ASMP Press Release 14/06/04

(Philadelphia) The American Society of Media Photographers Foundation today unveiled plans for a revitalized grant funding program for photographic education and announced the addition of three new members to its Board of Directors

The new grant program is designed to get maximum leverage from the foundation’s assets by making a number of smaller awards to assist with educational programs for working professionals and students around the country. “We are a small foundation so we aren’t in a position to offer huge grants, ” Board President Dan Lamont explained, “but we believe we can really help put worthy programs over the top in their fundraising.”

The grants will be awarded twice each year. The number of grants and specific amounts given will depend on available funds and the needs and merits of applicant programs. The application deadlines for 2004 are June 31st and October 31st. Application information and forms are available online at www.asmp.org/foundation

Joining the ASMP Foundation board are Mary Virginia Swanson, a noted photography consultant, Kenny Irby, Head of Visual Journalism programs for the Poynter Institute and Ben Colman, a commercial photographer. John Giammatteo, a commercial photographer and Dan Lamont, a photojournalist, round out the foundation board.  Colman, Giammatteo and Lamont are also educators.

“We feel really fortunate to have gotten people on our board as knowledgeable and talented as Mary Virginia, Kenny and Ben,” Lamont said.  “They bring a tremendous depth of experience and an understanding of what is needed in photographic education.”

The ASMP Foundation was created in 1997 to help support educational programs for photographers and the creative community.  In the last year, foundation funds helped to support two highly successful traveling workshop programs (Working Digitally, and Marketing, Pricing and Negotiating). The foundation also supported the publication of an informational booklet on architectural photography.  A foundation created curriculum on professional business practices in photography for use by photographic educators is available as a PDF on the foundation Web page.

For more information, please contact ASMP Foundation Executive Director Eugene Mopsik at 215-451-2767 or ASMP Foundation Board President Dan Lamont at 206-783-6383 or visit the ASMP Foundation web page at www.asmp.org/foundation.