HONEY CHILE'S HONEY FUND

The HONEY Fund is our ambitious initiative to raise $5M.

It is bold of us to believe that Black women 40+ or Honeys as we like to call them, deserve to be seen and heard, and that we hold tremendous value on and off screen. Having spent nearly a decade in Hollywood, after more than fifteen years working in media, it became clear to our Head Honey, Felicia Pride, that in order to see ourselves in ALL of our glory, we’re going to have to do it ourselves. Because the truth is, a small group of mostly white men are deciding what we watch. And we’re seeing that much of Hollywood’s pledges to become more inclusive was highly performative.

The various reports that are released year after year continue to expose data that speaks for itself: Women, Black women, and women of a certain age are critically underrepresented behind the scenes and on screen in film and television, and the pay disparity gap is alarming. But we know that the media people consume, the movies they watch, and the television series they follow, are not just entertainment, it also has an impact on the way people think and view other people.

Darnell Hunt, the director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA, said, “We’re pretty confident that, the more TV you watch, the more media you consume, the more likely it is that media ― almost like radiation ― builds up. And the accumulated effect is to make you feel that what you’re seeing is somewhat normal.” In an articled entitled, “Why Representation Matters,” writer Cole Bowman explained that “the term ‘symbolic annihilation’ refers to the erasure of people—specifically categories of people like women, people of color, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community—from popular media.” Symbolic annihilation can contribute to social disempowerment and erasure from public consciousness.

In the study conducted by Essence magazine, more than 1,200 Black women respondents shared that the images they encounter regularly on TV, in social media, in music videos and from other outlets are overwhelmingly negative. As New American stated, “Representation that steers clear of stereotypes can lead to empowerment and a sense of belonging, especially among underrepresented groups. Inclusive content also builds deeper understandings for viewers from majority backgrounds and identities.”

But representation alone isn’t enough. Our stories deserve authenticity, care, and complexity… just like our lives. As New America also noted, “Adding context — a fuller representation of circumstances shaping our lives — can help people know that they are not alone and not at fault. Context and nuance in storytelling can also help audiences of all kinds develop empathy and understanding that can mitigate today’s highly polarized environment.”

In 2021, Felicia started HONEY CHILE, an independent media + production company that tells bold stories by, for, and / or about Black women 40+, as a way to take back control of the narrative, of our power, and of opportunity. Up to this point, HONEY CHILE has been completely financed by Felicia Pride and we’ve been able to achieve some amazing successes and create amazing work, like:

• We currently have television and film projects set up at Amazon, CBS Studios, and Lifetime, two of which are based on books by Honey authors
• We produced and released two seasons of our podcast CHILE, PLEASE, nominated twice for Outstanding Lifestyle/Self-Help Podcast at the 54th and 55th NAACP Image Awards!
• We produced and released our short film LOOK BACK AT IT, written and directed by Felicia and shot in her hometown, Baltimore, and starring Honey creator Angel Laketa Moore. The film, a proof of concept for a feature film of the same name that we’re developing, was a film festival darling. It won the Audience Award at BlackStar Film Festival and was nominated for a Humanitas Prize in Screenwriting, among other honors.
• We co-created the first HONEY CHILE Fest, a sold-out event where hundreds of Honeys convened in Baltimore to bond over shared experiences, laughs, and projects created with them in mind.
• We reach our audience directly with our biweekly newsletter, A Taste of Honey, which is chock-full of stories, news, and cultural conversation.
• Our thriving social media accounts curate stories, entertainment, and encouragement about, by, and for Honeys and reach over 56K followers.

But now, it’s time to take things to the next level. Honeys deserve more.

The HONEY Fund reimagines what partnership looks like among folk who support what they want to see in the world, and value the power of historically excluded communities telling their own stories. Together, we can build our own table and throw a banquet where everyone eats. We don’t have to wait for Hollywood to let us tell our stories, especially those that center our growth, joy, coming of age, self-discovery, and love in all forms.

If you believe we can be the change we want to see, WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US.

You don’t need permission when you have capital.

We’re looking for Honeys + allies with the vision to develop a new model of patronage. consortium of co-conspirators. And gogether, the HONEY Fund will allow us to:

MAKE independent film, television, digital, and audio projects
MARKET those projects through effective, culturally-specific campaigns
DEVELOP Honey creators through artist development initiatives related to our projects

Imagine…A donor network of at least 1,000 Honeys, allies, and those who love us, working together to ensure that our stories are told, told well, and reach Honeys and beyond. We have a robust slate of projects that the HONEY Fund will support from indie film to podcasts to docuseries.

All donations are tax-deductible through our fiscal sponsorship with Women of Color Unite (WOCU), a social action organization focusing on fair access, fair treatment and fair pay for women of color in all aspects of the entertainment and media industries. As funds come in, they will remain in a restricted account and we will allocate budgets to create projects based on the amount of funding received.

Monies will only be used for costs associated with making and marketing projects, and professional development of Honey artists.

We will make as we go.

Minimum donation: $1,000. Your donation is tax-deductible and also supports WOC filmmakers and ensures Women of Color Unite is able to continue providing its services to its members.

We’re happy to share our HONEY Fund deck and answer any questions. Just click below on the Request Donation Info button.

Hollywood wants us to believe that they, big conglomerates driven by a bottom line goal post that keeps moving, have the power. But the truth is: it is you, the people, who wield the power with your attention and your dollars.