About
The Sidney Poitier Initiative (SPI) aims to honor the legacy of Sidney Poitier, a groundbreaking actor, director, and activist, by supporting equity programs that further the film and media careers of students, professionals, and organizations from historically excluded backgrounds.
Through this initiative, we will fuel the careers of and expand opportunities for trailblazing film and media creators from historically excluded backgrounds.
The goals of SPI are to:
- Provide resources to further the careers of film and media creators from historically excluded backgrounds
- Support The Gotham’s equity programs with mentorship from the artists and industry leaders in the SPI Founders Committee
- Support The Gotham’s equity programs with philanthropic support from individuals, corporations, and foundations
- Create awareness of the program elements built to serve the next generation of historically excluded voices and storytellers (students, academic professionals, executives, creators, and organizations)
Founders Committee
- Lorrie Bartlett
- Angela Bassett
- Nicole Beharie
- Halle Berry
- Stephanie Allain Bray
- Nicole Brown
- Don Cheadle
- Kim Coleman
- Emerson Davis
- Danielle Deadwyler
- Daveed Diggs
- J. D. Dillard
- Peter Dodd
- Colman Domingo
- Idris Elba
- Cynthia Erivo
- DeVon Franklin
- Kelvin Harrison, Jr.
- Corey Hawkins
- Aldis Hodge
- Mike Jackson
- Kasi Lemmons
- Franklin Leonard
- Jonathan Majors
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw
- Thuso Mbedu
- Chelsea McKinnies
- Taylour Paige
- Nate Parker
- Billy Porter
- Taylor Russell
- Jodie Turner Smith
- Jurnee Smollett
- Jacqueline Stewart
- Wynn Thomas
- Courtney B. Vance
- Jesse Williams
- Jeffrey Wright
For more information or to support this initiative, please contact [email protected].