Funds for a writer and producer together

ProductionCompletionUnited StatesRegional fund

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.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producerFeature, Short, Documentary

ProductionUnited StatesRegional fund

Minnesota Film Production Grant

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.

Next deadline Nov 24, 2026A writer with a producerFeature, Short, Documentary, Animation

ProductionUnited StatesRegional fund

New York City Film Production Grant

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.

Next deadline Nov 24, 2026A writer with a producerFeature, Short, Documentary, Animation

ProductionCompletionUnited StatesBroadcaster

BPM Open Call

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…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyDocumentary

ProductionUnited StatesBroadcaster

Creative Shorts Fellowship

Vision Maker Media

A short film with a mentor attached: Vision Maker Media pays up to USD 25,000 to an emerging Native filmmaker to shoot and finish a documentary, drama, animated or experimental short, and…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producerShort, Documentary, Animation

DevelopmentUnited StatesBroadcaster

Incubator Fund

ITVS, Independent Television Service

ITVS's development door, replacing its earlier diversity development fund: a small first payment to shape a nonfiction feature or web series for PBS streaming, with a few months of…

Not taking applications this cycleA writer with a producerDocumentary, Series

ProductionCompletionUnited StatesBroadcaster

Media Fund and Shorts Fund

Pacific Islanders in Communications

Pacific Islander stories for public television, in two sizes: an hour or half-hour documentary with up to USD 65,000, or a short of any genre with up to USD 25,000, including…

Not taking applications this cycleA writer with a producer or a production companyDocumentary, Short, Series, Animation

ProductionCompletionUnited StatesBroadcaster

Open Call

ITVS, Independent Television Service

The largest sums in American documentary funding come from public television's co-production arm, which has backed 659 films through this call.

Not taking applications this cycleA writer with a producer or a production companyDocumentary, Short

DevelopmentProductionCompletionUnited StatesBroadcaster

Public Media Content Fund

Latino Public Broadcasting

Documentaries and limited series about Latino life for national public television, funded from first research through the final mix.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyDocumentary, Series

DevelopmentUnited StatesFoundation or company fund

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grants at Film Independent

Film Independent, with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Science on screen pays here: three cash grants a year for fiction projects about scientists or technology, awarded inside Film Independent's Episodic Lab, Producing Lab and Fast Track…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone or a writer with a producerFeature, Series

DevelopmentProductionCompletionUnited StatesFoundation or company fund

Building Bridges Documentary Fund

Center for Asian American Media, with the Doris Duke Foundation

Documentaries about American Muslim experience can draw real sums here, from USD 10,000 of research money to USD 100,000 for production or post.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producerDocumentary, Short, Series

DevelopmentUnited StatesFoundation or company fund

Catapult Development Grant

Catapult Film Fund

Seed money for documentaries at the point where nobody else will pay: a grant to shoot and cut the sample that raises the rest.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producerDocumentary

DevelopmentUnited StatesFoundation or company fund

Catapult Research Grant

Catapult Film Fund

Ten thousand dollars to think before you shoot.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producerDocumentary, Short

ProductionCompletionDistributionUnited StatesFoundation or company fund

Documentary Film Support

Perspective Fund

A private documentary funder that reads inquiries all year and writes checks of USD 25,000 to 150,000 without taking rights or credits below USD 150,000.

Applications taken any timeA writer with a producerDocumentary, Short

ProductionUnited StatesFoundation or company fund

IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund

International Documentary Association, with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

A production fund for documentaries built on reporting, created in 2017 as an answer to misinformation.

Not taking applications this cycleA writer with a producerDocumentary

DevelopmentProductionCompletionUnited StatesFoundation or company fund

JustFilms

Ford Foundation

The foundation behind much of American social-issue documentary takes direct proposals from filmmakers through a periodic open call, scored on fit with Ford's justice themes…

Not taking applications this cycleA writer with a producerDocumentary

ProductionUnited StatesFoundation or company fund

New Filmmaker Program equipment grant

Panavision

No cash changes hands, but a camera package from the house that shot most of Hollywood can be the biggest line in a first film's budget.

