy group founded in 2002 to support documentary filmmakers in the southern United States. The documentaries of those supported by the foundation have covered topics such as civil rights, the environment, and LGBT interests. 1 It is funded by federal agencies including the National Endowment for the Humanities 2 and the National Endowment for the Arts. 3 The SDF has also received funding from left-of-center organizations including the MacArthur Foundation, 4 Creative Capital Foundation, 5 and the Ford Foundation. 6

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Website: www.southerndocumentaryfund.org
Formation:

2002

Executive Director:

Clint Jukkala

Location: Durham, NC View on map
Tax ID: 75-2993148
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2024): Assets: $1,245,596 Revenue: $1,485,061 Expenses: $1,219,529

Contents

    Advocacy

    The Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) offers a fiscal sponsorship program for projects produced within or cover topics occurring in the Southern United States.  7

    SDF has previously supported the production of documentaries including The Black Future Manifesto, Meant To Be Maddie on transgender children,” 8 and Sister Senators promoting abortion access. 9 10

    Filmmaking grants are offered on an annual basis to documentary makers while the grants are supported by the MacArthur Foundation, 11 which has provided financial support for the SDF since 2018. 12

    Funding

    In 2023, the Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) reported $1,416,684 in total revenue, almost 40 percent of which was from government grants. 13

    Since 2016, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded SDF roughly $1,025,000 for documentaries about the Appalachia region. 2 14

    Since 2019, the federal National Endowment for the Arts  15 has awarded over $200,000 in grants to SDF. 3

    Other donors to the SDF include the North Carolina Arts Council, the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, 4 Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism, the Sustainable Markets Foundation, and the Proteus Fund. 16

    In 2022 and 2023, the Creative Capital Foundation awarded a total of $45,000 to SDF for project support. Since 2019 the Ford Foundation has awarded SDF $270,000 in grants. 6 5

    Leadership

    Clint Jukkala is the executive director of the Southern Documentary Fund (SDF). Jukkala earned a master’s degree in fine arts from Yale University in 1998 then worked as an art professor at Yale University for 11 years. He moved to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and held administrative positions, including executive dean for over 10 years, before joining the SDF as executive director in November 2023. 17 18

    Ellen Stolzman is the board president for SDF. She has held several positions with CBS, Simon & Schuster, and HBO Video. 19

    Steven Channing and Cynthia Hill are the co-founders of SDF. Both are documentary filmmakers.  Channing earned a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina and began his career as a professor at the University of Kentucky. Hill is a North Carolina-based documentary filmmaker. 20 21 22

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2024 $1,245,596 $1,485,061 $1,219,529 View
    2023 $881,672 $1,416,684 $825,862 View
    2022 $271,378 $742,475 $1,001,353 View
    2021 $551,988 $489,085 $437,491 View
    2018 View

    Prior year filings: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    • Number of Employees: 6

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Clint JukkalaEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR$102,333

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $9,309,144
    • Number of Grants: 283
    • Number of Funders: 133

    Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $600,0002024 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur FoundationIn support of general operations.
    $500,0002021 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur FoundationIn support of general operations.
    $305,0002024 National Philanthropic TrustCULTURE & ARTS
    $250,0002021 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur FoundationIn support of general operations.
    $200,0002023 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundationin support of general operations.
    $159,0002024 Singh Singh Film Fund DBA Jaya Media FundSUPPORT DOCUMENTARY TO BE INVISABLE
    $150,0002021 Novo FoundationPROJECT SUPPORT: THE BEAUTIFUL PROJECT
    $150,0002020 Novo FoundationPROJECT SUPPORT: THE BEAUTIFUL PROJECT
    $125,0002023 Perspective Media Initiatives IncDEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES ($15,000); PRODUCTION AND IMPACT SUPPORT FOR THE RIVER ($110,000)
    $120,0002024 The Ford FoundationCore support for the SDF production grant initiative for filmmakers telling stories they are connected to, and that fully represent the complexity and nuance of, the American South
    $100,0002024 Harnisch Family FoundationCHARITABLE
    $100,0002024 Silicon Valley Community Foundation
    $93,5002022 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $85,0002020 The Annie E. Casey FoundationSupport evidence building for programs by and for people of color
    $80,0002020 Singh Singh Film Fund DBA Jaya Media FundSOUTHERN DOCUMENTARY FUND – BETWEEN THE RAINS
    $68,9002025 Donor Advised Charitable Giving, Inc.ARTS, CULTURE & HUMANITIES
    $50,0002025 The Boston FoundationTo support the "The River"
    $50,0002024 The Ford FoundationCore support for the documentary film "Plainspoken" to explore the ongoing cultural conversation of racial equality
    $50,0002022 Perspective Media Initiatives IncOPERATING SUPPORT
    $50,0002020 William R Kenan Jr Charitable Trust Xxxxx2004PURPOSE OF GRANT: GENERAL
    $50,0002020 The Ford FoundationCore support for The Double Shift, an investigative and field-reporting-based podcast about the political, civil society, and economic complexities of working motherhood and the inequalities therein
    $50,0002020 The Elliott & Harriet Goldstein Private Fdndba Highland Vineyard FoundationARTS
    $45,0002021 National Christian Charitable Foundation, Inc.CULTURE
    $40,0002023 Chicken & Egg FilmsDOCUMENTARY FILM
    $40,0002020 American Gift FundOPERATIONS

