New York, NY-- December 10, 2006-- Now in its fourteenth year, the Manhattan Neighborhood Network’s Community Media Grant Program will allocate $170,000 to support community-based groups throughout Manhattan in learning how to produce, or use their skills for the production of television programming. 

The Program’s mission is two-fold: It enables groups to increase their media capacity in reaching to a broader constituency, while providing new and fresh programming for the channel. 

Jennifer Stearns, a staff member of the Coalition of the Institutionalized, Aged and Disabled said, “MNN's support enables adult home residents to speak out about the deplorable conditions in New York City’s adult homes. We will produce several videos on the need for alternative housing (in partnership with the Campaign for Mental Health Housing) and the 2007 legislative agenda issues, among others.  For CIAD, video production is an invaluable tool for leadership training, teaching and public outreach.  

In addition to CIAD, nineteen groups representing the arts, immigrants and youth, among others, were awarded grants ranging from $3,500 to$14,000 in three categories. The grantees include: 

For the Curatorial Category (Groups use existing video and film material to create special programming): Rooftop Films,  Third World Newsreel, African Diaspora Film Festival, The Urban Visionaries Film Festival and Asian Cinevision 

For the Tactical Media Toolkit Category (Groups receive a media package that includes a camera and a computer): NEDAP, Mexicanos Unidos, Time’s Up, The Sikh Coalition, FIERCE, and the Brecht Forum. 

For Training & Production (In addition to equipment, groups also receive production training): Picture the Homeless, The Children’s Art Carnival, Project Reach, Coalition of the Institutionalized and Disabled, Esperanza del Barrio and the Lower East Side Girls 

Decisions were made by a panel made up of community advocates, media arts professionals, board and staff members who subscribe to the mission of MNN: To ensure the ability of Manhattan residents to exercise their First Amendment rights and create opportunities for mutual communication, education and artistic expression. 

“The grant program is just another way MNN is empowering community through ensuring access to digital media technologies. We are honored to be able to have groups that cover such a wide array of issues and constituencies. When we see their stories on our four channels, we know we have succeeded”, stated Dan Couglin, MNN’s executive director.  

For a detailed description of these projects, please visit http://www.mnn.org/en/grantees