Our Impact

With your help, Living Stories has been able to help a growing community of filmmakers and industry professionals with development, pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution activities, turning ideas into docudramas that strive to highlight and educate the role Americans have had in liberating besieged populations.

Our Mission:
The mission of Living Stories is to help independent filmmakers tell their stories by acting as their fiscal sponsor. We are a non-profit company supporting film projects that are seeking charitable donations to make their work possible. Whether it’s a short film, a documentary, or a narrative feature, fiscal sponsorship is essential in raising donated funds.

Want to Donate Online?
Click the "Donate to Help a Filmmaker!" button to be redirected to a Givebutter page, which is a new secure donation portal similar to PayPal.

Prefer to donate by check?
Make checks payable to Living Stories, Ltd and put the project you're donating to in the memo line (i.e. Carantan, The Girl Who Wore Freedom).

Mail the check to:
* Living Stories, Ltd
20 Danada Square W #175
Wheaton, IL 60189
P:708-669-4696*

Projects We've Supported

Program Overview

What is Fiscal Sponsorship?
Whether it’s a short film, a documentary, or a narrative feature, fiscal sponsorship is essential in raising donated funds.  In addition to loving your project, most donors want to take advantage of the tax benefits connected with donating to a non-profit. That’s where Living Stories comes in.  As a non-profit, Living Stories can accept donations on your project’s behalf, thereby ensuring each donation’s eligibility for a potential tax break -- creating a win for both your film and your
donor! Put simply, when you’re a fiscally sponsored project of Living Stories, it works like this:• You secure donors!
• Donors makes a donation to Living Stories on behalf of your project.
• That donor receives a receipt for their donation.
• We take out a 4% administrative fee.
• We send the rest of the money to you for your project!In addition to offering a tax cut to donors, we work to support our fiscally sponsored projects by:• Promoting completed projects in our newsletter and on social media
• Including the link to current fiscally sponsored projects on our website
• Connecting filmmakers to resources, companies, crew, and people they need throughout the timeline of their project.
• Please note, Living Stories does not connect projects with funders or donors, that is your responsibility.Living Stories will not infringe on the content or creative aspects of the project but is legally responsible for the funds received on behalf of the project and will ensure that the funds are used only for the project specified by the donor and that all donor reporting requirements are met.

Application & Requirements

Eligibility Requirements
• Must be a business in good standing with it's respective Secretary of State.• The applicant must be 18 years of age or older.• The applicant must be the director or primary producer of the project who owns the copyright of their work, and has both artistic and financial control over the project.• The project must be an independent film, short, feature, documentary, pilot, series, webseries, or visual media project.• Short form content has to have a minimum raise of $5k, and long-form projects a minimum raise of $10k.• The project may be in any stage of development, production, and/or post production or distribution. (We recommend that a working title be decided).• Student films being produced through a college or university, or other third-party productions, are ineligible.• Among the strict requirements necessary to be accepted by Living Stories, producers are required to demonstrate competence in their medium, a strong commitment to and personal involvement in the project, and sound fundraising and distribution strategies.