Aftermath Project “War is only half the story.” This organization’s important mission is to help reveal the other half of the story: the aftermath. Stories of devastation and loss, but also of reconstruction and regeneration. Founded by a photojournalist, Sara Terry, who investigated the consequences of the Bosnian war, The Aftermath Project’s main goal is to fund photographers who are covering the aftereffects of conflict through an annual grant competition. The money for the grants for the 2006 program was raised through the auction of photographs generously donated by some of the most recognized photojournalists, fine art photographers, and reportage photographers. The site offers an impressive gallery of the auction photos, as well as guidelines for applying for the grants.
 

Blue Earth Alliance Based on the idea that “Photographers are the eyes and conscience of society,” Blue Earth Alliance uses the knowledge and experience of its network of members to foster significant documentary projects on cultures, the environment, and social issues. The Alliance accepts project proposals from photographers twice a year. Those chosen are guided by selected Alliance board members through the process of organizing, fundraising, shooting, and publishing or exhibiting the project. This mentoring approach transmits invaluable experience to emerging documentary photographers, allowing them to bring their stories to light. 

Camera Club of New York Founded in 1884, the Camera Club of New York has a very long history of supporting the art photography. This fine old institution offers its members photo and darkroom classes, 24-hour access to darkrooms, an ongoing lecture series, both physical and online gallery space, and the support of a like-minded community. The Club also offers an attractive darkroom residency for emerging artists, and also hosts an annual photo contest that is typically juried by a single, well-established photographer whose comments about the entries are published on the site.  

Center for Creative Photography - Ansel Adams Research Fellowship In order to open its important photography collection to the world and continue to be a place where “new knowledge about photography is created and shared,” the Center for Creative Photography launched a fellowship for photo researchers. Named to honor photographer and CCP founder, Ansel Adams, the Fellowship supports the research projects of scholars investigating photography. This paid position allows full access to the Center’s rich archives as well as a supportive environment in which to work.  

Editorial Photographers (EP) Founded by editorial photographers for editorial photographers, EP speaks frankly and directly to many issues facing professionals today. In a field that has seen a lot of change in recent years, EP’s stated mission is to advocate for photographers’ rights and to be a voice for change in the industry. Relying on education and communication to increase awareness of the issues, the site provides ample information on everything from wise business practices to the politics of editorial photography. EP’s site also includes many member services, ranging from the “Find a Photographer” database to Outreach EP, Editorial Photographers’ excellent education and resource page, which deals with some of the most important questions challenging today’s photographers. 

Editorial Photographers United Kingdom and Ireland Inspired by the original Editorial Photographers site, EPUK has adopted the same plain-speaking tone to address the concerns of their membership of British and Irish photojournalists. Like EP, the site is simple and the information is directly relevant to the photographers trying to make a living in this rapidly changing field. There is a members-only mailing list and free resources for editorial photographers. Subjects include copyright, tax, invoicing, and creative issues. 

Fotovision This organization’s mission seems to be to keep the spirit and impact of photojournalism alive in the generations to come. Through their workshops and master classes given by recognized talents in the photojournalism world, as well as the professional experience of printers, publishers and arts administrators, the Bay Area-based non-profit aides photographers to “create and edit a body of work, and learn to fund and distribute it.” Their schedule also includes lectures, day-long “studios,” and open portfolio reviews. Appropriately, Fotovision funds this work, in part, through the sale of fine print series and signed volumes by acclaimed photojournalists. 

Light Work, Syracuse NY Light Work supports photo and digital imaging artists by mounting exhibitions in Syracuse University’s Robert B. Menschel Media Center. Donations from the diverse talents of their Artists-in-Residence program continues to build its permanent collection. The Syracuse-based organization also offers lectures and classes, and publishes Contact Sheet, a graceful monograph series. 

Newspace Center for Photography Newspace Center for Photography calls itself a “multidimensional photography resource center and community hub for students, working artists, professional photographers, educators, and photo-enthusiasts of all types.” Hub is the right word for an organization that in just a few years has managed to grow from a modest rental darkroom and photo studio to a vital educational institution, offering over 25 photo classes a session in all levels, with a wide ranging curriculum from the basics to experimental processes. In its few years of existence, the Center’s gallery has exhibited the work of hundreds of regional and international artists. Newspace also supports a number of other photo-based community projects in its Portland, OR, home. 

