Download a pdf version of this policy here.
ABOUT SQIFF
SQIFF (Scottish Queer International Film Festival) was formed with the aim of adding to the exciting and growing amount of queer film stuff happening around Scotland. Since 2015, we have held an annual Festival in Glasgow alongside providing year round events across various locations. SQIFF aims to build community through queer films. Our goal is to get people watching, talking about, and making more queer films. We want to screen movies that people might not otherwise get a chance to see and create inspiring and informative events across Scotland. Moreover, we want to support marginalised groups within the LGBTQ+ community by providing a networking system for queer filmmakers, as well as filmmaking workshops for audiences wanting to start on the medium. We want to challenge inequalities and barriers to accessing the arts.
This Ethical Partnerships & Sponsorship Policy outlines SQIFF’s commitment to ensuring the development of ethical partnerships and sponsorships which align with SQIFF’s organisational values.
This Ethical Partnerships & Sponsorships Policy includes information on:
- Policy Statement
- Purpose
- Principles
- SQIFF’s commitment to ensuring safe environments for Trans, Non-Binary and/or Gender Diverse People, and people of the Global Majority
POLICY STATEMENT
Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF) is an organisation formed to engage with ethical partnership and sponsorship relations in the area of LGBTQ+ film exhibition. As such, SQIFF is fully committed to ensuring all partnership and sponsorship activity sits in line with SQIFF’s organisational values, and is decided upon under scrutiny from SQIFF staff and Trustees, as well as in conversation with participants, volunteers and audiences where possible. Fundraising and support sourcing must not endanger SQIFF’s autonomy. Partnerships and sponsorships must not lead to conflict of interests within SQIFF’s staff team or Board of Trustees.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to ensure SQIFF’s commitment to seeking and securing ethical partnership and sponsorship agreements with organisations who align with the organisational core values of; community building, accessibility, diversity. This policy makes SQIFF responsible to the public as well its members, employees, voluntary staff, and audience members for acting on those commitments. SQIFF’s core values ensure all organisational work rejects discriminatory practice and instead seeks to build upon kinder, fairer and more inclusive ways of working. This policy intends to lay out how SQIFF will consider the ethical implications of any future partnership or sponsorship agreements.
This Ethical Partnerships & Sponsorship Policy aims to help staff, volunteers and Trustees recognise SQIFF’s process of considering, engaging with and developing ethical partnerships and sponsorships, ensuring all such activity works to the benefit of the charity. This policy should be reviewed in collaboration with Trustees every 6 months, or at every Board meeting should meetings be more frequent.
PRINCIPLES
This policy seeks to ensure SQIFF’s approach to partnerships and sponsorships ensures all potential agreements are appropriately vetted and fairly considered against SQIFF’s three core values.
When considering an agreement or proposal around a partnership or sponsorship SQIFF will consider the following:
- That the source of support does not operate or engage with oil and gas production, tobacco industry, weapons manufacturing, production of environmentally hazardous chemicals, active genocide against a people, oppression of human rights, authoritarian governance, gender inequality or criminal activities.
- That the source of support does not come from an organisation listed on the BDS list or Scottish government’s sanctions list.
- That the source of support demonstrates a commitment and appreciation of SQIFF’s key values of community building, accessibility and diversity.
Should it be discovered that support has been received by an organisation in breach of the above standards, SQIFF will immediately assess the impact of this support and if/how such support can be returned. In this instance, SQIFF will issue a statement of recognition and will suspend collaboration with this organisation in all future activity.
COMMITMENT TO TRANS, NON-BINARY AND/OR GENDER DIVERSE PEOPLE AND PEOPLE OF THE GLOBAL MAJORITY
We are committed to providing an environment that is welcoming, accessible and inclusive for all attendees, staff, guests and volunteers, in person and online. In particular, SQIFF works to provide the safest environment for Trans, Non-Binary and/or Gender Diverse People, and people of the Global Majority.
Please refer to SQIFF’s Trans, Non-Binary and/or Gender Diverse People Statement and Anti-Racism Policy to see our full statement and measures.
We welcome any comments and suggestions that can help us to develop our Ethical Partnerships & Sponsorship Policy: [email protected].