Remember when Artists Made Austin Cool?
A Small Donation to Keep Austin from Turning Into One Big Tech Convention
(we’re kidding…sort of)
⭐️ ABOUT THE SHOOT
On October 30, 2025 — just two weeks after beginning chemotherapy for Stage 3B ovarian cancer — our Executive Director, Faiza Kracheni, stepped into one of CINEMAKER’s East Austin studios to document the moment she shaved her head.
Photographed by Chie Endo (Eani Creative), the shoot was an intimate and vulnerable portrait of strength, community, and the realities of cancer treatment. Joining her were Tiffany Hunter (owner of Damn, Glam) and CINEMAKER creative leadership Zachariah Williams and Natalie Joy Howard, who supported and witnessed the moment alongside her.
The images were created inside a CINEMAKER studio — a space that now sees over 300 creative sessions every month, from filmmakers and photographers to musicians, dancers, and storytellers. This was not just a photo shoot, it was an intentional moment of why creative space matters and the power it holds for local artists.
⭐️ ABOUT THE CAUSE
Hold the Line for Independent Art
In a city where independent creative spaces are disappearing, your contribution helps us hold the line, keeping creativity rooted in people, access, and shared resources — not just commerce.
Your gift keeps our creative ecosystem alive — the one that lets real local artists actually work, learn, and grow here. And for the folks who move to Austin dreaming big? Your support gives them a soft place to land in a city where rent can climb faster than the skyline.
WHAT DOES YOUR DONATION SUPPORT?
1. Studios That Stay Open
Spaces where hundreds of filmmakers, photographers, and media artists come every month to work, test ideas, fail, restart, and make something real.
2. Education Without Gatekeeping
Our award winning 30-year running Community Film School, Austin School of Film offers 80–100 classes a year, reaching 1,000+ students of all ages and backgrounds. No barriers. No pretension. Just access to skills and support.
3. A Level Playing Field
Affordable gear, facilities, and hands-on programs ensure that creativity isn’t reserved for the financially privileged. If you want to learn, you get to learn.
4. Teaching Artists Who Shape the Culture
We pay film and media artists to mentor, guide, and grow the next generation of image-makers and storytellers.
5. Youth Who Need a Spark
The Youth Scholarship Fund gives young people access to film and media education they might never receive otherwise. A single class can change the trajectory of a young person’s life.
6. Real Pathways for Working Artists
Our Artist Access Program provides 30 local emerging artists each year with six months of mentorship program including job training, studio time, networking, and hands-on workforce development. This is what real opportunity looks like.
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
Independent creative spaces in Austin are disappearing.
Your support helps keep ours alive.
donate to our campaign
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Faiza Kracheni
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
“Fundraising isn’t a side effort, it’s the backbone that keeps this work alive. It’s how we continue to do what larger institutions often won’t: nurture independent art, preserve accessibility, and make sure creativity isn’t just for those who can afford it.”
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NATALIE HOWARD
EDUCATION MANAGER
"Sometimes, you need support. You need access points and a supportive community to reach your goals. To tell your stories, through our own authentic voice. Through our classes, scholarships, and artist showcases, we strive to support people just like you."
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Zachariah Williams
PROGRAMS & STUDIO MANANGER
“As a working artist, I’ve struggled with the same challenges many in Austin’s creative community face: the lack of affordable production space to create. Cinemaker gives that back to artists. It’s not just access, but the freedom to create and play without worrying about financial constraints.”
OUR IMPACT IS MEASURABLE
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Creating Industry Entry Points
Our Cinemaker Studio Access Program sees an average of 400 studio reservations every month. That’s 400 new projects being created across film, photography, music, and media arts. With crew, talent, and collaborators combined, that’s nearly 2,000 people walking through our studio doors each month through this program alone.
Every day we open, something new is being made in Austin.
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Creative Learning That Lasts
For nearly 30 years, our community film school program, Austin School of Film, has offered 80–100 classes each year, serving nearly 1,000 students from Austin and beyond.
From beginners discovering their voice to professionals refining their craft, our hands-on programs build real-world skills and confidence. Certified by the Texas Education Agency, we even train educators and professors across Texas.
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IF THE YOUTH ARE UNITED
Every summer, our youth programs transforms our studios into a vibrant creative playground where 50+ middle and high school students learn the fundamentals of filmmaking and animation.
