National fund France, Paris
Run by CNC, Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (French national film center)
The CNC's main selective money for shorts, read by two committees so that a first film is not weighed against seasoned directors. Writer-directors appear among the applicants, the calendar has a deadline almost every month, and the fund's own script library lets you read what won before you write.
Grant, amount not statedOpen to writers in FranceA writer alone or a production company
AVR2, other films Nov 17, 2026 (closes in 16 days)
That closing date has passed. We check the funder's page every day and add the next dates once they are published.
The next closing date is Nov 17, 2026. The dates below are the current cycle's, as the funder states them. Filing runs 10 am to 6 pm on the day shown. For first fiction films only the first 80 complete applications are read.
| Round | Closes |
|---|---|
| AVR2, other films | Nov 17, 2026 |
| AVR1, first films | Nov 20, 2026 |
| AVR2, other films | Jan 6, 2027 |
| AVR1, first films | Jan 14, 2027 |
| AVR2, other films | Feb 17, 2027 |
| AVR1, first films | Mar 5, 2027 |
| AVR2, other films | Mar 31, 2027 |
| AVR1, first films | Apr 19, 2027 |
| AVR2, other films | Jun 16, 2027 |
| AVR1, first films | Jun 30, 2027 |
| AVR2, other films | Sep 15, 2027 |
| AVR1, first films | Sep 17, 2027 |
Dates are as the funder states them. Check the time of day and the time zone on the official page.
Scripts and files of completed AVR shorts can be consulted in the CNC's Scénariothèque.
CNC, Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (French national film center)
A single EUR 40,000 payment for an experienced series writer to build a new show from scratch, with no producer required.
CNC, Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (French national film center)
France's main public development money for feature films pays the producer to option rights, write and rewrite.
CNC, Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (French national film center)
Not a project grant but time: EUR 20,000 for an author with a track record to think before writing the next thing, with no synopsis or producer required.
CNC, Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (French national film center)
A newer CNC line for documentary series, paying the author EUR 15,000 to write a show of three or more episodes before any broadcaster is involved.
Austin Film Society
Texas filmmakers have their own state fund: cash for features and shorts in production or post, with camera and finishing packages on top.
Jerome Foundation
The Minnesota twin of Jerome's New York City grant: up to USD 30,000 of production money for early career directors who take creative risks, applied for in two steps each fall.
Jerome Foundation
A production grant for New York City directors near the start of their careers, in any moving-image form from animation to documentary.
Black Public Media
Public television's fund for Black nonfiction stories runs one call a year: five projects get USD 20,000 and a place at PitchBLACK, where one leaves with up to USD 150,000 of production…