Applications taken any timeA writer with a producerFeature, Short, Documentary

DevelopmentUnited StatesFoundation or company fund

Research & Development Grant

Chicken & Egg Films

Paid thinking time for women and gender-expansive documentary directors between films: a USD 10,000 research grant or a USD 20,000 development grant, with the stage chosen by the applicant.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producerDocumentary

DevelopmentProductionCompletionUnited StatesFoundation or company fund

Roy W. Dean Grant

From the Heart Productions

Small cash, large bundle: the winner takes USD 3,500 and a package of donated post, music and consulting worth several times that, for a film meant to do some good.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone or a writer with a producerFeature, Series, Short, Documentary, Animation

CompletionUnited StatesFoundation or company fund

SFFILM Documentary Film Fund

Post-production money for feature documentaries that are shot but not cut, from the San Francisco festival's foundation arm.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producerDocumentary

WritingDevelopmentCompletionUnited StatesFoundation or company fund

SFFILM Rainin Grant

SFFILM, with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation

One of the few American grants that pays a screenwriter directly to write, and it can also fund packaging or the edit of the same film later.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone or a writer with a producerFeature

DistributionUnited StatesFoundation or company fund

Sloan Distribution Grant

Film Independent, with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

A single USD 50,000 check for a finished science-themed fiction feature heading into release, meant to buy a smarter rollout.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature

ProductionCanadaNational fund

Production Program for All (ISO Story Fund)

Indigenous Screen Office

Shorts, pilots, web series, features and broadcast series can all come to this autumn round, and an individual may apply without a company.

Next deadline Nov 25, 2026A writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Short, Documentary, Animation

ProductionCanadaNational fundNames no past recipients

Talent to Watch Program

Telefilm Canada

First features on budgets under half a million dollars get most or all of their financing here, with no repayment.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Documentary

DevelopmentProductionCompletionCanadaRegional fundNames no past recipients

Alberta Made Screen Industries Program (Project Script Development Grant and Alberta Made Production Grant)

Alberta Media Fund, Government of Alberta

Alberta's provincial fund pays for scripts in three phases and then for smaller productions, both as grants with fixed intake windows twice a year.

Next deadline Jan 16, 2027A writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary, Animation

DevelopmentCanadaRegional fund

Amplified Voices Development Fund

Screen Nova Scotia

Small early-development grants for emerging Black, Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, disabled or official-language-minority writers and producers in Nova Scotia, paying for pitch decks…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary

ProductionCompletionCanadaRegional fund

Reel Focus BC Fund, Production Program

Creative BC

The province's own production grant, created in 2020 and now one round a year: up to CAD 200,000 for a BC-owned feature or documentary, with priority for emerging creators and systemically…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Animation

ProductionCanadaFoundation or company fundNames no past recipients

Hot Docs-Slaight Family Fund

Hot Docs with the Slaight Family Foundation

A niche documentary fund founded in 2020 for films about music and musicians, Canadian or seen through Canadian eyes, paying a handful of projects each year.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone or a writer with a producerDocumentary

ProductionCanadaFoundation or company fund

Rogers Documentary Fund

Rogers Group of Funds

Since 1996 this fund has topped up the financing of Canadian documentaries once a platform has licensed them, with no recoupment and a cap of CAD 100,000.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyDocumentary

DevelopmentProductionCompletionArgentinaNational fund

Concursos de fomento INCAA (INCAA funding contests)

INCAA, Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales (National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts)

Argentina has moved its public support into dollar-denominated contests with a few large prizes each.

Next deadline Nov 23, 2026A writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary, Animation

WritingDevelopmentChileNational fund

Guion original y adaptación literaria, Fondo Audiovisual (original screenplay and literary adaptation line)

Ministerio de las Culturas, las Artes y el Patrimonio, Fondo de Fomento Audiovisual (Chile's Ministry of Cultures)

Chile's culture ministry runs a screenplay line inside its audiovisual fund, paying up to CLP 5 million to write a first draft of a feature or pilot and up to CLP 8 million to take a…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone or a writer with a producerFeature, Series, Documentary, Animation

ProductionCompletionChileNational fund

Producción audiovisual de largometrajes, Fondo Audiovisual (feature production line)

Ministerio de las Culturas, las Artes y el Patrimonio, Fondo de Fomento Audiovisual (Chile's Ministry of Cultures)

The production side of Chile's audiovisual fund finances features in fiction, documentary and animation, from full financing of a modest fiction feature to a share of a majority…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Animation

WritingDevelopmentProductionCompletionDistributionColombiaNational fund

Convocatoria FDC, Estímulos por Concurso (Film Development Fund competitive grants)

Proimágenes Colombia, for the Fondo para el Desarrollo Cinematográfico and the CNACC

Funded by a levy on tickets and distribution, Colombia's FDC is the one national fund in the region with a plain screenwriting modality a writer can enter alone, beside development…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Short, Documentary, Animation

