As a nonprofit community film exhibition and education center, BMFI relies on financial support from individuals, foundations, corporations, and government grants to fuel our innovative programs and maintain our historic theater. These are some of the ways you can show your support of BMFI:
DonateMembership is a significant source of revenue for BMFI and a great value for you. Join now.
As a higher-level BMFI member, you become a partner in furthering BMFI’s mission. Review the benefits of sustaining membership and see if this form of support is right for you. Join now.
Online donations to BMFI are convenient and secure. To support a specific program or initiative, simply include your instructions in the “Notes” area and we will be happy to honor your wishes. If you prefer to mail your donation or would like to pledge a significant gift over time, please use our downloadable pledge form. BMFI is pleased to accept donations from charitable foundations and donor advised funds.
PLEASE NOTE: per IRS regulations, these grants and disbursements cannot confer membership benefits. BMFI membership must be purchased via personal check, credit card, or cash.
Businesses, educational institutions, and arts and community organizations can take advantage of BMFI’s high-profile onscreen announcements and print placement in Projections to promote their missions or events to the large and growing BMFI community. Complete details are found on the Become a Sponsor page.
Planned Gifts are made in lifetime or at death as part of a donor’s financial or estate planning, and pledge a lasting commitment to BMFI. There are numerous ways to make a planned or deferred gift, and each has associated tax benefits for the donor. Please visit our Planned Giving page to guide your discussion with your financial advisor about a Planned Gift that best fits your long-term goals.
BMFI welcomes gifts from Donor Advised Funds (DAFs). The simplest way to give is to utilize DAF Direct, which currently facilitates grant recommendations from donors using Fidelity Charitable®, Schwab Charitable®, and the BNY Mellon Charitable Gift Fund®. There are no administration or transaction fees for using the DAF Direct service. To inform BMFI of your intention to give via a DAF, or to make DAF donations from accounts at institutions other than those listed above, please contact Susan Ethridge, Donor Engagement Manger, at 610.527.4008 x103 or via email. (It is important to share your intention to give via a DAF because such donations arrive at BMFI anonymously. We would like to be able to acknowledge such gifts appropriately, though we will, of course, honor any requests for anonymity.)
Businesses eligible to participate in the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC) can earn significant tax credits by giving to BMFI. Gifts made through the EITC program have enabled BMFI to provide See • Hear • Feel • Film—the third-grade visual literacy program—to thousands of students free of charge. Complete eligibility requirements, application procedures, and deadlines for businesses can be found on Pennsylvania’s EITC web page.
BMFI is happy to receive gifts of stock. Please contact Susan Ethridge, Donor Engagement Manager, at 610.527.4008 x103 to request BMFI’s account information and to share details of your transfer. The more information you’re able to share (stock name, share quantity, date of instruction to your broker, etc.), the better BMFI will be able to track and acknowledge your gift.
Sponsor a theater seat in your name or in honor of a loved one, a special occasion, or your favorite film. Seat sponsorships are $2,000 per seat. Honorees’ names will be engraved on a plaque permanently affixed to the theater seat of your choice. Make your seat sponsorship donation online or by contacting us.
BMFI offers a number of limited-duration program naming opportunities as well as the more lasting option to name a specific piece of the Bryn Mawr Film Institute theater complex. Current naming opportunities include:
| $2,000 | A Theater Seat |
| Membership Desk – named | |
| $50,000 | Projection Booth – 1 of 2 named |
| $50,000 | Business Office |
| $75,000 | Multimedia Room |
| $75,000 | Summer Filmmaking Workshop |
| $100,000 | Concession Lobby |
| $100,000 | Lobby to Theaters 3 and 4 |
| $150,000 | Theater One |
| $150,000 | Theater Two |
| $150,000 | Film Studies Program |
For more information on naming opportunities at BMFI, please contact Susan Ethridge, Donor Engagement Manager, 610.527.4008 x103.
Your unrestricted gift provides BMFI with the flexibility to direct funds where they’re needed most. BMFI is also happy to honor your request to designate gifts to the Capital Fund for care of and improvements to the theater facilities, to the Endowment Fund to meet long-term capital and educational needs, or to a specific program (i.e., education). We welcome the chance to discuss your specific interests and recommend an area of support.
Please contact Susan Ethridge, Donor Engagement Manager, 610.527.4008 x103, with your questions and concerns.
Donor Privacy Policy: Bryn Mawr Film Institute does not share or sell a donor’s personal information with any other organizations, nor send emails or mailings to donors on behalf of other organizations.
Give the gift of Film! Gift cards are available for purchase at the BMFI Box Office or online.
Bryn Mawr Film Institute receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
