Capture candid, 'day-in-the-life' docu-style photography and a portrait-style headshot for one of the four Block Advisors "Fund Her Future" runners-up. You'll work within the style and tone set by our campaign director, and hand off raw photo assets for them to edit into finished stills for use on digital.

Building a business is no easy task. No matter how great a company strives to be in its early gestation, there are always Sisyphean obstacles, both logistically and financially, that a small company must constantly contend with as they grow. Block Advisors by H&R Block exists to help small business owners handle these hurdles and grow their businesses with year-round services for tax prep, bookkeeping, payroll, business formation, and reporting compliance – all crucial components to survival, especially for micro and small businesses. Resources like these can be just as important as seed funding for small businesses to survive, and that's even truer for female-presenting small business owners, who are one of the fastest-growing segments but often lack access to this support at the same level as their male peers. This is where Fund Her Future, in its inaugural year in 2024, comes into play. Through this new grant program, Block Advisors provides $100,000 in grant funding and a year of small business services, to a few deserving female-presenting US-based small business owners through the Fund Her Future initiative.

H&R Block wants to help celebrate 2024's runners-up with a portrait-style headshot and 10 docu-style stills to help support and promote their businesses, show the impact of Block Advisors' year-round small business services on their success, and elevate the visibility of the Fund Her Future program. There's more info in the Background on each runner up, including, importantly, where they're located; since the four runners-up are somewhat spread out, we're looking for up to four talented photographers to each work with one of these business owners. If greenlit, you'll document how they go about the daily tasks of running and growing their businesses and capture the joys and challenges that come with small business ownership, and the support Block Advisors provides for long-term success. These photoshoots should be lower-touch and nimble, and should highlight each runner up's journey as a small business owner.

Through another project we are sourcing a campaign director who is capturing video and still images of the Grand Prize Winner, and who will set the overall creative tone and style for the runners-up photos as well. If greenlit, you'll work closely with our campaign director throughout pre-production and hand off all of your RAW stills after production for the campaign director to retouch.

While the Fund Her Future runners-up are spread out across Texas (2), Mississippi (1), and, currently, Puerto Rico (1), you do NOT need to be based locally to any of them, but there is no additional travel budget available, so any crew travel or lodging will need to be covered under your production budget. If you think you're able to handle multiple shoots you're welcome to submit additional pitches, using the drop-down menu on the submission form to align each pitch to the respective runner-up and location. 

For any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.

DELIVERABLES: Digital or physical delivery of all RAW stills, shot in 16x9. All RAW files must be delivered to the campaign director by Monday, September 2nd.

EXPECTED TIMELINE: HERE

EXPOSURE & RIGHTS: This project requires a full rights buyout for the (1) final headshot + 10 final stills per Runner Up (11 images total). That means all rights, globally, in perpetuity, and in all media. This is not negotiable. In terms of usage, we expect content will be used on the platforms below:

• H&R Block sites, including Block Advisors and Fund Her Future; owned social, including YouTube, Instagram, Linkedin, etc.
• The runners-up personal use.

TARGET AUDIENCE: Small business owners, especially females

TONE/FEEL:  Warm, inspiring, relatable 

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

• Please do NOT contact any of the runners up during the Pitch Phase. Any filmmakers infringing on this will be removed from consideration.
• You should feature the business owner's branding, but avoid any third-party logos or mentions of H&R Block competitors

By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that the Sponsor is under no obligation to greenlight a submission. Though most projects do move forward, we'll notify you in the event the Sponsor decides not to fund any submissions via the Project Forum. Regardless of the result, all submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the Sponsor and project team.

