Information About the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to utilizing the resources of the Television Academy (the organization best known for bestowing primetime Emmys during an event that is telecast each fall) and the artistry of television to preserve and celebrate the history of the medium and to educate and guide those who will shape its future. Established as the charitable arm of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 1959, the Foundation draws from Academy resources and membership to develop and sponsor educational and archival programs for members, students, researchers, and the general public. Foundation programs focus on career guidance, student achievement, diversity, personal skill development, and the documentation of television’s rich history and continued evolution.

The Archive of American Television was launched in 1997 to preserve the rich history of television and to educate and inspire future generations by videotaping interviews with pioneers and legends of the medium. To date it has completed over 2000 hours of videotaped conversations with hundreds of television pioneers—from inventors of electronic television, to those behind the camera, to television’s biggest stars.

The Foundation’s Educational Programs and Services (EPS) Department, working together with an advisory committee of Television Academy volunteers, offers a variety of programs and activities. These include:

• The College Television Awards and Festival, a national competition that provides industry recognition for outstanding student-produced films and video productions. These productions are judged by Television Academy members and a gala dinner is held to honor the winners who are awarded cash prizes. In addition, their works are screened for the television industry, the Academy membership, and the public.
• The Student Internship Program that offers 35 undergraduate or graduate students an eight-week paid internship in one of 29 career disciplines within the telecommunications field. Applicants are screened and reviewed before panels of television professionals and Academy members.
• The Faculty Seminar that the EPS committee sponsors each fall for 20 professors who teach television throughout the country. The five-day seminar offers panel discussions, visits to working production facilities, and exclusive access to the heads of major networks and television producers for a state-of-the-industry overview.
• The Visiting Professionals Program that sends Academy members to colleges to lecture on various aspects of the television industry.

Journeys Below the Line is a relatively recent project undertaken by the Foundation and the EPS committee and one that utilizes the membership of the Academy to give interested students an exclusive, inside look at career opportunities within the crafts and technical jobs of the television industry. For information on all these activities and more, visit the website.

Students and faculty can become Academic Members of the Television Academy and receive many benefits. Students can use the student membership form and faculty can use the faculty membership form. For more information about Academic membership, visit the Academy's membership page.