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    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “Championing Southern Stories.” Southern Documentary Fund – About. Accessed May 16, 2025. https://southerndocumentaryfund.org/about/
    2. National Endowment for the Humanities – Award Search. Southern Documentary Fund. Accessed May 16, 2025. https://apps.neh.gov/publicquery/default.aspx
    3. National Endowment for the Arts – Grants Search. Southern Documentary Fund. Accessed May 16, 2025. https://apps.nea.gov/grantsearch/
    4. Southern Documentary Fund homepage. Accessed May 16, 2025. https://southerndocumentaryfund.org/
    5. Creative Capital Foundation. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990 – Schedule I.) 2021, 2022.
    6.  Ford Foundation Grants Database search. Accessed May 17, 2025. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/?search=southern+documentary+fund
    7. “Fiscal Sponsorship.” Southern Documentary Fund. Accessed May 16, 2025. https://southerndocumentaryfund.org/programs/fiscal-sponsorship/
    8. “Supported Projects.” Southern Documentary Fund. Accessed May 17, 2025. https://southerndocumentaryfund.org/projects-by-filter/
    9. “The Black Future Initiative.” Southern Documentary Fund. Accessed May 17, 2025. https://southerndocumentaryfund.org/the-black-futures-initiative/
    10. Sophie Brams. “Upcoming ‘sister senators’ documentary to be previewed during Charleston event.” News 2. March 19, 2025. Accessed May 17, 2025. https://www.counton2.com/news/local-news/upcoming-sister-senators-documentary-to-be-previewed-during-charleston-event/
    11. “Filmmaking Grants.” Southern Documentary Fund. Accessed May 17, 2025. https://southerndocumentaryfund.org/programs/filmmaking-grants/
    12. Southern Documentary Fund Expands Filmmaking Grants.” Southern Documentary Fund. August 21, 2024. Accessed May 17, 2025. https://southerndocumentaryfund.org/southern-documentary-fund-expands-filmmaking-grants/
    13. The Southern Documentary Fund. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990 – Part VIII.) 2023.
    14. “About the National Endowment for the Humanities.” National Endowment for the Humanities. Accessed May 16, 2025. https://www.neh.gov/about
    15. “What Is the NEA?” National Endowment for the Arts. Accessed May 16, 2025. https://www.arts.gov/about/what-is-the-nea
    16. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer search. Accessed May 17, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/30419743/202413199349314661/IRS990ScheduleI
    17. “Clint Jukkala Joins Southern Documentary Fund as New Executive Director.” Southern Documentary Fund. Accessed May 17, 2025. https://southerndocumentaryfund.org/clint-jukkala-joins-southern-documentary-fund-as-new-executive-director/
    18. LinkedIn – Clint Jukkala. Accessed May 17, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/clint-jukkala-4672761b/
    19. “Ellen Stolzman Biography.” IMDB. Accessed May 17, 2025. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13065708/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
    20. “Steven A. Channing Biography.” IMDB. Accessed May 17, 2025. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1848056/bio/
    21. “Cynthia Hill Biography.” IMDB. Accessed May 17, 2025. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1653705/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
    22. “Co-founders.” Southern Democracy Fund. Accessed May 17, 2025. https://southerndocumentaryfund.org/about/board/