Funds a screenwriter can apply to alone

Funds that take an application from the writer, with no producer or company attached. The money is usually for writing or early development, and the application is a sample, a synopsis or treatment and a statement about the project.

139 listed.

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

WritingUnited StatesRegional fund

NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship

New York Foundation for the Arts, with the New York State Council on the Arts

An unrestricted USD 8,000 for the artist rather than the project, awarded by peer panels in rotating disciplines.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneFeature, Short, Documentary

range$8kGrantbetween rounds

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

range$30kGrantbetween rounds

DevelopmentProductionUnited StatesFoundation or company fund

Creative Capital Award

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.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneFeature, Short, Documentary

up to$50kGrantbetween rounds

WritingUnited StatesFoundation or company fund

Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting

the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

The best known paid year of writing in American film: a USD 35,000 stipend to finish a new feature screenplay, open to unproduced writers anywhere in the world.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneFeature

range$35kGrantbetween rounds

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

range$3.5kGrant or repayablebetween rounds

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

up to$25kGrantbetween rounds

WritingDevelopmentCanadaNational fund

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.

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

up toCA$40kGrantbetween rounds

WritingDevelopmentProductionCanadaNational fund

Explore and Create: Artistic Creation

Canada Council for the Arts

Since 2026 the Council's Artistic Creation grant stands in for two retired components, Concept to Realization and Research and Creation, and it is the arts council route for a screenwriter…

Applications taken any timeA writer aloneFeature, Short, Documentary, Animation

VariesGrantany time

CompletionCanadaNational fundNames no past recipients

Filmmaker Assistance Program (FAP)

National Film Board of Canada

Not cash for writing but help finishing a film: the NFB reimburses post-production bills or opens its own Montreal suites to independent English-language filmmakers.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneDocumentary, Short, Animation

up toCA$15kStipend or servicesbetween rounds

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

up toCA$750kGrantcloses in 24 days

WritingDevelopmentCanadaRegional fund

Create

Manitoba Arts Council

A general creation grant open to every discipline, so a Manitoba screenwriter applies as a writer or media artist for time to write or to develop a work in progress.

Spring 2027 intake Mar 20, 2027A writer aloneFeature, Short, Documentary

up toCA$15kGrantcloses in 139 days

WritingDevelopmentProductionCompletionCanadaRegional fundNames no past recipients

Film and Video Individual Project Funding

Alberta Foundation for the Arts

Script or screenplay writing is named on the page as a phase this grant can pay for, which makes it one of the few provincial grants a screenwriter can take to the page stage alone.

Spring 2027 round Mar 1, 2027A writer aloneFeature, Short, Documentary, Animation

up toCA$18kGrantcloses in 120 days

WritingDevelopmentCanadaRegional fund

Grants to Individuals: Create

Arts Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia pays its artists to make new work across every discipline, media and literary arts included, and accepts script samples as support material.

November intake Nov 15, 2026A writer aloneFeature, Short, Documentary

up toCA$15kGrantcloses in 14 days

WritingDevelopmentProductionCanadaRegional fund

Independent Artists program (Creation grants)

SK Arts (Saskatchewan Arts Board)

Writing a script is an eligible creation project in Saskatchewan when the filmmaker who will direct it is the applicant; the guidelines use exactly that case as an example.

Spring intake Mar 15, 2027A writer aloneShort, Feature, Documentary

up toCA$18kGrantcloses in 134 days

ProductionCanadaInternational fund

Alter-Ciné Foundation documentary film grants

A small Montreal foundation, named for the documentary maker Yvan Patry, that has given about 90 grants since 2001 to filmmakers from the global South making documentaries about rights and…

Annual deadline Aug 15, 2027A writer aloneDocumentary

rangeCA$10kGrantcloses in 287 days

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

rangeCA$60kGrantbetween rounds

ProductionCanadaFoundation or company fund

TELUS STORYHIVE

TELUS (TELUS Local Content)

A cable company's community fund for people in British Columbia and Alberta who have never worked in broadcasting: grants of CAD 10,000 to 20,000 for a short documentary series, a digital…

Video Podcasts 2027 Dec 10, 2026A writer aloneDocumentary, Short

rangeCA$20kGrantcloses in 39 days

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

up toCLP8MGrantbetween rounds

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

VariesGrantbetween rounds

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

VariesGrantcloses in 9 days

WritingIrelandNational fundNames no past recipients

Agility Award

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon (Ireland)

A first-rung grant for artists the Arts Council has never funded as individuals, to develop their practice, work or skills.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone

up to€5kGrantbetween rounds

ProductionIrelandNational fundNames no past recipients

Authored Works

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon (Ireland)

The largest of the Arts Council's film awards, for a feature-length film driven by its author's vision rather than a market.

