Our PEOPLE & PRACTICE

Founded in 1982 and based in Los Angeles, Outfest champions LGBTQ+ storytelling through film, education, and community. This includes film festivals and year-round screenings, artist development programs, and community events. We believe in the power of story to create meaningful cultural change.

Outfest has a new Board of Directors and Board Leadership for 2025. They are passionate individuals from diverse backgrounds in entertainment, advocacy, business, law, finance and tech. Each member brings unique expertise to help guide our mission. You can view the full list of board members above. The board will be complimented by a soon-to-be-announced Advisory Council and an external Finance and Audit Committee who will be critical in helping to shape Outfest as we respond to the radical changes in the entertainment industry and the mounting social and political issues faced by our community.

A majority of our funding is non-restricted and is allocated across all of our programs. It comes from memberships, donations, ticket sales, corporate sponsorship, and grants from foundations and city, county, and state government. Restricted gifts and sponsorships underwrite the cost of specific programs and initiatives. We prioritize transparency and efficiency in our financial operations. Detailed financial reports are available for public review

Outfest makes use of an outside accountant/book keeper who manages the organizations finances in coordination with the Interim Executive Director in accordance with the board-approved budget. Monthly P&L, AR/AP, PO Logs and accounting by program are reviewed by the organizations Treasurer and Finance Committee. The outside accountant files our 990's which are reviewed by and outside Auditor. Past audits and 990 forms will shortly be accessible on our People & Practice page. We encourage stakeholders to review these documents for insight into our financial health. Transparency is a core value at Outfest.

In 2023, Outfest faced management issues and a series of financial setbacks that meant we had to pause programming while we addressed problems both internal and external. Like many nonprofits and entertainment industry organizations, Outfest was faced with rising costs which in part led to cost overruns. Simultaneously, corporations began to pull back from support of LGBTQ+ organizations and the SAG and WGA strikes impacted our programming and the income of our donors. Together this created a "perfect storm." By the fall of 2023, the Board of Directors stepped in to manage the organization, address these issues, and pause programming.

Shortly before Outfest's financial crisis, the staff of Outfest announced their intent to unionize. Outfest recognized the Union (Queer Filmmakers United) but shortly there after Outfest was forced to lay off all staff due to lack of funds. Outfest has since worked diligently with QFU to repair our relationship and develop a plan for staff to return to work and begin negotiations of the Union contract.

Outfest plans a mini-Outfest Los Angeles in the fall and a Fusion event near the end of 2025. Submissions are not yet open. When submissions are open, current films and those who would have qualified for our festivals in 2024 will all be eligible to submit. Please note that 2025's festivals will be dramatically smaller in size, so we will not have the same number of selections seen in years past. We are taking advantage of this time to rethink what it is that our filmmakers and our community need today and tomorrow. From there we can plan expanded programming in 2026 that is new, fresh, and responsive to our stakeholders needs. 

Artist Development is core to our mission. This year we will launch our inaugural Producers Lab and later in the year, host our renown, longstanding Screenwriting Lab. We will announce the opening of submissions for the Screenwriting Lab when dates are confirmed. We are also working hard to bring back the beloved OutSet: The Young Filmmakers Project for 2026.

We plan to update and engage our community in multiple ways over the course of the year. This will include regular newsletters with progress and impact updates and Town Halls where the community can come together to hear about what we are doing and let us know your thoughts on how we can continue to best serve our community.

You can get involved by volunteering, attending our events, donating or serving on our board or Advisory Committee. Every contribution both financial and personal time helps us further our mission. Make sure to sign up for our mailing list to be among the first to know about screenings and events and how you can get involved!