Human Family Educational and Cultural Institute

The namesake of the organization is the humanitas prizes, first awarded in 1975 to sunshine, the law, and larry and since awarded to projects ranging from pachinko and the west wing to black-ish and encanto. The humanitas prizes honor professional film and television writers whose work exemplifies the art of screenwriting while exploring the Human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way. They are presented at an annual fall event and include a trophy and cash prize.

The fourth channel of action comes in the form of the public programs and direct aid projects humanitas presents:industry 101, the writers room, and groceries for writers. In 2022, the organization launched industry 101, a free and publicly accessible series of panel conversations covering the arc of a screenwriter's career. In 2023, a 10 to 12 week tv writing intensive for high school students, a program referred to as the writers room, will be added to the humanitas suite of public programs. These events, which feature a mix of writers, executives, and educators, carry on a tradition of workshops and classes the organization has held throughout its history.

The organization also operates two programs for emerging writers. The new voices fellowship is a mentorship program, running for approximately six- months, that pairs five emerging writers each year with a professional writer who acts as their mentor, and further supports them with access to networking opportunities, interactive workshops, and a suite of other benefits. The college screenwriting awards, meanwhile, recognize screenwriters whose work advances the humanitas mission and who are currently enrolled in a college or university program. Humanitas annually awards two prizes which recognize excellent student screen and television writing: the david and lynn angell college comedy award and the carol mendelsohn college drama award. The awardees receive a cash prize, a professional notes session, and a suite of other benefits.