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

up to€230kGrantbetween rounds

WritingDevelopmentProductionIrelandNational fundNames no past recipients

Film Project Award

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon (Ireland)

The Arts Council's project grant for film as an art form, open to an individual filmmaker as much as to a company, with a ceiling of ninety thousand euro.

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

up to€90kGrantbetween rounds

ProductionIrelandNational fundNames no past recipients

Reel Art

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon (Ireland)

A documentary grant with an unusual brief: imaginative, experimental films about the arts, made for cinemas and judged as artworks. Individual filmmakers may apply directly.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone or a production companyDocumentary

up to€120kGrantbetween rounds

WritingIrelandNational fund

Screenplay Development Loans (Established Talent)

Screen Ireland / Fís Éireann

Ireland's writer-only development loan: a produced screenwriter takes an idea to a first draft with a script editor, and a producer attached makes the application ineligible.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneFeature, Animation

up to€20kRepayablebetween rounds

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

up to£25kGrantbetween rounds

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

range£5kGrantcloses in 10 days

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

up to£25kGrant or repayablecloses in 93 days

DevelopmentProductionUnited KingdomRegional fund

Film Development and Production Fund

Screen Scotland (Creative Scotland), National Lottery and Scottish Government

Scotland's main film fund, in two routes.

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

range£500kGrant or repayableany time

WritingDevelopmentUnited KingdomRegional fundNames no past recipients

First Features (Short Circuit)

Screen Scotland and BFI NETWORK, delivered by Film City Futures with Glasgow Film

Development money for a first feature script in Scotland, paid to the writer rather than a company.

Applications taken any timeA writer aloneFeature

up to£20kGrantany time

WritingDevelopmentUnited KingdomRegional fund

New Writer Focus

Northern Ireland Screen

Northern Ireland Screen's only door for an individual writer: up to four first-time feature writers a year join an eight-month development scheme and can then claim a small individual award.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneFeature

up to£2.3kGrantbetween rounds

WritingUnited KingdomRegional fund

Open Fund for Individuals

Creative Scotland, National Lottery and Scottish Government

Creative Scotland's general grant for individual artists and writers, paying for a period of research, development or making, with the applicant's own time an allowed cost.

Applications taken any timeA writer aloneFeature, Series, Short, Documentary, Animation

range£50kGrantany time

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

up to£40kGrantbetween rounds

WritingDevelopmentUnited KingdomRegional fundNames no past recipients

WRITE NOW early stage development documentary fund

Scottish Documentary Institute

A small grant for the writing phase of a first or second feature documentary by a director based in Scotland, before there is anything to shoot.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneDocumentary

up to£3kGrantbetween rounds

WritingAustriaNational fund

Arbeitsstipendium Film (working stipend for a film concept)

BMWKMS, Bundesministerium für Wohnen, Kunst, Kultur, Medien und Sport, Filmabteilung (Austrian federal ministry for arts and culture, film department)

For the stage before a project can even apply for development: a few months of paid time to turn a rough idea into a treatment or concept.

Submission by 23:59 Jan 31, 2027A writer aloneFeature, Documentary, Animation

range€4.5kGrantcloses in 91 days

WritingAustriaNational fund

Förderung von Drehbüchern (screenplay funding, innovative film)

BMWKMS, Bundesministerium für Wohnen, Kunst, Kultur, Medien und Sport, Filmabteilung (Austrian federal ministry for arts and culture, film department)

The federal arts ministry's screenplay stipend for the independent, low-budget end of Austrian cinema: features whose production the same department might later fund.

Submission by 23:59 Jan 31, 2027A writer aloneFeature

up to€15kGrantcloses in 91 days

ProductionAustriaNational fund

Herstellung innovativer Filme (production of innovative films)

BMWKMS, Bundesministerium für Wohnen, Kunst, Kultur, Medien und Sport, Filmabteilung (Austrian federal ministry for arts and culture, film department)

Production grants for the small, uncommercial film that the ÖFI would not fund: shorts, experimental and avant-garde work, documentaries and features under EUR 750,000.

