We’re thrilled to announce that AFI and Somos Nosotros have partnered to establish a scholarship for Latinx Screenwriting Fellows in the AFI Conservatory program.

The scholarship is part of the newly launched Somos Nosotros Fund (Spanish for “This Is Us”) created by the art advocacy group Nosotros and THIS IS US actor Jon Huertas and his fellow cast, including Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown, Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metz, Chris Sullivan, and Susan Kelechi Watson, as well as series creator Dan Fogelman.

In establishing the scholarship, Huertas and Joel Gonzales, Nosotros’ President and Executive Director, said that being able to give new writers the opportunity to earn their MFA with less burden will give them a leg up to be able to create, develop and write strong, well-developed Latinx characters and stories, not just servicing the Latinx audience but also the general market audiences.

“The primary directives of the fund are to solidify Nosotros’ current programs while also building on them, creating more programs and opportunities such as the AFI Somos Nosotros Scholarship, to foster Latinx talent,” said Gonzales.

Nosotros is the oldest Latino Arts Organization in the country founded by Hollywood legend Ricardo Montalbán in 1970, on the notion that unity serves as a strong voice of change and opportunity for Latinos in the entertainment industry.

“With the AFI Somos Nosotros Latinx Scholarship, AFI and Nosotros will work toward our shared mission of increasing Latinx representation in the arts and amplifying their voices and stories,” said Susan Ruskin, Dean of the AFI Conservatory and EVP of the American Film Institute. “By creating these kinds of opportunities early in the pipeline for Latinx screenwriters, they will have the ability to make long-lasting and powerful changes within the industry.”

Applications to apply to the AFI Conservatory open in the fall. To learn more about the AFI Conservatory, one of the top film schools in the nation, visit AFI.edu.