Photographic Center Northwest Based in Seattle, the Photographic Center focuses on education and promotion of fine art photography through a wide variety of activities. Education seems to be at the top of their list; the Center’s school offers an accredited fine art photography certificate program, intensive 10-week courses, workshops, member and youth programs and lectures. The Center also has a public side; its non-profit gallery shows emerging and mid-career artists, organizes juried public exhibitions, runs an artist-in-residence program and offers darkroom rentals. Its site also includes a list of reviewed links, useful for Northwestern photographers.  

Photographic Resource Center, Boston University – Portfolio Review Photographic Resource Center, Boston’s vigorous and independent photo non-profit, fulfills part of its wide-ranging mandate by offering in-house portfolio reviews. PRC members have monthly opportunities to have their work reviewed by the Center’s curator, while guest reviewers consider portfolios by members and non-members. The PRC’s many other activities are designed to engage a broad public with the art and ideas of photography; judging by its ambitious website, it certainly delivers. Located on the campus of Boston University, the PRC offers its members and the wider public up to eight annual gallery exhibitions, an ongoing series of web exhibitions, an education program which includes lectures and workshops, research resources based in the PRC’s Aaron Siskind Library and other unique events. If that were not enough, the PRC also hosts a web-based photo discussion forum, publishes In the Loupe, its stylish newsletter, and offers the annual Leopold Godowsky Jr. Color Photography Awards. Vigorous indeed!  

Photovoice Pictures prove more effective than political speeches according to this socially engaged non-profit. Photovoice is not only the name of the organization, it’s also a step-by-step program for giving communities a voice through photography. Photovoice gives cameras to communities that would not otherwise have the means to document their lives, trains people to identify issues and to illustrate them and, finally, uses the community photographs to open a dialogue with policymakers who can affect change. The Projects page gives a list of current PV proposals, while the Gallery page shows completed projects with captions written by the photographers.  

SF Camerawork This is the online resource center for SF Camerawork, the San Francisco based community-minded organization that fosters the work of emerging and mid-career photographers. Exhibitions in their online and physical gallery spaces, a lecture series, workshops and the journal Camerawork: A Journal of Photographic Arts are there to engage the wider world on photography’s aesthetic and social concerns. The organization’s mentoring program invites photographers to act locally and teach the craft to youth at risk. 

The Lightroom Located in the Art Museum area, Philadelphia’s non-profit photo co-op The Lightroom gives its members a fully equipped darkroom, including equipment for alternate processes, a digital imaging lab, as well as opportunities for group shows in various venues around town. The Lightroom also reaches out to students of the Philadelphia School district with a program designed to open creative horizons through traditional and digital photography.  

The Society for Photographic Education The Society for Photographic Education champions the scholarly side of the photography. The non-profit organization is made up of regional member groups that have created “a forum for the discussion of photography and related media as a means of creative expression and cultural insight.” The practice, teaching, scholarship and criticism of photography are the topics discussed at conferences organized by regional members, which culminate in the Society’s main event, the annual national SPE conference. Papers from the conference, as well as debates, reviews and news are published in the twice-annual journal of the SPE, Exposure. The Society’s web site is full of useful information, including national listings for photo exhibitions, lectures, events and job offers.  

Women in Photography International For over two decades this group has been advocating for women’s photography and working for its increased visibility in the world. Its busy website is packed full of resources and useful information, a reflection of the organization’s commitment to supporting women photographers through the entire process of creation. Its site is home to f2, an e-Zine that assembles news, new photo projects, business tips and book reviews related to women photographers (and women in general). Other useful items include links to member’s sites, “Hire a WiPi Pro,” (a member database, searchable by photographic specialty), a member’s forum and an ongoing series of juried on-line exhibitions. There is even a reference section of bibliographies devoted to women photographers and their art.