WritingDevelopmentProductionCompletionDistributionDominican RepublicNational fund

Concurso Público FONPROCINE (Fund for Film Promotion public contest)

DGCINE, Dirección General de Cine (Dominican Republic's film directorate)

A small national fund with a clear yearly rhythm: one public contest each summer, DOP 17.5 million shared among about sixteen projects.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Short, Documentary, Animation

ProductionCompletionMexicoNational fund

FOCINE, Vertiente de Apoyo a la Producción (Mexican film support program, production strand)

IMCINE, Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía (Mexican Film Institute)

Mexico's public film program pays for shooting and finishing rather than writing: nine production and post-production modalities open together each January, and a producer picks one.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Short, Animation

DevelopmentProductionCompletionDistributionPeruNational fund

Estímulos Económicos para la Actividad Cinematográfica y Audiovisual (economic stimulus contests for film)

Ministerio de Cultura del Perú, DAFO, Dirección del Audiovisual, la Fonografía y los Nuevos Medios

Peru runs a yearly set of contests rather than a standing fund: fiction, documentary, animation, shorts, films in post-production, minority co-productions and distribution, each with its…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Short, Documentary, Animation

WritingDevelopmentProductionCompletionDistributionUruguayNational fund

Fondo de Fomento Cinematográfico y Audiovisual and Programa Uruguay Audiovisual (film fund and national audiovisual program)

ACAU, Agencia del Cine y el Audiovisual del Uruguay (Uruguay's film and audiovisual agency)

Uruguay's agency groups its national money into a calendar of calls: script and project development, production of features, series and shorts, minority co-productions, plus the Programa…

Next deadline Nov 10, 2026A writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Short, Documentary, Animation

ProductionIrelandNational fund

Short film schemes (Focus Shorts and Frameworks)

Screen Ireland / Fís Éireann, Frameworks with RTÉ

Fully funded shorts for Irish teams: live action through Focus Shorts, animation through Frameworks with RTÉ as co-funder and broadcaster.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyShort, Animation

DevelopmentProductionUnited KingdomNational fund

BFI Doc Society Fund: features development and production

Doc Society for the BFI (British Film Institute), National Lottery

The UK's National Lottery money for feature documentaries, run by Doc Society.

Next deadline Dec 21, 2026A writer with a producer or a production companyDocumentary

ProductionUnited KingdomNational fund

Made of Truth (BFI Doc Society short film fund)

Doc Society for BFI NETWORK (British Film Institute), National Lottery

A yearly grant for short documentaries by UK filmmakers at the start of their careers, in live action or animation.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone or a writer with a producerShort, Documentary, Animation

ProductionUnited KingdomRegional fund

BFI NETWORK England short film funding

BFI NETWORK (British Film Institute), National Lottery

Grants for fictional shorts by filmmakers starting out in England, with the producer signing the application and the writer part of the team.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producerShort, Animation

WritingUnited KingdomRegional fund

BFI NETWORK England: Early Development Fund

BFI NETWORK (British Film Institute), National Lottery

One of very few British public grants a writer can hold alone, paid to write a treatment for a debut feature before any script exists.

2026 round closes Nov 11, 2026A writer alone or a writer with a producerFeature, Animation

WritingDevelopmentUnited KingdomRegional fundNames no past recipients

Feature Film Development

Ffilm Cymru Wales, National Lottery via Arts Council of Wales and BFI NETWORK

Development money for a single feature, documentary or animated film with a Welsh writer, director or producer at its head, and a lone writer may apply.

Review deadline Feb 2, 2027A writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Animation

DevelopmentUnited KingdomRegional fund

Script, Project and Slate Development funding

Northern Ireland Screen

Recoupable development money for feature film and television drama scripts, and for single projects or slates across film, TV and interactive work.

Applications taken any timeA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series

DevelopmentProductionUnited KingdomRegional fund

Short film schemes (Short Film Call, Creative Animation, New Shorts Focus)

Northern Ireland Screen, with Arts Council of Northern Ireland and BFI NETWORK lottery funds

Three short film schemes under one roof for Northern Ireland talent: a production call for live action, factual and VR shorts, an animation scheme run through local studios, and a…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyShort, Animation, Documentary

WritingBelgiumNational fund

Scenariosteun, VAF/Filmfonds (screenplay support)

VAF, Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds (Flanders Audiovisual Fund)

The Flemish fund's entry point for a writer alone: EUR 15,000 to write a feature or documentary script, filed in Dutch, with the same money later deducted from any production grant.