Submission Jan 31, 2027A writer alone or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Animation, Short

up to€120kGrantcloses in 91 days

DevelopmentAustriaNational fund

Projektentwicklung (project development, innovative film)

BMWKMS, Bundesministerium für Wohnen, Kunst, Kultur, Medien und Sport, Filmabteilung (Austrian federal ministry for arts and culture, film department)

Development grants from the arts ministry for the experimental and documentary side of Austrian film, where an individual filmmaker can apply without a company.

Submission Jan 31, 2027A writer alone or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Animation

up to€25kGrantcloses in 91 days

WritingAustriaNational fund

Stoffentwicklung (script and concept development)

ÖFI, Österreichisches Filminstitut (Austrian Film Institute)

Austria's national script grant for cinema features and documentary concepts, paid directly to the writer and exempt from income tax.

Submission by 17:00 Nov 24, 2026A writer alone or a production companyFeature, Documentary

up to€15kGrantcloses in 23 days

WritingAustriaRegional fundNames no past recipients

Arbeitsstipendium Film (working stipend for story development)

Land Niederösterreich, Abteilung Kunst und Kultur (Lower Austria regional government, arts and culture department)

Lower Austria pays four filmmakers EUR 6,000 each for a year of idea and story work: research, treatment, storyboard, shooting concept or screenplay, in any genre.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneFeature, Documentary, Animation

range€6kGrantbetween rounds

DevelopmentProductionDistributionAustriaRegional fundNames no past recipients

Filmförderung des Landes Niederösterreich (Lower Austria film funding: artistic film and cinema production)

Land Niederösterreich, Abteilung Kunst und Kultur (Lower Austria regional government, arts and culture department)

A state fund in two parts: grants for commercially difficult artistic films by Lower Austrians, taken year-round, and top-up grants for cinema features and documentaries that shoot in the…

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

VariesGrantany time

DevelopmentProductionDistributionAustriaRegional fundNames no past recipients

Oberösterreichische Filmförderung (Upper Austria cultural film funding)

Land Oberösterreich, Direktion Kultur und Gesellschaft (Upper Austria regional government, culture department)

Upper Austria funds development, production or release of artistic films by people who live in the state, with a treatment and synopsis enough to apply.

Next deadline Nov 30, 2026A writer alone or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Short, Animation, Series

VariesGrantcloses in 29 days

WritingBelgiumNational fund

Aide à l'écriture, longs métrages de fiction et d'animation (feature writing aid)

Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles

French-speaking Belgium's writing aid for features pays a screenwriter up to EUR 15,000 and takes the application from the writer directly, with EEA nationals eligible alongside Belgians.

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

up to€15kGrantbetween rounds

WritingDevelopmentProductionBelgiumNational fund

Aides aux documentaires de création (creative documentary aid: writing, development, production)

Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles

A full ladder for documentary in French-speaking Belgium, from EUR 10,000 to write a film through development to production grants that top out at EUR 120,000 for a series.

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

up to€120kGrantbetween rounds

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

range€15kGrantcloses in 16 days

WritingProductionBosnia and HerzegovinaNational fund

Konkurs za sufinansiranje filmskih projekata (co-financing of film projects: screenplay development, production, minority co-productions)

Fondacija za kinematografiju Sarajevo (Cinematography Foundation, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Bosnia's federal film foundation runs one call a year that bundles everything, from a small screenplay development line a writer can claim as a natural person (BAM 3,000 to 6,000) to…

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

rangeBAM600kGrantbetween rounds

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

VariesGrantbetween rounds

WritingDenmarkNational fund

Arbejdslegater for film (working grants for film)

Statens Kunstfond (Danish Arts Foundation)

A personal grant from the Danish state's arts foundation for the artist's own practice, not for a particular film's budget. It pays for time to work, which for a writer means time to write.

Next deadline Feb 2, 2027A writer aloneFeature, Series, Short, Documentary, Animation

VariesGrantcloses in 93 days

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

VariesGrantany time

WritingDevelopmentProductionEstoniaNational fund

Audiovisuaalse kunsti sihtkapital (Endowment for Audiovisual Arts)

Eesti Kultuurkapital (Cultural Endowment of Estonia)

Estonia's second film funder, financed by excise taxes and run as an endowment with four deadlines a year.

Next deadline Nov 20, 2026A writer alone or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Short, Animation

up to€200kGrantcloses in 19 days

WritingEstoniaNational fund

Täispika filmi stsenaariumi arendus (feature film script development)

Eesti Filmi Instituut (Estonian Film Institute)

Estonia's script money comes in small steps: a treatment round, then stage I and stage II of script development at up to EUR 5,000 each, applied for by the writer's company or a producer.

