I wanted to talk about 4 fundraising projects that I think are worth your attention and hopefully your support. They are very different from each other, but they are strong projects by people who are professionals with the background of work to match. Some are close to their goal, some are far but if you can spread the word and help  they have a chance of success.

Lorraine Hansberry is best known for writing A Raisin In The Sun, but few know her story of fighting for social justice. This is an important project to help fill in the blanks of our creative and activist history. The filmmakers are hoping to have this full-length documentary finished by next year, the 50th anniversary of her death. There are only 2 weeks left to fund this doc, so please check it out and hear what Ruby Dee, Harry Belafonte and others have to say about Hansberry and this film.

FAIR WITNESS is a collection of 70 classical street photographs taken between 2004 and 2011 by David Lykes Keenan in various locations throughout the United States and central Europe. The majority of the photographs, however, were taken in just a three-year period beginning in 2008. Damiani has agreed to publish it, if this campaign succeeds.

As Keenan himself says:

“The idea for the book came to me in the form of a serious challenge from Eli Reed. Eli, a 30 year member of Magnum Photos and a professor of photojournalism at the University of Texas, happened to live in Austin while I also lived there. Unbeknownst to me, he had been following my PAW (Picture A Week) galleries on my web site for some time.

Once I accepted his challenge, Eli mentored me, assisted me in early edits, introduced me to the first publisher I spoke with, and has generally encouraged me. I am happy to say that he and I are now good friends.

Eli and I will be teaming up for a street photography workshop as one of the rewards for this campaign.”

Check this out on Kickstarter and help make it a success.

The PhotoBook Museum is a project of Schaden.com Foundation. The idea is to  build the first worldwide PhotoBookMuseum in Cologne, Germany in 4 steps:

1. Premiere CologneSummer 14.
2. Online Museum.
3. Mobile Museum
4. Permanent

If you love photobooks, if you want to publish a photobook, or if you just love photography, then check the project out and help make it a reality.

I’ve known photographer Peter DaSilva for many years, and I’m fascinated by this, the Immortals Project where Peter has partnered with Beacon Reader, a crowdfunded journalism site to tell stories and create a permanent body of wet-plate photography showing the people of America today.

Peter has worked for over 20 years as a photojournalist with The New York Times and other journals, and with this project he aims to “better preserve our visual history.”

“Before digital, photography created an artifact. There was something physical — a print, a strip of film, a metal plate. Now most images exist only as files on a computer. They’re easier than ever to share, but harder than ever to preserve and save.

I’m traveling the country immortalizing modern Americans through wet-plate photography. And everywhere I go, I’ll start conversations about preserving our visual history. Back me, and I’ll share images and stories from my journey with you.“

Help fund this project and become a subscriber and partner to Peter’s journey across the country.