Animation committee Nov 17, 2026A writer alone or a writer with a producerFeature, Documentary, Animation

WritingDevelopmentProductionBelgiumNational fund

VAF/Mediafonds: scenario-, ontwikkelings- en productiesteun voor series (series support)

VAF, Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds (Flanders Audiovisual Fund)

The Flemish fund's television arm, where a series can start with up to EUR 25,000 of script money before any channel signs on, and climb to EUR 1.3 million for a high-end production.

Next deadline Nov 12, 2026A writer with a producer or a production companySeries, Animation

WritingDevelopmentProductionBulgariaNational fund

Финансиране на български филми (funding of Bulgarian films: screenplay writing and project development, pre-production, production)

Национален филмов център, НФЦ (Bulgarian National Film Center)

Bulgaria runs two general sessions a year for feature projects, plus one for co-productions with the national broadcaster BNT.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Animation, Series

WritingDevelopmentCroatiaNational fund

Razvoj scenarija i razvoj projekata audiovizualnih djela (script and project development for feature, documentary and animated films)

Hrvatski audiovizualni centar, HAVC (Croatian Audiovisual Centre)

Croatia lets a writer apply alone for script money, and up to two co-writers may share one grant equally. Features need 70 minutes, documentaries 60, animation 24.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Animation

WritingDevelopmentCroatiaNational fund

Razvoj scenarija i razvoj projekata dugometražnih igranih i animiranih filmova za djecu i mlade (script and project development for children's and youth features)

Hrvatski audiovizualni centar, HAVC (Croatian Audiovisual Centre)

A ring-fenced pot for family films.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Animation

WritingDevelopmentCroatiaNational fund

Razvoj scenarija i razvoj projekata televizijskih djela (script and project development for television series)

Hrvatski audiovizualni centar, HAVC (Croatian Audiovisual Centre)

The television twin of HAVC's film development call, for series writers.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companySeries

DevelopmentProductionDenmarkNational fund

Dokumentar og kort fiktion, Konsulentordningen (documentary and short fiction consultant scheme)

Det Danske Filminstitut (Danish Film Institute)

The artistic track for Danish documentaries and short fiction, including an idea stage for documentaries that only the director needs to sign.

Applications taken any timeA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyDocumentary, Short

DevelopmentProductionDenmarkNational fund

New Danish Screen

Det Danske Filminstitut (Danish Film Institute)

Debut long films made cheaply, with the talent's voice as the point. A producer and director apply together; a screenwriter joins that team rather than applying alone.

Applications taken any timeA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Documentary

WritingDevelopmentProductionDenmarkNational fund

Spillefilm, Konsulentordningen (feature film consultant scheme)

Det Danske Filminstitut (Danish Film Institute)

Denmark's main route for features judged on their artistic merit.

Applications taken any timeA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature

WritingDevelopmentGermanyRegional fund

Creative Development (exposé, treatment, screenplay)

Film- und Medienstiftung NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia film and media foundation)

A ladder of grants from a five-thousand-euro exposé to a twenty-thousand-euro screenplay, with the first rung open to NRW writers on their own and no producer required.

Screenplay Jan 21, 2027A writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary, Animation

WritingDevelopmentProductionGermanyRegional fund

Drehbuch- und Stoffentwicklung, Projektweiterentwicklung, Produktion (script development, project development, production)

nordmedia, Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen

Lower Saxony and Bremen's fund lets a writer apply for script development money alone, up to EUR 30,000, though the sum is a loan due if the film gets made.

Submission Jan 14, 2027A writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary, Animation, Short

WritingDevelopmentGermanyRegional fund

NEST (development funding for ideas, scripts and concepts)

MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein

NEST replaced the treatment and screenplay schemes in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein in favor of a residency plus tools model: EUR 7,500 for the idea, a week with Le Groupe Ouest, then a…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone or a writer with a producerFeature, Series, Documentary, Animation

WritingDevelopmentProductionGermanyRegional fund

Stoffentwicklung, Projektentwicklung und Produktionsförderung (script development, project development and production)

MV Filmförderung (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern film fund)

A small northeastern fund with an unusual perk: script development is an outright grant of up to EUR 20,000, and a writer can apply with just a producer's letter.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary

WritingGermanyRegional fund

Treatment und Stoffentwicklung (treatment and script development)

HessenFilm und Medien (Hessen film and media fund)

Hessen hands writers a grant for a treatment on a rolling basis and up to EUR 30,000 for a screenplay three times a year, with the writer applying alone if they live in the state.

