become a
honey champion

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

THE NEED

Having spent nearly a decade in Hollywood, after more than 15 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 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.

THE STATS

Only 18% of production companies with non-studio funding are women-owned. And up to this point, HONEY CHILE has been completely financed by our Head Honey, Felicia Pride.

In 2023, theatrical films with casts that were 31 - 40% BIPOC enjoyed the highest median global box office receipts, while films with casts that were less than 11 percent BIPOC were the poorest performers (echoing a pattern evident the last four years).

Women comprised less than ¼ of behind the scenes positions in 2023’s top 250 films. Historically, women’s films have been marketed less and have had less spent on them.

The term ‘symbolic annihilation’ refers to the erasure of people—specifically categories of people like women, people of color, people with disabilities and the LGBTQ+ community—from popular media. Symbolic annihilation can contribute to social disempowerment and erasure from public consciousness.

*Women in Film, UCLA, New American, USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, SDSU

The media that people consume, the movies and television series they watch are not just entertainment. It also has an impact on the way people think and view other people.

THE TRUTH

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.

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.

Wall of Champions

Amy Baer
Karen Frazier
Yolonda Brinkley
Paula Chase

Annie Gordon
Lana Adams
Jelayne Miles
Carmen Golden

AND YOU?

THE HONEY CHAMPION CHARGE

You don’t need permission when you have capital.

We’re looking for Honeys, allies and those who love us, with the vision to develop a new model of patronage.


Together, the HONEY Fund will allow us to:

  • MAKE independent film, television and audio projects

  • MARKET projects through impact campaigns

  • DEVELOP Honey creators through artist development

who is a honey champion?

You believe in the mission and vision of HONEY CHILE, and value art + independent creators.

You want to help us fill a need in the cultural landscape and are enamored by the magic of storytelling.

You support what you want to see in the world… historically communities telling THEIR stories.

You’re co-conspirators in this work. Helping us to shake sh*t up.

HOW THE HONEY FUND WORKS

  • TAX WRITEOFF

    All donations are tax-deductible through our fiscal sponsorship with Women of Color Unite (WOCU), a social action organization founded and led by a Honey that focuses on fair access, treatment and pay for women of color in the entertainment and media industries.

  • MAKE AS WE GO

    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 collaborators.

  • DOUBLE SUPPORT

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

THE WORK

Completely boot-strapped, HONEY CHILE has achieved A LOT:

  • We currently have TV 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 the prestigious Humanitas Prize in Screenwriting, among other honors. Our first short, tender, aired on STARZ.

  • We co-created the first HONEY CHILE Fest, a sold-out event where hundreds of Honeys convened in Baltimore to share stories, experiences and laughs.

  • 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 more than 56K followers.

THE honey champion levels

$0 - $499: HONEY BELIEVER

  • Acknowledgement letter for your tax-deductible donation

  • Access to exclusive project updates via email

  • Inclusion on our Champion Wall on the HONEY CHILE website

$500 - $999: HONEY BRONZE

  • All the benefits for HONEY BELIEVER, plus...

  • Personalized thank you card via email

  • Special thank you mention on HONEY CHILE’s social media and in our newsletter

$1,000 - $4,999: HONEY SILVER

  • All the benefits for HONEY BRONZE, plus...

  • Special acknowledgement post on HONEY CHILE’s social media

  • Invites to Champion-only virtual gatherings with our Head Honey Felicia Pride

$4,999 - $9,999: HONEY GOLD

  • All the benefits for HONEY SILVER, plus...

  • Invitations to select HONEY CHILE and other related events

  • Special shout-out on our IT’S GOOD OVER HERE podcast

$10,000 - $24,999: HONEY TREASURE

  • All the benefits for HONEY GOLD, plus...

  • Access to select HONEY CHILE project materials such as scripts, lookbooks, and more

  • Virtual meet-and-greets with HONEY CHILE collaborators such as cast, producers, or crew

$25,000 - $49,999: HONEY VISIONARY

  • All the benefits for HONEY TREASURE, plus...

  • Autographed copy of one HONEY CHILE script by Felicia Pride

  • Invites to select HONEY CHILE development and production meetings such as table reads

$50,000 - $99,999: HONEY DIAMOND

  • All the benefits for HONEY VISIONARY, plus...

  • Invites to participate in select feedback sessions for select HONEY CHILE projects

  • Private in-person gathering with Felicia Pride and select HONEY CHILE collaborators such as cast, crew, and producers (does not include any travel costs)

Please get in touch for patronage $100,000 and beyond, which where applicable, could include project credit.

GIVE TO THE HONEY FUND

Become a HONEY CHAMPION by donating to our Fund in four easy steps:

  1. Complete the short form below.

  2. You’ll be directed to a donation page for Women of Color Unite (WOCU), our fiscal sponsor where you can give via credit card, bank transfer, Venmo, PayPal, Google Pay and more!

  3. Enter your payment details. Then click the checkbox on the donation page to leave a note for WOCU and input “HONEY Fund.”

  4. You’ll receive a receipt for your donation and within the week, a customized thank you note from HONEY CHILE.

    Donating takes less than 5 minutes but will provide years of impact.

Please be sure to click “Add a note for Women Of Color Unite” and type “HONEY FUND” in the message box so that we can track your donation. Thank you!!