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

up to€5kGrantbetween rounds

WritingProductionFinlandNational fund

AVEK käsikirjoitustuki ja kohdeapuraha (script grant and target grant for individuals)

AVEK, Audiovisuaalisen kulttuurin edistämiskeskus (Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture), part of Kopiosto

Small, fast and personal: AVEK pays a writer EUR 3,500 to plan and write a documentary, short fiction, short animation or media art piece, with no company and no deadline.

Applications taken any timeA writer aloneDocumentary, Short, Animation

range€7kGrantany time

WritingFinlandNational fund

Käsikirjoitusapuraha (scriptwriting grant)

Suomen elokuvasäätiö (Finnish Film Foundation)

Finland pays its screenwriters a monthly allowance to write: EUR 2,000 a month for up to a year, with no producer or company needed.

Fiction and documentary Jan 13, 2027A writer aloneFeature, Series, Short, Documentary, Animation

up to€24kGrantcloses in 73 days

WritingDevelopmentFinlandFoundation or company fund

General grant call (working grants for artists)

Kone Foundation (Koneen Saatio)

Finland's largest private arts funder pays artists a monthly grant to work in peace, from six months to three years, and says yes to every art form, so a screenwriter applies on the…

Annual call closes Sep 15, 2027A writer aloneFeature, Short, Documentary

VariesGrantcloses in 318 days

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

ProductionFranceNational fund

Avance sur recettes avant réalisation (advance on receipts before production)

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

The oldest selective aid in French cinema, created in 1960, and still the one that gets first features financed.

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

VariesRepayablebetween rounds

WritingDevelopmentFranceNational fund

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

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.

Writing Nov 2, 2026A writer alone or a production companyDocumentary

from€10kGrantcloses tomorrow

WritingDevelopmentProductionDistributionFranceNational fund

Fonds Images de la diversité (Images of Diversity fund)

CNC, Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, with the Agence nationale de la cohésion des territoires

A fund for stories about the France that mainstream screens miss, reformed in April 2026.

Next deadline Jan 4, 2027A writer alone or a production companyFeature, Series, Short, Documentary, Animation

from€10kGrantcloses in 64 days

WritingFranceRegional fundNames no past recipients

Aide à l'écriture de scénario, Cinéma et Audiovisuel (screenplay writing aid)

Région Île-de-France

The largest French regional writing bursary, paying an author EUR 8,000 to EUR 18,000 plus pitch coaching, in exchange for running a workshop with students.

Not taking applications this cycleA writer aloneFeature, Short, Series, Documentary, Animation

range€18kGrantpaused

WritingFranceRegional fundNames no past recipients

Aide au concept (concept aid for authors)

Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine

A small, early grant for the stage before a treatment exists: research, interviews, location visits.

Filing deadline Dec 8, 2026A writer aloneFeature, Short, Series, Documentary, Animation

up to€5kGrantcloses in 37 days

WritingDevelopmentProductionFranceRegional fund

Fonds de soutien à la création et à la production pour le cinéma et l'audiovisuel (film and audiovisual support fund)

Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, run with ALCA (the regional book, film and audiovisual agency)

One of the biggest regional funds in France, covering writing, development and production for cinema and television across six genre committees.

Next deadline Jan 11, 2027A writer alone or a production companyFeature, Short, Series, Documentary, Animation

VariesGrantcloses in 71 days

WritingFranceFoundation or company fund

Bourse d'écriture télévision (television writing bursary)

Association Beaumarchais-SACD

The television twin of the Beaumarchais feature bursary: EUR 5,000 to an emerging writer for an original series or single drama in French, with web series welcome.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneSeries

range€5kGrantbetween rounds

DevelopmentGermanyNational fund

Jurybasierte kulturelle Projektentwicklungsförderung (jury-based project development funding)

FFA, Filmförderungsanstalt (German Federal Film Board)

Development money for the stage after the script: rights, further drafts, casting, budgeting. A production company applies, except in documentary, where writers and directors may come alone.

Next deadline Dec 15, 2026A production company or a writer aloneFeature, Documentary, Animation

up to€100kGrantcloses in 44 days

WritingGermanyNational fund

Stipendium Stoffentwicklung (story development stipend, Talentfilm)

Kuratorium junger deutscher Film (foundation for young German film)

Germany's talent fund pays a writer up to EUR 25,000 to develop an original idea from research to script over ten months, with a dramaturg attached.

