BRIC Animation Co-op Grant

Designed to empower independent creators & inspire inclusive storytelling

The Application period is now closed.

Thank you to everyone who applied!

The grant winner will be notified by July 14th.

About the Grant:

The BRIC Animation Co-op Grant will provide $5,000 in funding to support the formation of an animation worker cooperative comprised of three or more individuals passionate about telling inclusive stories together.

As the industry continues to evolve, BRIC believes in creators joining forces to build sustainable, equitable businesses that put their values and vision at the center. Following the insightful conversations at the 2025 BRIC Summit exploring what it means to be a creator in today’s world, we’re supporting the growing worker cooperative movement to put creators first, foster collaboration, and inspire inclusive storytelling.


Ready to apply? View the application details below and apply by June 2nd.

To learn more about worker cooperatives, including strategies indie creators can use to activate their communities and get started on forming their own worker co-ops, check out the panel replays from the 2025 BRIC Summit and these resources.

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Unsure about how to form & incorporate your animation worker co-op?

Our friends at Legends Animated and LA Coop Lab created this helpful Creative Worker Co-op Toolkit to get you started!

Access the Toolkit

Application Details:

Funding:

Award is a one-time payment of $5,000.

I. Eligibility Criteria

This $5K grant supports the formation of an animation creator co-op company made up of 3 or more individuals that are wanting to tell inclusive animated stories.

All individuals of the co-op must be over the age of 18.

UPDATE: At least 50% of all co-op members (or at least 2 out of 3 total members) must be California residents and authorized to work in the United States. The Co-op must agree to register/incorporate in the state of California upon award acceptance, though registration is not required at the time of application submission.

Co-ops should ideally adopt the United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives’ (USFWC) requirements of what constitutes a Worker Co-op Start-up. Co-ops are encouraged to register with the USFWC as a Worker Co-op Start-up Member if they have not already done so.

For more information about how to get started with forming and incorporating your animation worker co-op, check out the Creative Worker Co-op Toolkit from our friends at Legends Animated and LA Coop Lab.

Interested organizations are invited to submit their proposals, addressing the following points:

  1. Organization Overview: Provide a brief overview of your organization/proposed organization, including its mission, experience, and qualifications within the animation industry.

  2. Member Qualifications: Provide information about the co-op owners and key personnel who will be involved in creating the animated project. Include their resume and/or portfolio, qualifications, relevant experience, and expertise.

  3. Content: Submit a one-pager that includes: logline, summary, character(s), mood board link, and themes of the project. This project must be animated and inclusive.

  4. Budget: Submit a detailed budget that outlines the costs associated with creating and running the co-op, along with a budget number for the proposed project and if you have access to any additional funding and resources.  

II. Proposal Submission

III. Submission Guidelines

Proposals should be submitted electronically in a single PDF to programs@bricfoundation.org.

The deadline for submission is June 2, 2025 at 11:59pm (PST). Late proposals will not be considered.

IV. Evaluation Criteria

Must be a California-based organization. Proposals will be evaluated based on the following rubric criteria:

  1. Alignment with BRIC Mission and Inclusion Emphasis

  2. Demonstrated Experience and Qualifications

  3. Cost-effectiveness and Budgetary Considerations

BRIC Foundation reserves the right to request additional information and conduct interviews as part of the evaluation process.

Confidentiality Notice:

All submitted materials must be the original work of the team.

Owning the rights to any intellectual property related to your co-op is a requirement for participating in the competition.

BRIC Foundation honors the confidentiality of all participants' applications. Application details will not be released, without permission, for any purposes other than use in the competition. The Review Committee also recognizes the sensitivity of the materials being presented.

Co-Ops may wish to include the following optional disclaimer with their submissions, recognizing that it is not a legally binding agreement:

This application is confidential and is presented solely for the purpose of evaluation in the application. This application may not be reproduced or redistributed in whole or in part. By accepting a copy of this application, the recipient agrees not to reproduce or disclose the contents of this application to third parties without the prior written consent of its authors.

Some participants may ask that confidentiality agreements be secured from the committee or BRIC Foundation. While BRIC Foundation appreciates the concerns behind these requests, as a matter of convention and practicality, confidentiality agreements are not signed as part of the competition.

Generative A.I. Notice:

Generative A.I. and plagiarized work are not accepted.

This grant program issues funding to human creators, with a strict policy against accepting work created by Generative A.I. (like ChatGPT, MidJourney, FireFly, etc.) or plagiarized content. Any asset in a proposal found to be in violation of these guidelines will automatically disqualify the submission. If the grant has already been awarded, it will be rescinded.

Contact Information:

For inquiries and submission of proposals, please email programs@bricfoundation.org

We look forward to receiving your proposals and seeing more animation creator co-ops in the world!