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THE VII FOUNDATION INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 510427657 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE A20 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Medium ($1M-$10M) · theviifoundation.org
revenue
$1.8M
expenses
$2.4M
net assets
$1.8M
employees
5
program ratio
82%
mission · from form 990

THE VII FOUNDATION'S MISSION IS TO TRANSFORM VISUAL JOURNALISM BY EMPOWERING NEW VOICES AND CREATING STORIES THAT ADVOCATE CHANGE. IN A WORLD WHERE BELIEFS AND ACTIONS ARE INCREASINGLY OUT-OF-SYNC WITH FACTS AND REALITIES, TRANSFORMING VISUAL JOURNALISM IS AN URGENT TASK.

profile · synthesized from sources

The VII Foundation empowers new voices in visual journalism and produces documentary stories that advocate for social change. Through partnerships with NGOs and UN agencies, its contributing photographers create multimedia content on global issues including health, human rights, and education. The foundation also runs mentorship programs to develop emerging visual journalists and maintains an online platform for public education on visual storytelling.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $0
    THE PEACE PROJECT EXPLORES THE CONDITIONS OF PEACE PROCESSES IN LEBANON, NORTHERN IRELAND, BOSNIA, RWANDA, INDOCHINA, AND COLOMBIA. LEADING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND WRITERS OF WAR WILL RETURN TO THOSE COUNTRIES WHERE THEY FIRST REPORTED DURING CONFLICT. OTHERS WHO LIVED THROUGH WAR WILL ADD THEIR VOICES TO THE PROJECT. PROJECT WILL EXAMINE FAILURES AND SUCCESSES OF THE PAST TO BUILD PEACE THAT WILL ENDURE IN THE PAST. THE PEACE PROJECT IS A BOOK, EXHIBITION, EDUCATION, AND ADVOCACY PROJECT.
  2. #2 $0
    VII INSIDER IS A FREE ONLINE PLATFORM THAT TAKES THE GENERAL PUBLIC INSIDE THE PROFESSION OF VISUAL JOURNALISM TO ADVANCE THE PRODUCTION AND ANALYSIS OF NEW STORIES. VII INSIDER OFFERS REGULAR LIVE PRESENTATIONS, A VIDEO COLLECTION OF PREVIOUS EVENTS AND PUBLISHES WRITING ON THE ROLE OF IMAGES IN ITS BLOG, DISPACHES.
named programs · 12 · from sources

What they call their work

Content Authenticity Initiative
Series of case studies with contributing photographers to promote trust in digital media through content verification.
Fatal Neglect
Six-part documentary film project in partnership with Médecins Sans Frontières and UNION HZ, highlighting patients left behind by global health systems.
Incarceration’s Stigma
Documentary film and photography project produced with Think Outside the Cell to raise awareness about the challenges faced by formerly incarcerated individuals.
Millennium Villages Project
Documentation of UN Millennium Development Goals efforts in African villages to combat hunger and promote sustainability.
Starved for Attention
Multimedia campaign with Doctors Without Borders on childhood malnutrition, raising awareness through photography and film.
Strappado
Documentary project by Iraqi photojournalist Ali Arkady embedding with Iraqi special forces battling ISIS.
The Newest Americans
Multimedia collaboration telling stories of immigrant communities at a university in Newark, NJ.
The Peace Project
A book, exhibition, education, and advocacy project examining peace processes in post-conflict countries through the lens of war photographers returning to places they once covered.
UNICEF: EU Child Guarantee
Collaborative production creating videos, photography, and social media content to spotlight the European Union Child Guarantee Policy.
UNICEF: Tech Trailblazers
Project capturing stories of young women in technology across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and South America.
VII Insider
Free online platform offering live presentations, video archives, and written content to educate the public about visual journalism and storytelling.
VII Mentor Program
Program pairing emerging visual journalists with established professionals for skill development and career advancement.
activities · 7 groups

