NonprofitsTrilith Institute Inc

Arts, Culture & Humanities

Trilith Institute Inc

ATLANTA, GA

Total revenue

$4.4M

Total expenses

$4.0M

Net assets

$3.8M

Grants received

$8.7M

3 grants

EIN

920820697

Tax year

2024

Mission

The trilith institute is dedicated to the discovery, development, and professional advancement of great storytellers who inspire the world. By providing a wide range of opportunities for all ages and career statuses, trilith institute seeks to cultivate an environment for writers, directors, producers, performers, and arts educators to become a driving force of cultural impact in georgia.

Programs

3 programs

The professional education area saw a period of rapid growth and expansion thanks to previous work done in strategic analysis, design, development, and implementation of long-form, creative, industry-focused professional education courses. The department partnered with industry professionals, including those at the alliance theater, dad's garage, and misfit adventures to develop a specialized curriculum for adult learners. Skills-based courses were offered in foundations of filmmaking, introduction to screenwriting, television writing, introduction to visual effects and computer animation, the business of independent filmmaking, acting for camera, cinematic storyboarding, and narrative directing for the screen. Courses were offered in a variety of formats, including online, and lasted from 6 to 15 weeks. Additionally, students present their work each semester at the student showcase, where they network with industry professionals, pitch projects, and gain real-world experience in applying what they learned.

Expenses: $799K

The emerging creative residency program advanced from concept to tangible impact, delivering both completed works and meaningful workforce development opportunities. The year saw the successful completion of principal photography for a mess of memories, the program's first feature-length production, and the development of a polished pitch package for animation project junior detectives. Both projects served as evidence of the program's mission to generate original intellectual property from georgia-based creatives, further anchoring talent within the trilith community. A central achievement of the year was the creation of paid student crew positions, designed to pair emerging professionals with seasoned industry experts in a truly hands-on learning environment. These opportunities not only strengthened georgia's creative workforce pipeline but also ensured that students gained real-world production experience within a professional studio framework.

Expenses: $782K

Workshops - workshops were developed to support and cultivate creative talent at all ages. K-12 learners had access to workshops covering topics from writing in a weekend writers' workshop to performance in a musical theatre workshop taught by professional actors, to gear demonstrations, camera and grip, and electric equipment demonstrations from leaders in the film industry. Other k-12 workshops included: silent film, traditional storyboarding, babies off book and family storytelling. Adult learners and aspiring filmmakers participated in workshops to sharpen their distribution skills in the prepping for film festival workshop. We hosted a variety of other workshops including a pa series in which attendees learned how to survive the first days as an office, set, or post pa. Other workshops included: sound design, perfect the pitch with wifta, comedy writing, acting for camera, improv, voice acting, and our two part directing workshops.utopian - the organization provided a grant to utopian academy for the arts trilith, which provides an academically rich educational environment with creative digital arts pathways. This grant allowed the utopian academy of the arts to lease facilities near trilith, allowing students toexperience studio tours, expert guest speakers, and film equipment demonstrations from trilith institute industry partners.wrg - after hiring a part-time consultant to serve as program manager for the writers room of georgia (wrg), our members gained new opportunities to showcase their writing and connect in person at a holiday mixer. With the program manager's support, we updated our business plan to better serve wrg members and continued building partnerships within the television and film industry. We also expanded our online presence through enhanced website and social media efforts and launched a discord server to foster virtual collaboration. These initiatives have helped us grow to approximately 316 memberslocal georgia writers whose creativity and talent continue to thrive within our community.student experience & education collaborative - the organization established an integrated education and workforce collaborative at trilith designed to enrich the student experience and strengthen connections across all levels of learning, from k12 through mfa programs. This dedicated team lead strategic analysis, design, development, and implementation of initiatives to facilitate educational programming. This work included working with local schools and universities, forming partnerships, and budgeting for long-term execution.through the collaborative, the organization offers educational entities access to resources, facilities, programming, guest speakers, and tours that connect learning directly to the film and television industry. For example, mfa students received exclusive opportunities to network with working television directors, heads of production, and other industry leaders, gaining mentorship and professional insight while completing their thesis projects. Meanwhile, more than 2,000 students and educators participated in field trips at trilith, where subject-matter experts lead talks and demonstrations providing hands-on exposure to potential career paths in entertainment. Together, these initiatives foster a supportive and purpose-driven environment that prepares students at every level for success in creative industries.

Expenses: $1.2MGrants: $475K

Financials

FY 2024

Revenue

Contributions & grants$4.3M
Program service revenue$113K
Investment income$37K
Other revenue$1K
Total revenue$4.4M

Expenses

Grants paid$475K
Salaries & benefits$1.7M
Fundraising
Other expenses$1.8M
Total expenses$4.0M
Total assets$3.8M
Net assets$3.8M

People

10 listed

NameRoleCompensation

JEFFREY STEPAKOFF

CHAIRMAN & PRESIDENT

Board

$307K

30 hrs/wk

JOSH LEE

VICE CHAIR, VP & TREASURER

Board

$187K

30 hrs/wk

LAUREN SPAULDING

SECRETARY

Board

$6K

1 hrs/wk

AMI MCBAY

SECRETARY

Board

1 hrs/wk

ROSS CATHY

DIRECTOR

Board

1 hrs/wk

DAN CATHY

DIRECTOR

Board

1 hrs/wk

AMANDA MCCOWAN

SR. DIR. OF OPERATIONS

Staff

$164K

40 hrs/wk

MITCHELL KUPSTAS

DIR. OF STRATEGY

Staff

$142K

40 hrs/wk

DANIEL SEITH

DIR. OF OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT

Staff

$136K

40 hrs/wk

AMANDA RAY

DIR. OF ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING K-12

Staff

$105K

40 hrs/wk

Independent contractors

CANNON DESIGN

DESIGN SERVICES

$420K

ALLIANCE THEATRE

CONSULTING ON PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

$241K

ALSTON & BIRD LLP

LEGAL SERVICES

$158K

COXE CURRY & ASSOCIATES

CONSULTING ON PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

$110K

Grants received

Showing 3 of 3

FromAmountPurposeYear
$4.3M
ARTS AND HUMANITIES
2024

Funded by

$8.7M from 2 funders · 3 grants · 2023–2024

Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc

$7.2M · 2 grants · 2023–2024

Trilith Foundation Inc

$1.5M · 1 grant · 2023

Details

EIN920820697
NTEE codeA20
Subsection03
Ruling date2023-02
Formed2022
Employees15
Volunteers0
TRILITH INSTITUTE INC — Mission, Financials & Grants Received | Grantivo