Behind the Curtain

We're exposing discriminatory practices in arts & entertainment.

Behind the Curtain is a FAIR in the Arts crowdsourcing project to document and make available to the public information about policies and practices across major art forms that discriminate against and exclude from employment, training, and funding artists, performers, craftspeople, technicians, producers and staff based on their race, sex, skin color, or other immutable characteristics.

Submit an incident, tip, or testimony on the form below. For any inquiries, please email [email protected].

Basic Information

Name of organization

Organization Industry

Name of program, opportunity, or Job Role/Title

City

State / Province

Link to webpages evidencing specific programs

Narrative Statements

Who does the organization discriminate against? Is it targeted towards specific identities or people with certain protected characteristics?

Does this program, job, or opportunity pay any form of financial compensation? If so, please provide dollar amount, and whether the funds are paid as employment income, or nonemployment (independent contractor) income?

Does this program, job, or opportunity provide any NON-financial compensation? Please describe.

Has the organization (or its representatives) used any language that is explicitly discriminatory (on its website, in e-mails, in public statements or press releases, for example)? Please quote specific examples.

Has the organization or its representatives used any coded language implying that certain identities will be favored in the application process or in the workplace. (Examples: "historically underrepresented", "marginalized identities", "unheard voices".) Please cite specific examples.

Is this a tax exempt non-profit organization? If so what kind? 501(c)(3)? 501(c)(6)?

Does the organization receive public funding of any kind? If so, from where?

Do you know of any other funders, supporters, or affiliates of this program? If yes, please list them.

Have you communicated with this organization directly about the discrimination? If so, who were you in touch with? What was/is their job title? Please include their company e-mail address if possible.

Have you made a formal complaint about the discrimination you observed or experienced? If so, what was the outcome of your complaint?

If possible, provide a link to any website or social media posts announcing the person or people who were successfully admitted to the program or opportunity.

Please provide any additional information you have about how this organization or program discriminates based on identity.

Please provide links to any supplemental documents such as images, screenshots, or pdfs.

If you have files to attach, please attach them here.

Other information

Your name (optional)

Your email address, if you would like FAIR to contact you with followup

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can contribute evidence and information to Behind the Curtain?

Anyone can provide information to Behind the Curtain. If you find evidence of a discriminatory and exclusionary program or policy, even if you aren't directly affected by the policy or don’t work in arts or entertainment, we want you to share with FAIR what you’ve learned.

If I include my name or contact information with my submission, will Behind the Curtain and FAIR publish that information?

FAIR is committed to user confidentiality. We will not display a user's email address or other contact information on any submission. Additionally, we will not release any user's email address or other contact information unless compelled to do so by a lawful subpoena or court order.

What goals have we set for Behind the Curtain?

Behind the Curtain seeks to accumulate and publish evidence of discriminatory and exclusionary practices to:

1. Inform working and aspiring artists and arts professionals about the policies of organizations, institutions, and projects that might negatively impact their careers.

2. Provide evidence to journalists, lawmakers, government agencies, and non-profit organizations seeking to expose and end exclusionary practices in arts and entertainment.

Aren't DEI and other exclusionary programs and philosophies already being rolled back and closed down? Why do we need Behind the Curtain?

It is true that discriminatory and exclusionary policies are being scrutinized extensively in higher education and the federal government, where politicians, federal agencies, and the substantial sums of money they control can drive change. However, DEI and other exclusionary practices remain deeply embedded in arts and entertainment. In these fields, access to work, training, and other opportunities—primarily for freelance creators and workers—is controlled by thousands of industry gatekeepers whose activities often go unscrutinized. At FAIR, we believe that to meaningfully address the injustices of discrimination and exclusion in arts and entertainment, we must first create an evidentiary database. Our Behind the Curtain database will document the breadth and depth of discriminatory DEI practices in film, theater, music, and visual arts enabling us to appeal to legislators, executive agencies, and our like-minded foundation partners for action.

What if I want to share my experience with DEI or another discriminatory practice, but I don’t have documentary or other evidence of the discrimination?

If you want to share your experience with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) or another discriminatory practice, but the organization or company doesn’t publicize their exclusionary policy and you lack documentary or other evidence of the discrimination, don’t worry—your narrative is still valuable. Here’s how you can submit it:

• Submission Process: Use the “Narrative Statement” fields in the Behind the Curtain submission form to detail your experience. This section is specifically designed for sharing personal accounts like yours.

• Required Information: For anecdotal reports, you’ll need to provide your name and an email address. A FAIR representative will use this to contact you and confirm your submission.

• Privacy Assurance: This contact information is solely for verification purposes and will not be shared publicly. Your story matters, and this process ensures it can be heard while maintaining your privacy.