Script development Nov 24, 2026A writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary

DevelopmentProductionGreeceNational fund

Βασικό Πρόγραμμα: Ανάπτυξη και Παραγωγή (Main Program: Development and Production)

EKKOMED, Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center (formerly the Greek Film Centre)

Greece's core development and production money, applied for by a producer with the writer's contract in the file.

Period B Dec 31, 2026A writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Animation

WritingGreeceNational fund

Βασικό Πρόγραμμα: Γραφή Σεναρίου (Main Program: Screenwriting)

EKKOMED, Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center (formerly the Greek Film Centre)

Greece pays a writer directly to get from idea to first draft: EUR 4,000 to 7,000 against a logline, a 2,000 to 5,000 word treatment and a statement of intent, with the money returned if…

Period B Dec 31, 2026A writer alone or a writer with a producerFeature, Documentary, Animation

WritingGreeceNational fund

Πρόγραμμα Πρώτης Ταινίας: Γραφή Σεναρίου (First Film Program: Screenwriting)

EKKOMED, Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center (formerly the Greek Film Centre)

The same writing grant as the main program, reserved for projects whose director has never made a feature, with twelve months to deliver a first draft or a 2,500 word documentary treatment.

Period B Jan 31, 2027A writer alone or a writer with a producerFeature, Documentary, Animation

WritingDevelopmentHungaryNational fund

Forgatókönyv-fejlesztési pályázat (script development call)

Nemzeti Filmintézet, NFI (National Film Institute Hungary)

Hungary's national money for scripts is on hold.

Not taking applications this cycleA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series

ProductionHungaryNational fund

Inkubátor Program, gyártási pályázat (Incubator Program production call)

Nemzeti Filmintézet, NFI (National Film Institute Hungary)

First features on small budgets: Hungary's Incubator route turns a pitch-forum win into production money, up to HUF 135 million for a feature.

INKU FGY2026 Jan 11, 2027A writer with a producerFeature, Documentary, Animation

WritingIcelandNational fund

Handritsstyrkir (script grants)

Kvikmyndamiðstöð Íslands (Icelandic Film Centre)

Iceland pays for scripts in two stages, a first draft and then its development, each worth up to ISK 1.5 million for features, with a combined ISK 3 million for writers who have done it…

Applications taken any timeA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary

DevelopmentDistributionItalyRegional fundNames no past recipients

Fondo per l'Audiovisivo del Friuli Venezia Giulia (development, training and distribution calls)

The development half of the Friuli Venezia Giulia system: three calls a year for development, distribution and training, run by a fund that also hosts the When East Meets West forum.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary, Animation

WritingDevelopmentNetherlandsInternational fund

Hubert Bals Fund Development Support (Script and Project)

Hubert Bals Fund, International Film Festival Rotterdam

One of the few international grants a writer-director can take alone and spend on writing: research, drafts, translation, a script consultant or a trip to pitch.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone or a writer with a producerFeature

DevelopmentProductionCompletionNetherlandsInternational fund

IDFA Bertha Fund Classic (IBF Classic)

IDFA Bertha Fund, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam

A documentary development grant the director applies for alone, with research, writing and a teaser all allowed costs, from the fund of the world's largest documentary festival.

2027 round Feb 10, 2027A writer alone or a writer with a producerDocumentary

DevelopmentSpainRegional fundNames no past recipients

Subvenciones para el desarrollo de proyectos audiovisuales (audiovisual project development grants)

Basque Government, Department of Culture and Language Policy

Development money for features and series that puts the script first: at least 45 percent of the grant must go to writing the screenplay, 35 percent for animation and documentary.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary, Animation

DevelopmentSwedenNational fundNames no past recipients

Moving Sweden, stöd till utveckling (development support)

Svenska Filminstitutet with SVT (Swedish Film Institute)

A talent scheme run by the Swedish Film Institute and SVT for low budget fiction features (around SEK 12 million) and fiction led hybrids, for directors with a few films behind them but at…

Applications taken any timeA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature

DevelopmentSwedenNational fund

Stöd till utveckling av filmprojekt, dokumentärfilm (development support, documentary)

Svenska Filminstitutet (Swedish Film Institute)

Development money for Swedish documentaries, short and long, judged by a consultant and paid 80 percent on decision.

