Our Impact

Our work builds on the longstanding environmental legacy of our co-founders, Robert Redford and his late son James, and uses the power of storytelling through film to prompt action and connect people with solutions.

“The Redford Center has done a great job paving a singular path in the documentary funding community, and the world will reap the benefits of their impact and prowess well beyond any single grant or film.”

– Gita Saedi Kiely
Director, FilmAid

Impact Reports

2024 Watershed Impact Case Study
Thanks to a special collaboration with the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at the American University School of Communication, we’re thrilled to share the story of this film’s impact efforts with the release of the new case study, Watershed: A Documentary that Changed the Course of the Colorado River.
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2022 Year in Review
When we consider 2022’s environmental imprint, let’s hold it as a turning point. The Redford Center also had a potent 2022. We delivered more than $3 million to filmmakers across the globe, supported a new cohort of 12 remarkable grantees, engaged 11 more fiscally sponsored film projects, and released our nationally-recognized short films series.
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2022 Grants Impact Report
Since 2016, we’ve supported environmental filmmakers and frontline stories that drive solutions for people and the planet through our Redford Center Grants program. Read more and view case studies of supported films in our Six-Year Impact Report.
View the Report (PDF)

2021 Year in Review
2021 will go down as an unforgettable year for The Redford Center. It was a time of reflection and growth with an increased focus on our care for our community, programs, and collaborations at an unprecedented moment in time.
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2020-21 Youth Stories Pilot Impact Report
Our two-year pilot brought educators and students into dialogue with youth activists, filmmakers, and environmental and social justice leaders, nurturing the next generation of environmental advocates and storytellers.
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2020 Year in Review
The Redford Center began 2020 with the strong realization that it was time to evolve our vision and increase our impact by activating and expanding our community of artists and advocates to engage in the urgent movement for environmental justice and regeneration.
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2019 Grants Impact Report
A look at the first two cohorts of our documentary grants program and the 14 field-defining projects we supported.
View the Report (PDF)

2018 Raise the River Accomplishments Report
The Redford Center supported the formation of Raise the River as a result of our 2012 film WATERSHED. Raise the River is a unique partnership of six U.S. and Mexican non-governmental organizations committed to restoring the Colorado River Delta. Read more about their impact.
View the Report (PDF)

Impact Spotlight: Raise the River

The Redford Center’s 2012 award-winning film WATERSHED helped inspire the formation of the Raise the River coalition — a unique partnership of US and Mexican non-governmental organizations working to restore the Colorado River Delta. The film premiered on Netflix and PIVOT TV, screened in a dozen countries, and has been featured in over 50 film festivals.

Since the successful debut of the film, the coalition has been able to make significant impact, restoring over 1,000 acres, planting over 245,000 trees, and raising over $10 million for conservation.

Learn More