As of August 2023, this fund has already sponsored over 45 BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) Artists to take the 4-Week (now 5-week!) British Accent Intensive, and several to take the Multicultural London English course and other intensives at a discounted rate! The intention is to make the fund ongoing, and keep getting folks into class. *New donor options below.
*Though the Facebook Fundraiser will still be in operation this year, they take a fee out, so Venmo is preferred! (Venmo: @keri-safran; put “BIPOC Scholarship” in the notes!)
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Training is expensive. This means that more privileged individuals are more likely to have access to it. It is important to me that Keri Safran Coaching prioritizes not only quality training, but also inclusive and accessible training. ALL artists should have access to dialect work, which I believe is a) intrinsic to portraying characters authentically and b) essential for helping performers increase their castability. Hence, the BIPOC Scholarship Fund was created.
*Please note that class size is limited to 9 participants in order to give as much personal attention as possible, and that registration is already open to the public. If we have the good fortune to raise more money after August’s initial push, I intend to continue to extend scholarships on an ongoing basis. It is possible some may be deferred to a future session of the Intensive in order to maintain the ideal class size number/quality of the training offered.
WHO SHOULD APPLY/BE NOMINATED: Any BIPOC performer anywhere in the world who has an enthusiasm for accent work & a serious commitment to a career as a performer, but who would *not be able or find it extremely difficult to access this training without the scholarship. As for age, 14 is the youngest.
WHO IS REVIEWING YOUR APPLICATION: Applications have been reviewed by me and by performer & AEA Council Member, Sasha Hutchings. You may recognize the marvelous Miss Hutchings from the Original Broadway Cast of HAMILTON. She is also an Alumna of the very first Month-Long British Accent Intensive I ever taught! Stay up to date on Sasha’s podcast, advocacy and performing on Insta: @sashahutchings.
IMPORTANT DATES: The deadline to submit an application is Sunday August 27th. You will be notified by Friday, Sept 1st. *N.B. Any late applications will be kept on file for future intensives.
ABOUT THE CLASS ITSELF: Click HERE for details!
To DONATE: This fund is not possible without the generosity of people who appreciate & support the arts, and who appreciate & support the voices of BIPOC Artists themselves. Contributing to the fund is super easy. I will be matching all donations, so only $200 needs to be raised for each scholarship.
Donation Option 1: Donate any amount to the General BIPOC Scholarship Fund. Just Venmo me using @keri-safran and put “General BIPOC FUND” in the notes!
Donation Option 2: Sponsor an applicant’s entire tuition in your name for $200! The applicant will be notified they’ve received the “John/Jane Doe Scholarship.” If you so choose, you’ll be able to learn about whom you sponsored and their experience in the class. Venmo me at @keri-safran and put “BIPOC Full Scholarship” in the notes. Please include your contact info if I don’t already have it!
I will post updates about the fund on social media (Insta: @kerisafran; Keri Safran Coaching on Facebook). Thank you, angels! And feel free to share this info! ***Please note that a donation in conjunction with nominating a specific artist does not mean that particular performer will automatically receive a scholarship.
To APPLY: Fill out the form below!
FINAL NOTE: I am incredibly grateful to work as a coach (and as a performer) in this business, and feel very grateful to anyone considering applying. I hope I have the privilege to work with all of you at some point.
THE APPLICATION Don’t stress about it. Do speak from the heart :).
APPLY for 5-WEEK BRITISH INTENSIVE SCHOLARSHIP (scroll down for MLE!)
THANK YOU!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!