Applications taken any timeA writer with a producer or a production companyDocumentary

WritingDevelopmentSwedenNational fund

Stöd till utveckling av filmprojekt, lång spelfilm (development support, feature film)

Svenska Filminstitutet (Swedish Film Institute)

The Swedish Film Institute's development money for features, covering synopsis, treatment, drafts, a dramaturg and research.

Applications taken any timeA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature

WritingSwitzerlandRegional fund

Soutien complémentaire à l'écriture (complementary writing support)

Cinéforom, Fondation romande pour le cinéma (the fund of French-speaking Switzerland)

A top-up rather than a competition: when a Romand producer puts its own success credits into paying a writer, Cinéforom adds 60 to 80 percent on top, up to CHF 25,000, with no deadline and…

Applications taken any timeA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Animation

DevelopmentProductionCompletionSwitzerlandFoundation or company fund

Filmfoerderung (documentary film funding)

Ernst Goehner Stiftung

A Swiss family foundation that will pay for the development of a documentary, not just its shoot or finish, as long as the subject is Swiss and the first release is in Switzerland.

Applications taken any timeA writer with a producer or a production companyDocumentary, Animation

ProductionTurkeyNational fund

İlk Uzun Metrajlı Kurgu Film Yapım Desteği (first feature fiction film production support)

T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı, Sinema Genel Müdürlüğü (Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Directorate General of Cinema)

Turkey's debut production line lets the director apply directly, which most production schemes do not.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature

ProductionCompletionDistributionIsraelNational fund

השקעה בהפקת סרטי עלילה באורך מלא (investment in feature film production)

Israel Film Fund (קרן הקולנוע הישראלי)

Israel's largest film fund puts up to ILS 3.5 million into a feature as a recoupable investment, with a lower ILS 1.5 million track for first and second films.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Animation

WritingDevelopmentIsraelNational fund

השקעה בפיתוח סרטים עלילתיים באורך מלא (investment in the development of feature films)

Israel Film Fund (קרן הקולנוע הישראלי)

The country's main feature fund invests in writing from an extended synopsis to a full draft, and a screenwriter can apply without a producer in the general round.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone or a writer with a producerFeature

DevelopmentProductionCompletionIsraelFoundation or company fund

NFCT development, production and post-production grants (documentary)

New Fund for Cinema and TV (הקרן החדשה לקולנוע וטלוויזיה)

The documentary fund of Israel's non-profit sector, backing feature-length documentaries at development, production or post-production, with several reading rounds a year.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producerDocumentary

DevelopmentProductionCompletionIsraelFoundation or company fund

מסלולי ההשקעה של קרן גשר (Gesher Multicultural Film Fund investment tracks)

A ministry-supported fund that invests across fiction, documentary, shorts and drama series, with a development track for scripts, a production track and a completion track.

Next deadline Nov 4, 2026A writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Series, Short

DevelopmentProductionCompletionIsraelFoundation or company fund

פרוייקט הקולנוע הישראלי (the Israel Cinema Project)

Yehoshua Rabinovich Foundation for the Arts

A foundation-run fund supported by the culture ministry, with separate submissions for script and project development, production and completion of features, plus documentary and student…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Short, Animation, Series

DevelopmentProductionCompletionDistributionJordanNational fund

The Jordan Film Fund (JFF)

The Royal Film Commission, Jordan

Jordan's national fund, run on Royal Film Commission money since 2011, pays for developing, shooting, finishing and releasing Jordanian features and documentaries, Arab features as…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Short, Animation

DevelopmentProductionCompletionLebanonInternational fund

AFAC Cinema grants

AFAC, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture

The main independent fund for Arab fiction features, and one a director can apply to alone with a development ask of up to USD 10,000; up to 30 percent of any grant may pay the director's…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone or a writer with a producerFeature, Short

DevelopmentProductionCompletionLebanonInternational fund

AFAC Documentary Film grants

AFAC, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture

AFAC's documentary strand runs on the spring call, two months ahead of the fiction one, with the same ceilings: USD 10,000 to develop a feature documentary, up to 50,000 to shoot it.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone or a writer with a producerDocumentary

DevelopmentProductionCompletionQatarInternational fund

Doha Film Institute Grants Programme

A rare worldwide grant for a first or second feature at the development stage, with real money behind it: up to USD 20,000 to write and package a narrative feature, more later for…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producerFeature, Short, Series, Documentary

DevelopmentProductionCompletionSaudi ArabiaInternational fund

Red Sea Fund

Red Sea Film Foundation

A young fund with deep pockets covering the Arab world, Africa and Asia, with a development window each May for features and series.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary, Animation, Short

