DONATIONS & SPONSORSHIP

CONTRIBUTIONS BY INDIVIDUALS

If you would like to support RIOT and help bring it to the PBS audience, there’s a very easy way to help out. We have a non-profit fiscal sponsor, The Film Collaborative, which allows you to make a TAX-DEDUCTIBLE donation in ANY amount. See the list of great perks below the for the various donor levels. But if you want to just contribute $10 or $20, that’s great too. Just go to The Film Collaborative website and click on “Donate to Riot,” where you’ll see a wide range of options for donating by check, credit card, Zelle, Paypal and more. Be sure to find out if you’re eligible for an employer-matched donation. You will get a receipt from The Film Collaborative that you can use with your tax return to deduct this expense, just as if you were giving to a church or charity.

We’re currently running a crowdfunding campaign to help offset the costs associated with this release. This will be a short campaign, so don’t delay. It all has to be wrapped up by mid-November. This will be a short campaign, so don’t delay. It all has to be wrapped up by mid-November. To be clear, the true cost of distributing the film is FAR more than we’re asking here, but reaching this goal will help ease the pain. And if we beat this goal, all the better!

Note that donations through The Film Collaborative don’t appear here automatically. They have to be added to this page manually. So it could take a few days before you see your contribution listed. And if you want to remain anonymous, just note that in the message you are asked to write when you donate.

CLICK TO DONATE

PERKS:

NOTE: Every donor level also includes all of the perks of every level below it.

$15 - Every donor who gives at least $15 will get a shoutout on all of our social media - here on the web page, Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky.

$50 - Access to outtakes from the film. Since we spent FIVE YEARS shooting this film, there is a treasure trove of material that did not make the Final Cut neither the PBS version nor the Director’s Cut. There are tons of great soundbites and deep thoughts from a variety of interview subjects - many of whom are no longer with us. We will be releasing an online portal to a new set of outtakes every week through the course of this campaign.

$$75 - On-screen Thank You - your name appears on screen in a list of donors to the program.

$100 - Digital Download or DVD of the “Director’s Cut” of the film.** That includes an additional 25 minutes of great material. It’s only deleted from the PBS version because public TV shows like this are limited to one hour.

$250 - A 16” X 20” glossy poster, suitable for framing.** Won’t that look great in your home theater?

$500 - Something special we can’t tell you about yet!!

$2500 - All of the above, PLUS, your name goes in the Underwiter Banner section, where your name appears on the screen and is read aloud by an announcer, before and after every showing. This benefit is available to individuals, corporations, non-profits, or families.

**Posters, Digital Downloads, and DVD’s will be delivered in January 2026.

PLUS: Our Top Ten Donors will appear in a special section in the credits titled “Our Top Crowdfunders.” This will be in addition to the 4 people on this list from previous campaigns. Minimum $150. “What if I’m number 11 or 12? Can I donate again to get into the top 10?” YES! And remember, you can keep the amount of your donation private if you so choose.

THE TALLY AND LIST OF DONORS WILL APPEAR HERE

 CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP/UNDERWRITING

Yes, it’s true that RIOT will soon be seen on public television stations throughout the US, with distribution by the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA.) The show will also be available on the PBS streaming app. But we need some help getting there. It’s a little-known secret that public TV stations pay absolutely nothing to producers of programming like this. In return for providing the content, the producer is allowed to sell “underwriter banners,” the announcements you see at the beginning and end of programs that say “this program was made possible by…” They call it “underwriting” because advertising isn’t allowed on public television, but it works pretty much the same way TV advertising does.

It’s an effective way for corporations or other organizations to get their names in front of potentially millions of viewers across the US. Your 15-second message can be repeatedly brought to the upscale, desirable PBS audience – a group with more than 95% of its members having an annual household income over $150k. And you’re reaching them through PBS – the #1 most-trusted organization in the US. You’re helping bring quality, interesting and informative programming to America, and you’re getting the type of positive community recognition that is hard to find at any price. The program will be repeated for at least 3 years, so you have multiple opportunities to connect with your audience.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?

We need that funding to pay for the licenses that allow us to include all of the news footage, photos and music included in the program, in addition to paying people who worked on the film and have patiently waited years to be paid. The ABC television network owns most of that footage, and they will not allow any broadcast before all fees are paid.

HOW DO I BECOME AN UNDERWRITER/SPONSOR?

 There are just 3 slots where we can place your two 15-second announcements, (beginning and end of the show) and they will be sold first-come, first serve. If you’re interested in being a presenting sponsor of Riot, send an email here, and Producer Kevin McLaughlin will be in touch very soon.