AFS Grant
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.
up to$20kGrantbetween rounds
Foundation or company fund United States, New York
Creative Capital Award
Run by Creative Capital Foundation
Film sits beside visual art, dance and literature in this national open call, which gives individual artists up to USD 50,000 to make a new work and keeps advising them afterward. Laura Poitras, Garrett Bradley and Chris Eyre are among more than a thousand awardees. The round opens once a year and closes in spring.
Grant up to $50,000Open to writers in United StatesA writer alone
Next dates not yet published
That closing date has passed. We check the funder's page every day and add the next dates once they are published.
The money
- Amount
- Up to $50,000Unrestricted project grants of up to USD 50,000; applicants are also considered for the USD 10,000 State of the Art Prize, one per state and territory
- What it is
- Grant
- To apply
- Free
Who can apply
- Applicant
- A writer alone
- Where you write
- In United States
- Rules
- Individual artists proposing a new work in film or any other discipline, through a national open call reviewed by outside panels. Residency and career-stage rules sit in the guidelines, which were not posted while the call was closed.
- Stages
- Development and production
- Formats
- Feature, Short, Documentary
- Language of the application
- English
When to apply
The fund opens once a year. The next cycle's dates are not yet published; we add them when they are. The 2027 open call closed April 2, 2026. The next cycle's dates are not yet posted.
| Round | Closes |
|---|---|
| 2027 award deadline | Apr 2, 2026 passed |
Dates are as the funder states them. Check the time of day and the time zone on the official page.
What it gives besides money
Professional development services and regional and national gatherings of awardees with industry and cultural figures.
Also open to writers in United States
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.
range$25kGrantbetween rounds
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.
range$10kGrantbetween rounds
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.
range$10kGrantcloses tomorrow
More development funding elsewhere
CMF Indigenous Development, Predevelopment and Production Programs (administered by the ISO)
Indigenous Screen Office with the Canada Media Fund
The Canada Media Fund's Indigenous money is handed to the Indigenous Screen Office to run, with higher contribution rates than the general programs: up to 84 percent of a predevelopment…
up toCA$750kGrant or repayablebetween rounds
Development and Predevelopment Funding (Broadcaster Envelope Program, Development)
Canada Media Fund
Television and digital series development in Canada mostly runs through this fund, but a broadcaster has to commit first: the money follows a development deal rather than a pitch.
VariesRepayablecloses in 37 days
Development Program
Telefilm Canada
Canada's federal feature film agency pays for script drafts and packaging through a production company, from a first draft to the attachment of a director and distributor.
up toCA$100kRepayablebetween rounds
Development Program (ISO Story Fund)
Indigenous Screen Office
An Indigenous writer can apply here alone, without a producer or broadcaster, for research, script drafts, story editing, knowledge keepers and pitch materials.
up toCA$40kGrantbetween rounds
Also useful
Fellowships and labsPrograms that pick a few writers and work with them for months, on the events pages.Where Creative Europe's development money goesEvery MEDIA development grant since 2014, by country, company and year.How to write a treatmentThe document a development application is built on, step by step.Screenwriting eventsContests, labs, festivals and conferences, with their deadlines.