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

up to€25kRepayablebetween rounds

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

range€70kGrantcloses in 81 days

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

up to€30kRepayablecloses in 74 days

WritingGermanyRegional fund

Drehbuchförderung (screenplay funding)

MFG Baden-Württemberg, Filmförderung (Baden-Württemberg film fund)

Baden-Württemberg's script line takes a writer's own application for a fiction feature, while documentaries and series need a company.

Submission Nov 3, 2026A writer alone or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary

VariesRepayablecloses in 2 days

DevelopmentGermanyRegional fund

Gerd Ruge Stipendium (documentary development stipend)

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

Since 2002 this NRW stipend has paid young documentary makers to develop a cinema feature before any producer is attached: a treatment, research trips, a visual concept.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneDocumentary

up to€100kGrantbetween rounds

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

range€150kGrantbetween rounds

WritingGermanyRegional fund

Stoffentwicklung und Treatmentförderung (script and treatment funding)

FFF Bayern, FilmFernsehFonds Bayern (Bavarian film and television fund)

Bavaria pays a fixed EUR 30,000 for a feature or series screenplay, and a writer can apply directly as long as a Bavarian producer signs a letter of intent.

Window closes Jan 25, 2027A writer alone or a production companyFeature, Series, Documentary

up to€30kGrantcloses in 85 days

WritingDevelopmentProductionGermanyRegional fund

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

MDM, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (central German media fund for Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia)

Central Germany funds a writer's screenplay, series concept or storyworld with a loan of up to EUR 25,000, rising to EUR 30,000 through a company, then project development and production…

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

up to€30kRepayablebetween rounds

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

up to€250kGrant or repayablebetween rounds

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

up to€30kGrantcloses in 23 days

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

range€7kGrantcloses in 60 days

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

range€7kGrantcloses in 91 days

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

up toISK3MGrantany time

WritingDevelopmentProductionLatviaNational fund

Filmu māksla, regulārais projektu konkurss (film art, regular project competition)

Valsts kultūrkapitāla fonds, VKKF (State Culture Capital Foundation)

Latvia's arts foundation runs three open competitions a year, with film as one sector.

Next deadline Jan 22, 2027A writer alone or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Animation, Short

VariesGrantcloses in 82 days

WritingDevelopmentLithuaniaNational fund

Scenarijaus kūrimo ir projektų vystymo darbai (script writing and project development)

Lietuvos kino centras (Lithuanian Film Centre)

Lithuania's state film money for the stages before shooting, from writing a feature or animated feature script to developing documentaries, series, interactive work and debut films.

Autumn 2026 call Dec 1, 2026A writer alone or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Animation, Short, Series

VariesGrantcloses in 30 days

WritingLuxembourgNational fund

Aide aux auteurs, AUT (authors' writing aid)

Film Fund Luxembourg (Fonds national de soutien à la production audiovisuelle), with the Centre national de l'audiovisuel

Luxembourg's grant for a writer working alone: up to EUR 10,000 and two workshops to get a first full draft of a feature or series, without a company attached and with nothing to repay.

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

up to€10kGrantbetween rounds

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

up to€10kGrantbetween rounds

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

up to€25kGrantcloses in 101 days

ProductionNorwayNational fund

Fond for lyd og bilde, Film (Fund for Sound and Image, film scheme)

Kulturdirektoratet (Arts Council Norway) on behalf of Fond for lyd og bilde

A rights holders' fund, financed as compensation for private copying, that pays for short films, documentaries, music videos, art film and text work tied to film projects.

Spring round Feb 2, 2027A writer alone or a production companyShort, Documentary

VariesGrantcloses in 93 days

WritingNorwayNational fund

Idé- og manusutvikling dokumentar (idea and script development, documentary)

Norsk filminstitutt (Norwegian Film Institute)

The documentary twin of NFI's fiction script grant: a single payment of NOK 100,000 or 150,000 to a writer or director for the idea and script stage of a documentary.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneDocumentary

rangeNOK150kGrantbetween rounds

WritingNorwayNational fund

Manusutvikling fiksjon (script development, fiction)

Norsk filminstitutt (Norwegian Film Institute)

Fixed sums paid straight to the writer to take a feature or series from idea to treatment and on to a revised first draft, with no producer required.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneFeature, Series

rangeNOK250kGrantbetween rounds

WritingDevelopmentSloveniaNational fund

Javni razpis za sofinanciranje razvoja slovenskih igranih filmskih projektov (development of Slovenian fiction film projects: script and project development)

Slovenski filmski center (Slovenian Film Centre)

