Netflix Pledges $5 Million to Black Creators, Youth Organizations, and Businesses
Netflix has pledged $5 million to organizations that create long-term opportunities for Black entertainment creators, Black youth, and Black-owned businesses.
The company stated its intent to support the Black community and get more television and film stories from Black voices created by giving funds to a variety of Black-focused organizations, including Ghetto Film School, Film Independent Project Involve, Firelight Media, and Black Public Media. Netflix will split $1.5 million in donations between those organizations.
“Tackling racism and injustice in meaningful ways means creating long-term opportunities for the Black community,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said in a statement. “The main role we play is through our funding of and member viewing of important content like ‘When They See Us.’ As an additional step, today we’re committing $5 million to nonprofits dedicated to creating direct opportunities for Black creators, Black youth and Black-owned businesses.”
Netflix additionally pledged to donate $1 million in grants to Black youth organizations Know Your Rights Camp, The Posse Foundation, and Black Girls Code. The company also noted it is donating $500,000 in grants to Black-owned businesses in Los Angeles, as Black-owned businesses have suffered disproportionately large economic impacts due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Netflix also said that it is matching its employees’ donations to all causes at 200 percent.
As for the other $2 million, Netflix said it will announce the other organizations it intends to donate funds to sometime in the future. The company expects to announce other initiatives to long-term opportunities for the Black community throughout the next few months. The company’s streaming service recently added a Black Lives Matter category to its list of genres.
A recent report from data firm Parrot Analytics noted that Netflix’s “When They See Us” and “Dear White People” enjoyed large spikes in viewership following the police killing of George Floyd, whose death has sparked a series of ongoing nationwide protests regarding police brutality and systemic racism.
Netflix previously announced a $100 million fund to help film and TV industry workers whose productions were upended by the coronavirus pandemic. The company was also among Hollywood’s first businesses to announce that it would pay talent guarantees to its cast members who were impacted by production shutdowns.
