First-Person Storytelling | Acton Family Giving

Storytelling challenges the individual and unites the collective. It creates moments of reflection that prompt us to confront personal values and assumptions, radiating into a stronger sense of shared humanity on a broad scale. It provides exposure to different cultures, lives lived, and paths walked. It creates spaces for the shared act of experiencing the story.

What We Fund

We believe in the value of storytelling as an art and practice that unites us all. We support storytellers from all across the spectrum of human experience to offer audiences a more diverse and rich understanding of the world. In particular, we seek opportunities to support organizations that work towards:

A Balance of Stories

Ensuring that the stories available represent the varied communities that make up our world.

Bridging Audiences

Building connections across lines of difference through exposing audiences to others’ lives, experiences, cultures, and perspectives.

Community Engagement

Creating moments of reflection and shared dialogue around values and assumptions, with an emphasis on participatory community storytelling.

Funding Priorities

We are still learning about and exploring opportunities in this area. We expect our parameters to evolve and become clearer as we grant. We currently:

prioritize organizations with a broad reach (national or significant regional footprint)

are agnostic about a storyteller's medium — we support stories in all forms

seek partners who reduce barriers for storytellers and audiences

do not fund storytelling for the sake of advocacy, fundraising, or marketing campaigns

examples of organizations we have funded: StoryCorps, Magnum Cultural Center, Youth Speaks

Empathy Building Grantmaking Areas

First-Person Storytelling

Animal Connection

Good Fight Grants

Areas of Exploration