ProductionSenegalNational fund

Aide à la production, long métrage (feature production aid)

FOPICA, Fonds de Promotion de l'Industrie Cinématographique et Audiovisuelle (Senegal)

The headline line of Senegal's fund: up to XOF 150 million toward a fiction or animated feature, paid out in four installments over a 24-month convention.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Animation

WritingDevelopmentSenegalNational fund

Aide au développement (development aid)

FOPICA, Fonds de Promotion de l'Industrie Cinématographique et Audiovisuelle (Senegal)

Senegal's state fund has a development line that an author can apply for directly, paying up to XOF 5 million for rewriting, scouting, casting and the hunt for co-producers before a film…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone or a writer with a producerFeature, Documentary, Series, Animation

WritingDevelopmentSouth AfricaNational fund

NFVF Development Funding

NFVF, National Film and Video Foundation (South Africa)

South Africa's national foundation pays for the writing stage itself: research, script editing and drafts for features, shorts, documentaries and TV formats, with a producer fee allowed in…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Short, Documentary, Series

DevelopmentProductionPhilippinesNational fundNames no past recipients

CreatePHFilms Funding Program

FDCP, Film Development Council of the Philippines

The Philippines' film council funds project development and production through CreatePHFilms, and its development fund names Filipino writers among those who may apply, with a concept…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Animation

ProductionSingaporeNational fundNames no past recipients

Media Talent Progression Programme, Content Grants

IMDA, Infocomm Media Development Authority, and the Singapore Film Commission

Singapore folded its old development and production assistance into content grants that pay for production of features and shorts with Singapore talent attached: up to SGD 300,000 for a…

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Short, Series

DevelopmentAustraliaNational fund

Documentary Development Program

Screen Australia

Development money for documentaries headed for cinemas, television or direct-to-audience platforms such as YouTube and VR.

Applications taken any timeA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyDocumentary

DevelopmentAustraliaNational fund

First Nations Documentary Development

Screen Australia, First Nations Department

Treatments, draft scripts, research and sizzle shooting for documentaries by First Nations key creatives, including emerging producers.

Next deadline Jan 14, 2027A writer alone or a writer with a producerDocumentary

WritingDevelopmentAustraliaNational fund

First Nations Feature Development

Screen Australia, First Nations Department

Draft money for feature screenplays by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers with a track record.

Next deadline Jan 14, 2027A writer alone or a writer with a producerFeature

WritingDevelopmentAustraliaNational fund

First Nations TV Drama Development

Screen Australia, First Nations Department

Series bibles, treatments and scripts for telemovies and television drama led by First Nations writers. The series cap of AUD 65,000 is the highest of the department's development strands.

Next deadline Jan 14, 2027A writer alone or a writer with a producerSeries

DevelopmentAustraliaNational fund

Narrative Content Development

Screen Australia

The national agency's one development door for drama and comedy on any platform: cinema features, television and streaming series, and work released straight to online audiences.

Applications taken any timeA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series

DevelopmentAustraliaRegional fund

ABC First Look, Early Development Grant

South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) with the ABC

Early concept money aimed at one buyer: drama, comedy, children's, factual and documentary ideas for the ABC, developed in South Australia from an outline or treatment.

Stage 2 (2026) Nov 13, 2026A writer with a producer or a production companySeries, Documentary, Animation

WritingDevelopmentAustraliaRegional fund

Development Fund

Screen Queensland

Since July 2024 Queensland's development money has been a straight grant with no copyright interest taken, unusual among the Australian state agencies.

Applications taken any timeA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary

WritingDevelopmentAustraliaRegional fund

Development On Demand

VicScreen

Victoria's open-door development scheme for fiction, documentary and VR, with no closing date.

Applications taken any timeA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary

WritingDevelopmentAustraliaRegional fund

Development Program

Screen NSW

New South Wales pays only the NSW spend, so a Sydney-based writer's fee is exactly what it covers.

Applications taken any timeA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary, Animation

ProductionAustraliaRegional fundNames no past recipients

Direct to Audience Production Program (Canberra Screen and Games Fund)

Screen Canberra, for the ACT Government

Grants for Canberra creators who publish their own short-form narrative, comedy, factual or animation online, with two local key creatives and no commission attached.