What they do

  • Youth & Emerging Filmmaker Training 2 activities
    • Conducts in-person advanced training in visual journalism
      Hosts a month-long, interdisciplinary, in-person training program for advanced students at its campus in Arles, providing immersive education in visual storytelling and documentary practice.
    • Provides tuition-free visual journalism training programs
      Offers tuition-free Level 1 and Level 2 online courses in visual journalism, each lasting 12 weeks, with at least nine Level 1 and two Level 2 courses delivered annually. Programs cover practical skills including camera operation, ethics, research, video, and freelance business management, taught by foundation educators and contributing photographers.
  • Nonprofit Investigative & Community Journalism 1 activity
    • Operates VII Insider, a free online educational platform
      Maintains VII Insider, a free digital platform offering live presentations, archived event videos, and published writings on visual journalism through its blog Dispatches, expanding public access to knowledge and discourse in the field.
  • Mentorship and Professional Development Programs 1 activity
    • Operates the VII Mentor Program for early-career visual journalists
      Runs an ongoing mentorship initiative since 2008 that supports emerging visual journalists, including through specialized programs such as the Leica Women Foto Project x VII Mentor Program for women photographers (2022–2023). The program provides professional development and pathways into the field for young practitioners from underrepresented communities.
  • Documentary Film Production 1 activity
    • Produces long-term documentary projects and multimedia exhibitions
      Creates large-scale, long-term documentary projects, films, and exhibitions that reveal complex social realities and advocate for change, including collaborations with organizations such as Médecins Sans Frontières, UNION HZ, Think Outside the Cell, UNICEF, and cultural partners globally.
  • Conflict and Geopolitical Research Analysis 1 activity
    • Re-examines past conflicts through contemporary lenses
      Revisits previously published documentary work to re-analyze historical conflicts in light of current events, curating contributions from authors, politicians, academics, and peace negotiators to explore peace as a fragile, ongoing process.
  • Artist Residencies and Studio Programs 1 activity
    • Supports individual photographers in project development
      Provides time, space, and professional support for photographers to edit, sequence, print, and develop visual documentary projects for publication and public presentation. Includes residency support, such as hosting a Ukrainian photographer in Sarajevo for one month.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Documents conflict and post-conflict societies through photojournalism
      Deploys photographers to high-risk environments to document societal breakdown, militarization, and political escalation. Revisits conflict zones to examine peacebuilding processes, producing multidisciplinary work involving war photographers, writers, academics, and peace negotiators.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.84M
Contributions & grants$1.73M94%
Program service revenue$103K6%
Investment income$3K0%
Other revenue$1K
expenses
Total expenses$2.38M
Program expenses82%
Admin / overhead11%
Fundraising6%
Salaries & benefits$390K
Grants paid out$470K
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$2.02M
Cash$1.10M
Investments$0
Liabilities$230K
Net assets$1.79M
Liquid reserves5.6 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +63.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 2
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
GARY KNIGHT DIRECTOR 40 $175K
RON JACQUES DIRECTOR 30 $43K
board members · 8
  • ANDREW REID — CHAIR OF BOA
  • BALKRISHAN GILL — TRUSTEE
  • JUSTIN MCKIE — TRUSTEE
  • MEREDITH DEWITT — TRUSTEE
  • TANVI MISHRA — TRUSTEE
  • TED NELSON — TRUSTEE
  • THAO GRIFFITHS — TRUSTEE
  • WHITNEY BOWER — TRUSTEE
relationships · 19

Who they work with

  • Blue Chip Foundation Partner — Cosponsored a public exhibition of photographic work in Leona, Senegal.
  • Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Partner — Collaborated on multimedia campaigns including "Starved for Attention" and a six-part documentary series on global health neglect.
  • Leica Women Foto Project Partner — Co-hosted a joint mentorship program for women photographers from 2022 to 2023.
  • Mechanica Partner — Collaborated on the design and modernization of the VII Foundation logo.
  • Ron Haviv Partner — Director of The VII Foundation and contributing photojournalist documenting militarization and societal breakdown.
  • The Global Fund Partner — Holds a long-term agreement for collaborative initiatives, though specific activities are not detailed.
  • Think Outside the Cell Partner — Collaborated on a documentary project to raise awareness about the reintegration challenges of formerly incarcerated individuals.
  • UNICEF Partner — Long-term collaboration involving visual documentation projects focused on child survival, neonatal health, and youth technology access.
  • UNION HZ Partner — Partnered with MSF and The VII Foundation on a documentary film project addressing gaps in global health care.
  • United Photo Industries Partner — Cosponsored a public exhibition of photographic work in Leona, Senegal.
  • VII Insider Partner — Free online platform operated by The VII Foundation to provide public access to visual journalism content and discourse.
  • academics Partner — Collaborates with academics to examine peace through scholarly analysis.
  • contributing photographer Partner — Frequently serves as educator in the Level 1 online seminar
  • contributing photographer to The VII Foundation Partner — Educators in the Level 1 program are frequently contributing photographers to The VII Foundation, indicating a partnership with practicing professionals.
  • journalists Network — Provides documentary resources to support journalism
  • leading authors Partner — Collaborates with prominent authors to contribute works examining the nature of peace.
  • peace negotiators Partner — Works with peace negotiators to incorporate practical insights on peacebuilding into the exhibition.
  • policymakers Network — Provides documentary resources to support policymaking
  • politicians Partner — Engages politicians in contributing perspectives on peace as a contested and achievable process.
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Hybrid, Multilingual Access Model to Democratize Visual Journalism Education
    methodology: hybrid-campus_model
    By delivering training through a hybrid campus model with multilingual, location-adapted course offerings, the foundation expands participation among emerging visual journalists globally, because removing linguistic and geographic barriers increases inclusivity and broadens narrative representation.
  • Mentorship-Driven Capacity Building for Underrepresented Visual Journalists
    methodology: mentorship-based_capacity_building
    By providing tuition-free education, immersive training, and sustained mentorship—especially to individuals from underrepresented communities—the foundation increases diversity in global visual journalism, because equitable access and guided development produce more authentic, inclusive narratives.
  • Participatory Documentation of Peace Through Historical and Contemporary Lenses
    methodology: conflict-zone_documentation_through_historical_analogy
    By co-creating narratives about peace processes using returning war photographers and civilian witnesses—combined with historical analogy—the foundation grounds peacebuilding in lived experience, because integrating past and present documentation fosters deeper public understanding and informs future action.
  • Photography as a Framework for Understanding Conflict and Peace
    methodology: photography-based_storytelling
    By using photographic principles (e.g., aperture, focal point) and long-term documentary storytelling, the foundation shapes how audiences perceive complex social and political realities, because visual framing can reveal hidden narratives and make abstract conflicts tangible to decision-makers and the public.