From storyboarding and camera operation to post-production and sound design, students experience every step of the creative process under the guidance of working filmmakers and educators.
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High Impact, Lean Budget
Every program we run: studio access, classes, youth camps, and community showcases—operates with incredible efficiency. With an annual budget of under $1 million, Motion Media Arts Center consistently delivers outsized impact: thousands of people served each year, dozens of year-round classes, and nearly 5,000 new projects created with us annually.
Our model is intentionally resourceful. We reinvest every dollar directly into artist access, affordable education, and creative workforce development.
Giving FAQs
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Our annual budget for 2025 is approximately $525,000, which includes the $25,000 fundraiser!
Every single dollar is used to sustain affordable studios, pay our small but mighty staff, and fund the programs and scholarships that make media arts accessible to all.
We stretch this modest budget to support hundreds of artists, filmmakers, and students across Austin every year.
We aim to grow our annual budget by 10% in 2026 as we’ve spent 2025 re-envisioning each program in new spaces (i.e. Canopy and Clayton plus select pop up venues).
That growth will help us:Expand scholarship and free community programs
Add part-time staff support
Upgrade equipment and studio spaces
Provide more paid opportunities for local teaching artists
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Facilities: $150,000
Covers rent at our 3 locations (2 studios + ASOF HQ)Operations: $30,000
Supports gear, general upkeep, and day-to-day needs that keep our programs sustainable.Staffing: $200,000
Provides fair pay and stability for the team behind the scenes who keep our programs running and continuously build new ways to connect and serve the community through public programming.Marketing & Community Outreach: $15,000
Funds our website costs, communications, and outreach tools to connect with students, families, and artists.Scholarships & Teaching Artist Contracts: $115,000
Pays local filmmakers and media artists to teach classes and workshops and provides scholarships for youth and adult learners across Austin. -
Because we’re fighting to keep space accessible in a city where affordability is disappearing.
Austin’s commercial rents have skyrocketed, and creative spaces are disappearing faster than they can be replaced. At Motion Media Arts Center, maintaining physical space — studios, classrooms, and production areas is our foundation. It’s what allows artists to create, students to learn, and the community to gather.
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Your donation goes directly toward the essentials that keep Motion Media Arts Center alive — our facilities, scholarships, and creative supplies.
Our year-end goal of $25,000 represents less than 5% of our total annual budget, and while that may seem small, it’s undoubtedly important.
This funding helps us pay rent and utilities for our studios, provide scholarships for youth and adult learners, and purchase the film, equipment, and materials needed to keep our programs running.
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Our 2025 annual operating budget is funded through a balanced mix of earned income, grants, and community support.
Earned Income – 60%
The majority of our funding comes from tuition through our education programs and memberships at CINEMAKER. These programs are intentionally priced below market rates so artists, students, and families can access professional-grade studios and instruction at an affordable cost.Public & Private Grants – 30%
We receive vital annual support from the City of Austin, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as smaller contributions from local foundations and community organizations. These grants help sustain our facilities, operations, and public programs.Community Giving – 10%
The remaining portion of our budget is raised through individual donations and year-end fundraising campaigns — including our current Holiday Giving Drive, which aims to raise $25,000.
While 10% may seem small, it’s undoubtedly important. These contributions give us the flexibility to respond to community needs, offer scholarships, and keep creative space affordable for everyone.
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In 2024, we made one of the most significant transitions in our organization’s history. We left a large central Austin facility that cost over $30,000 per month to operate and took the final quarter of the year to reimagine how our programs could grow within a new Austin — one where commercial real estate prices have skyrocketed and affordability for creatives is increasingly rare.
From that challenge, a new model emerged. Instead of operating from a single large space, we now facilitate programming across four active locations in Austin, allowing us to stay nimble, sustainable, and connected to creative communities citywide.
Looking forward, our goal over the next three years is to:
Open an additional, larger Cinemaker studio designed for expanded film and media production.
Establish satellite classrooms for Austin School of Film in both Round Rock and South Austin to reach more students and families across the region.
But we won’t get there if we’re treading water and simply breaking even. That’s why this year’s $25,000 Holiday Giving goal is so critical. Exceeding that target will not only keep us stable — it will cushion and position us for a stronger, more sustainable future where Austin’s creative community continues to thrive.
✨ All donations are 100% tax-deductible and go directly toward sustaining our programs, people, and spaces — and expanding access to even more creative corners of the city.