THE RUNNERS UP:

• No Limbits | Puerto Rico (during production) - Erica founded No Limbits after facing the reality of finding fashionable clothing as someone with a limb difference. The company creates stylish but functional options for those with different mobility, sensory, and functional needs. She currently uses multiple providers for No Limbit’s tax, payroll, and bookkeeping. She believes that consolidating these administrative services under one provider will improve communication and better use her time as owner. Erica wants to look into changing her company to a B Corp in the future. She also struggles to manage the complexity of managing payroll for remote employees who reside in several states. She plans on using the grant to help the company scale up production and marketing as they embark on an exciting new partnership with Walmart for the first time.
• Hijita | Austin, TX - Ashley leverages her passion for chocolate to share her Mexican heritage with customers through Hijita Chocolateria. Up to now, she has done everything herself but now her small-batch chocolate company is at a growth crossroads with demand exceeding current capacity. It is time to hire new employees and increase production. However, with that comes new complexities in payroll and bookkeeping that she doesn’t feel equipped to navigate alone. On top of that, she’s heard that changing her business to an S Corp may provide her substantial upside at tax time. She understands that to take advantage of incoming opportunities, she needs to offload some of the back-end business administrative tasks with a company she can trust. Ashley wants to use grant funds to purchase new equipment that will allow her to grow her production for wholesale, markets, and boutique shops.
• Pluie | Keller, TX - Addie created Pluie after experiencing firsthand the challenges of changing diapers in unhygienic public bathrooms. Her patent-protected self-sanitizing changing station is getting exciting interest for use in spaces such as airports, stadiums, and grocery stores, and the company is finally nearing the break-even point. However, Addie is still balancing the financial aspects of her company via QuickBooks and some help from a fractional CFO. She knows she needs to move her business management to one trusted partner rather than having it split between several vendors. Addie wants to use the grant money to invest in further R&D to help reduce product costs and support expansion into additional consumer products.
• Strands of Faith | Pearl, MS - Ameka is a former healthcare industry professional who started her company to address Texturism. She founded Strands of Faith after noticing many healthcare patients lacked access to haircare products that fit their textured hair needs and helped them feel confident during their stay. Now, she has landed a large contract with a hospital system and wants to ensure she can grow production to supply this wholesale order in addition to her existing demand. Ameka’s outsourced a few of her business tasks and has some fractional help, but she wishes it was all in one place to take more burden off her as owner. She feels like she’s been working in her business so much that she can’t work ON her business. Ameka wants to use the grant to invest in equipment to expand her in-house manufacturing to save time while growing capacity to ensure they can fully meet the demand of this and future contracts.
  
  

ABOUT FUND HER FUTURE: One annual grand prize winner receives a $50,000 grant, and four runners-up receive $12,500 each; all five also receive expert assistance with everything from their small business taxes, an analysis of their business structure, and bookkeeping and payroll guidance through Block Advisors. 

In order to be considered, include the below materials in your submission. For examples of effective pitches, check out this gallery. All Pitches remain private, even after a Pitch is selected, and Tongal strives to have Pitch selections made by the end of the Evaluation period, but additional time may be required by the Sponsor, depending on any number of factors.

• TEXT (REQUIRED): Up to 500 characters synopsizing how you plan to approach and produce the content listed in the Deliverables.
  
  
• RUNNER UP (REQUIRED): Using the dropdown, please select which Runner Up you are pitching on. If you are interested in pitching for multiple Runners Up, please submit an individual pitch for each one.
  
  
• TREATMENT (REQUIRED): A more detailed and specific description of how you propose to execute all of the content listed out in the Deliverables. Explain what we can expect to see, and how you'll make it. If it's helpful, we've provided a treatment template HERE.
  
  
• LINKS (REQUIRED): To your previous photography work. Please specify your role (producer, director, editor, artist, etc.) but do not include links to your showreel. Please link to individual videos.
  
  
• PITCH VIDEO (Optional): This is your opportunity to be face-to-face with the Sponsor and show what you're capable of. Consider a video in which you tell the Sponsor what they can expect, or consider test videos, proof-of-concept edits, animatics, etc. For examples of effective Pitch videos, check out this gallery.

The most compelling pitch will be greenlit by the Sponsor, and the responsible creator will then receive an email from Tongal producers detailing next steps. All submitters will also receive an automated email notification that a selection has been announced. To ensure you’re receiving project updates, review your email settings to check that you haven’t unsubscribed.

Creators who’ve been selected will receive funding upon completing the Winner Affidavit and the IP Assignment. Payment of the pitch funds is subject to a payment schedule determined by Tongal, typically included with the project timeline.

