The Sean Connery Foundation was established in 2022 by the estate of Sir Sean Connery, with the aims of accelerating positive change through strategic grant-making to institutions and organisations in Scotland and The Bahamas.
The philanthropic Foundation has announced four new grantees across Scotland.
These are:
Glasgow Media Arts Centre (GMAC), an open access media centre based at Trongate Glasgow whose mission is to engage young people, communities and emerging film talent from under-represented groups.
Screen Education Edinburgh (SEE), an organisation based in Pilton that provides high quality screen education, training and production programmes for all ages.
Station House Media Unit (SHMU), Aberdeen is a charity established in 2003, that is one of the core cultural organisations in North East Scotland and at the forefront of community media development in the UK.
The Portal Arts, Glasgow, an award winning creative media and arts charity based in Govan, Glasgow delivering two strands of work: community media access and Creative Steps for positive mental health.
Each of these grantees, along with the Scottish Youth Film Foundation (SYFF), announced in October 2022, support young people in developing the skills, knowledge, confidence and connections needed for work in the film & TV industry at a time when more creators are choosing to produce content in Scotland. The Foundation’s commitment to these grantees provides unrestricted funding over three years, with all four grants totalling approximately £1Million.
Speaking on behalf of the Foundation’s work in Scotland, Jason Connery said “Before he was a globally recognized movie star, my dad was a lad from Fountainbridge, and he never once forgot that whilst talent might be distributed equally, opportunity is not. By supporting access for passionate young people to the screen sector, no matter what their circumstances, we’d like to help dreams come true. We hope that young people with an appetite for visual storytelling and a curiosity about the many behind-the-scenes jobs that make movies possible, will reach out to our grantees and get involved.”
Each Foundation grantee delivers a hands-on introduction to film-making that spans the entire creative process, from writing, producing, and acting, to sound, lighting, set design, costumes and editing, enabling participants to try out the wide variety of roles available in the screen industry.
In addition to accelerating interest in a full scope of film & TV production careers, the Foundation’s grants portfolio aligns with Scotland’s cultural and educational priorities. By supporting organisations focused on helping passionate young people create and share their stories, the Foundation is investing in a new generation of skilled storytellers and a
creative workforce with the 21st-Century literacy capabilities vital to Scotland’s future.
Participants in grantee programs report gaining valuable organisational and collaboration skills, experience in both advocacy and narrative storytelling, and increased confidence, laying the groundwork for fulfilling careers within the creative industry and beyond.
The goal of The Connery Foundation is to accelerate positive change through strategic grant-making to education and ocean conservation institutions and organisations in Scotland and The Bahamas, the two countries Sir Sean Connery called home.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 