Next deadline Mar 19, 2027A writer with a producer or a production companySeries, Short, Documentary, Animation

DevelopmentAustraliaRegional fund

Diversity Development Grant

South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC)

A development grant that opens after the first draft and asks for a South Australian writer or director from an underrepresented group, with D/deaf and disabled creatives first in line.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary, Animation

DevelopmentAustraliaRegional fund

Documentary Development Investment Fund

Screenwest

Pitch decks, treatments, sizzle reels and the attaching of producers for Western Australian documentary features, singles, series and large-format work.

Next deadline Dec 21, 2026A writer with a producer or a production companyDocumentary

WritingDevelopmentAustraliaRegional fund

First Nations Project Development Fund

Screenwest

Year-round development money for First Nations writers and producers in Western Australia, covering writers' rooms, new drafts, story developers and casting agents for scripted work, or…

Applications taken any timeA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary

DevelopmentAustraliaRegional fund

Matched Development Investment Fund

Screenwest

Once a broadcaster or distributor puts development money into a Western Australian project, Screenwest can match it within eight weeks of the deal. The investment is repaid on production.

Applications taken any timeA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary

DevelopmentAustraliaRegional fund

Matched Market Development Grant

South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC)

Automatic rather than judged: if a project led from South Australia has development money confirmed from Screen Australia or the market, the SAFC matches it, subject to funds.

Applications taken any timeA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary, Animation

ProductionAustraliaRegional fund

Online Production Grants

Screen Queensland

A rare production grant a solo writer-creator can hold alone: episodic series for YouTube, TikTok or Instagram, or one-off XR, with no IP taken and marketing costs allowed.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companySeries

ProductionAustraliaRegional fundNames no past recipients

Screenability Filmmakers Fund

Screen NSW

A short-film production fund for New South Wales teams led or co-led by a filmmaker with a disability.

Not taking applications this cycleA writer with a producerShort

WritingDevelopmentAustraliaRegional fund

Scripted Concept Development Fund

Screenwest

Small early money, AUD 10,000 at most, to take a long-form idea to market-ready pitch materials in Western Australia.

Next deadline Mar 2, 2027A writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series

DevelopmentAustraliaRegional fund

Scripted Project Development Fund

Screenwest

Development money for Western Australian features and television series that already have real material: outlines, a pilot, a bible or a draft screenplay. Four rounds a year.

Next deadline Nov 2, 2026A writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series

ProductionAustraliaRegional fund

Short Film Fund

Screen Queensland

Grants of up to AUD 50,000 for 5 to 15 minute shorts aimed at cinema screens, with a polished screenplay required at application and no treatments accepted.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producerShort

ProductionAustraliaRegional fundNames no past recipients

TV and Film Production Program (Canberra Screen and Games Fund)

Screen Canberra, for the ACT Government

Canberra's production grant for scripted and unscripted work with a confirmed path to audience, from a commercial half hour upward, paying up to AUD 300,000 without recoupment.

Next deadline Mar 19, 2027A writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary

WritingDevelopmentNew ZealandNational fund

Aotearoa Scripted Series Initiative

NZ On Air with Sky and Dynamic Television

A new co-development fund, announced October 29, 2026, for up to three one-hour New Zealand drama series with international legs.

First call Dec 3, 2026A writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companySeries

DevelopmentProductionNew ZealandNational fund

Diverse Content funding rounds (Ngahau, Whāngai, Kura Pounamu, Mōhiohio, Reo Māori Content Co-Fund)

Te Māngai Pāho (Māori Broadcasting Funding Agency)

The Māori broadcasting agency funds te reo Māori content by language level rather than platform, through themed rounds: Ngahau for entertainment, Whāngai for learners, Mōhiohio for factual…

Ngahau Dec 3, 2026A writer with a producer or a production companySeries, Documentary

WritingDevelopmentNew ZealandNational fund

Feature Film Development Fund

Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga, New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC)

The commission's single development door, folded from the old Early and Advanced schemes, and one a writer can walk through alone.

Applications taken any timeA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Animation

CompletionNew ZealandNational fund

Feature Film Finishing Grant

Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga, New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC)

Finishing money for low-budget New Zealand features made outside the commission's production funding: grading, sound, effects polish and festival costs, once a festival has said yes.

Applications taken any timeA writer with a producer or a production companyFeature, Documentary

ProductionNew ZealandNational fund

He Kauahi, Catalyst Short Film Funding

Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga, New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC)

The commission's short film grant, up to NZD 90,000 for narrative shorts with festival prospects, judged on talent development, critical potential and innovation.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer with a producerShort, Animation