PRE-PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS: Prior to the commencement of actual production, creators MUST receive final approval from the Sponsor on the elements below. There may be multiple rounds of feedback until an element is approved.

If you begin production before you have received final approval, you may need to reshoot or reanimate at your own expense. 

• STORYBOARD: Include individual images for each key beat in your video. It is best practice to include scripted dialogue or VO, along with on-screen text or disclaimers, under each panel in our Storyboards. If there are multiple unique videos, ensure you submit a Storyboard for each video.

For convenience, we've provided some helpful templates that you can consider using for pre-production materials, and they can all be accessed here.

BUILDING YOUR TEAM: Looking for help? Post crew and production opportunities connected to Tongal projects on Backlot. Backlot includes search tools to help you find collaborators and crew by role, skill set, location, and more, for productions of any size and type. Tongal also supports inclusivity in all productions, and strongly encourages you to hire diverse talent for your team. To find additional options for staff & crew in your area, check out these resources and partners.

ASSET DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS & RESOURCES: You must provide all RAW stills to the Campaign Director in order to receive final payment. You may deliver your stills digitally or via physical hard drive, however, you are responsible for the costs associated the hard drive and shipping.

To ensure a smoother delivery, please review the Export Presets, Specifications, and Project File Organization Tutorial in our Filmmaker Resource Portal.

1. In addition to the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment, greenlit Photography creators MUST also provide Talent, Location, Music (or other) Releases for all assets appearing in their Photos, as well as a photograph/headshot OR copy of a photo ID for all On-camera Talent releases. You must also provide all project files, editing sequences and a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec to claim your earnings. Tongal also reserves the right to request all raw files associated with the project.
   
   
2. Unless provided otherwise, all work must be your own original creation and free of any copyrighted material. You shall provide detailed information of your work regarding the source, the creator and background information as requested by Tongal.
   
   
3. In the event you utilize any third-party materials, such as music provided by a third-party music provider not provided by Tongal, you must obtain full written license and consent from the owner of such third-party materials and provide such license and consent forms to Tongal.
   
   
4. The Sponsor will be entitled to reasonable revisions on the finished Videos without providing additional compensation. Remember it's easier to re-edit than re-shoot so try to get as much coverage as possible.
   
   
5. Preferred format for upload to the Tongal website is HD 720p and formatted for the aspect ratios listed in the Deliverables (e.g. 16x9). Acceptable file formats are .mov, .avi, .mp4, .wmv. Acceptable codecs are H.264 (MP4), MPEG-4, H.263, MPGV, WMV, DivX. Should your submission be greenlit, you will also be required to provide a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec.
   
   
6. BY SUBMITTING A VIDEO ENTRY, YOUR SUBMISSION IMMEDIATELY BECOMES THE SOLE PROPERTY OF TONGAL OR ITS ASSIGNEES - SEE OFFICIAL RULES FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT OWNERSHIP OF ENTRIES. YOU MAY NOT PUBLICLY SHARE OR PUBLISH YOUR SUBMISSION IN ANY MANNER AND YOU MAY NOT POST OR UPLOAD YOUR SUBMISSION TO ANY WEBSITE OR VIDEO HOSTING SITE (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE OR VIMEO), WITHOUT THE PRIOR EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF TONGAL. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS REQUIREMENT MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION OF YOUR ENTRY IN THE PROJECT.
   
   
7. You may not contact any employees or members of the Sponsor's organization, their affiliates, or any of their partners. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification of your entry in the project.
   
   
8. In addition to the judging criteria stated in the OFFICIAL RULES, Pitches will also be evaluated on that member's ability to execute the final Video based on their prior work and experience as a creator.
   
   
9. Videos must be in the English language or subtitled.
   
   
10. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor, nor can Submissions contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
    
    
11. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or older to enter.
    
    
12. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
    
    
13. See OFFICIAL RULES for additional contest information, terms and conditions. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between these requirements and the Official Rules, the terms and conditions of these requirements shall prevail.