National fund France, Paris

Fonds d'aide à l'innovation en documentaire de création (creative documentary innovation fund)

Run by CNC, Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (French national film center)

Documentary writers can start here alone with EUR 10,000 and stay in the same fund as a producer comes on board, up to a reinforced development sum that pays for a first shoot. Six writing deadlines a year for cinema and television projects alike; ten authors were funded in October 2026.

Grant from €10,000Open to writers in FranceA writer alone or a production company

Writing Nov 2, 2026 (closes tomorrow)

The money

Amount
From €10,000Writing aid EUR 10,000 to the author; development aid averages EUR 18,000 and the reinforced development aid about EUR 50,000, both paid to a production company.
What it is
Grant
To apply
Free

Who can apply

Applicant
A writer alone or a production company
Where you write
In France
Rules
The writing aid is for authors only, alone or in a group, with French or EU nationality or residency under the page's conditions. The development aid goes to a company whose project received the writing aid in the previous twelve months. The reinforced aid can be requested directly by an author-director with or without a company, but a producer must join if the project is shortlisted.
Stages
Writing and development
Formats
Documentary
Language of the application
French

When to apply

The next closing date is Nov 2, 2026. The dates below are the current cycle's, as the funder states them. The ordinary development aid takes files all year.

RoundCloses
WritingNov 2, 2026
Reinforced developmentDec 7, 2026
WritingJan 7, 2027
WritingMar 8, 2027
Reinforced developmentApr 1, 2027
WritingMay 3, 2027
WritingJul 1, 2027
WritingSep 2, 2027
Reinforced developmentSep 7, 2027
WritingNov 2, 2027
Reinforced developmentDec 9, 2027

Dates are as the funder states them. Check the time of day and the time zone on the official page.

Also open to writers in France

See every fund for France

WritingFranceNational fund

Aide à la création de séries (series creation aid)

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.

Next deadline Feb 1, 2027A writer aloneSeries

range€40kGrantcloses in 92 days

WritingFranceNational fund

Aide au parcours d'auteur (author's career aid)

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.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneFeature, Short, Series, Documentary, Animation

range€20kGrantbetween rounds

More writing grants elsewhere

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WritingUnited StatesRegional fund

Arts Innovator Award

Artist Trust

Two Washington artists a year receive USD 25,000 for pushing at the edges of their field, with no project report attached.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneFeature, Series, Short, Documentary, Animation

range$25kGrantbetween rounds

WritingUnited StatesRegional fund

Creative Accelerator Fund

Illinois Arts Council

Illinois pays working artists USD 10,000 by lottery rather than by jury: show an active practice with two work samples and the state lottery draws the winners region by region.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneFeature, Series, Short, Documentary, Animation

range$10kGrantbetween rounds

WritingUnited StatesRegional fund

Fellowship Awards

Artist Trust

Washington State's merit award for working artists: USD 10,000 with no strings, judged on the body of work rather than a project.

2027 Fellowship deadline Nov 2, 2026A writer aloneFeature, Series, Short, Documentary, Animation

range$10kGrantcloses tomorrow

WritingDevelopmentUnited StatesRegional fund

Grants for Artist Projects (GAP)

Artist Trust

Small, fast and plentiful: 65 Washington artists a year receive USD 2,500 toward a specific project, from research travel to a first draft.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneFeature, Series, Short, Documentary, Animation

range$2.5kGrantbetween rounds

Also useful

Where Creative Europe's development money goesEvery MEDIA development grant since 2014, by country, company and year.Fellowships and labsPrograms that pick a few writers and work with them for months, on the events pages.How to write a treatmentThe document a development application is built on, step by step.Screenwriting eventsContests, labs, festivals and conferences, with their deadlines.