Help preserve the overlooked audiovisual heritage of Chicago's Polish community by supporting the digitization of home movies, amateur films, art films, and independent productions created by Poles, Polish Americans, and Americans of Polish descent!

Not-So-Ordinary is an archival and research project dedicated to preserving the amateur and independent moving image heritage of Chicago’s Polish diaspora from the 1930s through the early 2000s. The project collect, digitize, and share home movies, amateur films, and independent productions created in Chicago by Poles, Polish-Americans, and Americans of Polish descent. The goal is to build an open, freely accessible archive that will serve researchers, teachers, students, and the wider Polish-American community. You can already watch selected digitized films on the project website: collection.

So far, the project has gathered more than 60 family and personal collections with over 2,100 films. They range from short three-minute 8mm reels to long works running over one or two hours, comparable to feature films. Many of these fragile materials still await professional digitization, and without your support, they may be lost forever.

Your donation will fund the archival-quality digital transfer of 16mm, 8mm, Super8 films, and video tapes (VHS, Video8, Hi8). Once digitized, all films will be made freely available online to scholars, filmmakers, and the general public, ensuring open access to this invaluable record of everyday life, festive occasions, the experience of migration, and the cultural vitality of Chicago’s Polish community.

The costs of preserving these materials are high. Archival-quality digitization of just three minutes of 8mm film (50 feet) can cost up to $50. That amount covers not only the transfer itself, but also the careful cleaning and conservation needed for film stock often kept for decades in less than ideal conditions. Thanks to earlier support from the Saint Maximilian Kolbe Institute for the Development of the Polish Language, the National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF), the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago, the Legion of Young Polish Women, and the Al Larvick Conservation Fund, some of the films have already been saved. But these resources were limited, covering only a fraction of the collection. Hundreds of reels are still waiting, and the scale of the challenge is significant: the estimated cost of preserving all films that must be saved exceeds $40,000. Our current goal of $6,000 will not cover everything, but it will allow us to rescue the most vulnerable reels and tapes before they are lost forever.

All funds raised through this campaign will be used exclusively to pay for professional film and videotape digitization and related archival preservation services. I do not receive any salary, honorarium, or other personal compensation from these donations.

There are several ways to make a donation:

1. Donate via GoFundMe

The easiest way to contribute is through our GoFundMe campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/f/digitization-of-historical-movies-from-polish-chicago

GoFundMe processes all donations securely. Contributions can be made using a credit or debit card, PayPal, bank transfer, or other locally available payment methods. Donors may also choose whether their contribution is displayed publicly or remains anonymous.

2. Tax-deductible donations in the United States

For donors in the United States who wish to make a tax-deductible charitable contribution, donations can be made through Chicago Film Archives, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions made through Chicago Film Archives may be tax-deductible to the extent permitted by U.S. law.

Before making a donation through Chicago Film Archives, please contact Agata Zborowska at zborowskaagata@gmail.com so that the appropriate donation instructions can be provided and your contribution can be designated specifically for the digitization of the Not-So-Ordinary collection.

3. Tax-deductible donations in Poland (PLN / Polish złoty)

Supporters in Poland may also contribute in Polish złoty through the Fundacja Instytut Pomiędzy, the Polish nonprofit organization supporting this project. As a registered Polish foundation, it enables eligible donors to claim applicable tax deductions under Polish tax regulations.

Bank transfer details:

Account holder: Fundacja Instytut Pomiędzy

Bank: mBank

Account number: 36 1140 2004 0000 3602 8544 4425

Payment reference: "Darowizna Not-So-Ordinary"

4. Major gifts and partnership opportunities

If you are interested in making a larger contribution or exploring institutional, corporate, or philanthropic partnership opportunities, please contact me directly at zborowskaagata@gmail.com. We would be delighted to discuss how your support can help preserve and make accessible this unique audiovisual heritage.

5. Other ways to contribute

If you are unable to support the project financially, you can still make a valuable contribution by sharing this fundraiser with friends, colleagues, community organizations, foundations, or other institutions that may be interested in preserving Polish-American audiovisual heritage. Helping spread the word is an important form of support and can make a real difference.

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Any support – large or small – would mean a great deal and will help preserve this unique heritage for future generations.

Thank you for helping preserve and share the voices and images of Polish Chicago for generations to come.

Agata Zborowska