DePaul’s Alumni Vision Fund Is Helping Filmmakers Take the Next Step

Odds are the university was looking for a generous donation or help with a fundraiser. But what if instead of asking you for money, the roles were reversed?

DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts decided to turn that universal alumni experience on its head by asking a simple question: What can DePaul do for its graduates that isn’t transactional?

The answer came in January 2026 with the launch of the inaugural Alumni Vision Fund, a program designed to help alumni transform ambitious ideas into professionally executed proof-of-concept films. The Fund extends the resources, relationships and support of film school beyond graduation, giving alumni selected by a faculty committee continued access to an ecosystem that can be difficult to replicate independently.

For associate professor Daniel Klein, also the director of industry engagement for the School of Cinematic Arts, the message he says they wanted to send to alumni of all ages was clear.

“You might’ve graduated a year ago or ten years ago, but we’ve still got your back.” Klein said. “We’re still here to support you. Your success is our success.”

For many filmmakers, there’s a significant gap to overcome after graduation. They know how to make something—and they likely have plenty of ideas and scripts at the ready—but having the resources to actually bring a project to life is a different story. The result is work that can struggle to find an audience as emerging filmmakers search for the resources, opportunities and relationships needed to move their projects forward.

That’s where the Alumni Vision Fund comes in. The program, open exclusively to School of Cinematic Arts alumni, provides recipients with a production support package valued at approximately $100,000, including soundstage access at DePaul Cinespace Studios, professional cameras, grip and lighting equipment, additional production resources, and a cash grant to support production needs.

Recipients ultimately walk away with a professionally produced proof-of-concept short film designed to help move a larger project forward. Rather than relying on a script alone, filmmakers can use the finished proof to demonstrate their vision to potential investors, producers and talent, pursue grants, and build momentum through festivals. And unlike a traditional investment, DePaul isn’t asking for a piece of what comes next. The filmmakers retain complete ownership of their work.

After receiving 40 complete applications, it was clear there was significant demand among DePaul alumni for this type of post-graduate support. Initially, the fund was only meant to support one alumni filmmaker, but the quality of the finalists convinced DePaul to expand the inaugural fund from one recipient to two: George Ellzey Jr. and Johanna Unden.

After graduating in 2023, Ellzey Jr. directed the short film Closed Mouths, which was made for essentially $0 through favors, donated resources and community support. When the Alumni Vision Fund entered the picture in 2026, it allowed Ellzey Jr. to return to Human Noise, a deferred project he had first conceived in 2021. Not only did the fund help accelerate the timeline of the project, but having access to DePaul’s resources allowed Ellzey Jr. to take Human Noise to the next level creatively—particularly when it came to the setting.

“To try to find a location in Chicago that wouldn’t charge us an arm and a leg was a feat,” Ellzey Jr. said. “And so to have access to the Cinespace stage where not only we can control the space but then customize it was extremely, extremely helpful.”

The characters in Human Noise have achieved a bit of wealth and influence, Ellzey Jr. emphasized, and he said that the support from DePaul allowed him to create a setting that matched that narrative scale, which otherwise would have been impossible. The increased ambition extended beyond the set itself, with the production growing to roughly 100 cast and crew.

“It really felt like this is a step forward towards something mainstream as opposed to just independent,” Ellzey Jr. said. “Now with the grant, the door has opened up for more opportunity.”

Johanna Unden’s proof-of-concept short, Cecelia, will support the development of her planned full-length feature, American Spirit. Without the fund, Unden estimated the short likely would have taken another year or two to make. DePaul’s equipment access allowed her to direct more of her limited production budget toward the people making the film.

“Being able to use the equipment free of charge and have access to all of that was a big reason we were able to pay our cast and crew reasonable rates, which was also a big thing for me,” Unden said. “We all deserve to get paid in this industry. It’s nice when you can work on stuff with people that you love and also get paid for it.”

Beyond the tangible resources, the fund offered another commodity that’s hard to come by for emerging filmmakers: validation.

“I left thinking I would never work with DePaul in that sense again,” Unden said. “Knowing that this story and myself are something that they think is worth investing in and supporting, it makes me really confident and grateful to have had those relationships.”

Ellzey Jr. is already seeing the benefits of the Alumni Vision Fund, as Human Noise has received interest from two potential investors as well as additional grant possibilities, making production on the feature-length version one step closer. For Unden, Cecelia is in the midst of post-production, with hopes of submitting to festivals next spring.

“If in any way this proof-of-concept can push me in that direction or get me in the room,” Unden said, “then I think that will have been a measure of success.”

As for the Alumni Vision Fund, it’s something of a proof-of-concept itself. The inaugural cycle demonstrated exactly what the School of Cinematic Arts is capable of providing for its alumni, while offering lessons to inform future iterations of the program.

“Regardless of what happens with these two short films, it’s already a win,” Klein said. “We’re building a film program the likes of which we would want to attend. And we’re creating the support that we wish we would have gotten.”