Slovenia splits development in two: a script strand a self-employed screenwriter can enter directly, worth up to EUR 20,000, and a project strand for producers worth up to EUR 40,000.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone or a production companyFeature

up to€40kGrantbetween rounds

WritingSpainNational fund

Ayudas para la escritura de guiones de largometrajes (feature screenplay writing grants)

ICAA, Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (Spanish Ministry of Culture)

The one Spanish grant a screenwriter applies to with no producer: a fixed EUR 30,000 (EUR 20,000 for documentary) to write a feature, judged anonymously on a treatment and sample.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneFeature, Documentary, Animation

range€30kGrantbetween rounds

ProductionSpainRegional fund

Ayudas a la producción de largometrajes y de cortometrajes (feature and short production aid)

Comunidad de Madrid, Consejería de Cultura, Turismo y Deporte

Madrid's two production lines share a logic: the region backs films made by companies rooted there, and for shorts an individual with Madrid tax residence can apply alone.

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

up to€300kGrantbetween rounds

WritingDevelopmentSpainRegional fund

Subvenciones a la escritura de guion y al desarrollo de proyectos (screenplay writing and project development grants)

Institut Valencià de Cultura, IVC (Generalitat Valenciana)

Valencia pays a writer EUR 9,600 to draft a feature, miniseries, documentary or animated script, read anonymously as a treatment, a note of intent and a five-minute sample.

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

range€25kGrantbetween rounds

ProductionSpainRegional fund

Subvencións á creación audiovisual para o desenvolvemento e a promoción do talento audiovisual galego (Galician talent grants)

AGADIC, Axencia Galega das Industrias Culturais (Xunta de Galicia)

The entry door for a new Galician filmmaker: an individual can apply alone for a short before shooting, with no company, and a producer can apply for a first feature.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer alone or a production companyShort, Feature

VariesGrantbetween rounds

DevelopmentProductionSwedenRegional fund

Film i Skåne, utveckling och samproduktion (development and co-production)

Region Skåne's film company, where a screenwriter with a small firm can apply for feature development on their own, up to SEK 50,000 as a first step.

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

up toSEK50kInvestmentany time

WritingDevelopmentProductionSwitzerlandNational fundNames no past recipients

Selektive Filmförderung: Drehbuch, Projektentwicklung, Herstellung (federal selective film funding)

Bundesamt für Kultur, BAK / Office fédéral de la culture (Swiss Federal Office of Culture)

Switzerland's federal money, with a CHF 30,000 screenplay grant at the writing end and production grants that reach CHF 1.2 million.

First 2027 deadline Mar 1, 2027A writer alone or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Animation, Short

up toCHF1.2MGrantcloses in 120 days

WritingDevelopmentProductionDistributionSwitzerlandRegional fund

Berner Filmförderung: Entwicklungsförderung Stufe 1 und 2, Produktionsförderung (Bern film funding)

Kanton Bern, Amt für Kultur (canton of Bern)

A cantonal fund with a writer-first first step: a Bern author gets CHF 5,000 or CHF 10,000 to write a treatment, paid out as soon as it is granted, then up to CHF 30,000 for the script.

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

rangeCHF750kGrantbetween rounds

WritingDevelopmentProductionDistributionSwitzerlandRegional fund

Zürcher Filmstiftung: Werkbeitrag, Projektentwicklung, Herstellung (Zurich Film Foundation)

Zürcher Filmstiftung (Zurich Film Foundation)

The richest regional fund in Switzerland treats the writer as an applicant in their own right: a CHF 30,000 stipend tied to the person rather than a project, and development money an…

Fiction and animation Jan 11, 2027A writer alone or a production companyFeature, Documentary, Animation, Short, Series

up toCHF1MGrant or repayablecloses in 71 days

WritingTurkeyNational fund

Senaryo ve Diyalog Yazımı Desteği (screenplay and dialogue writing support)

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

Turkey's national script grant goes to the writer alone, filed through the state e-government portal.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneFeature

VariesGrantbetween rounds

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

up to$50kGrantbetween rounds

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

up to$50kGrantbetween rounds

ProductionCompletionLebanonFoundation or company fundNames no past recipients

Production Awards (cinema)

Culture Resource (Al Mawred Al Thaqafy)

A first-film grant for young Arab directors, paid for the production or finishing of a short, medium or feature film, fiction or documentary.

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

up to€13kGrantbetween rounds

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

up toFCFA5MGrantbetween rounds

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

VariesGrantbetween rounds

WritingSouth KoreaInternational fund

Asian Cinema Fund Script Development Fund

Busan International Film Festival

A true script grant: KRW 10 million to finish a first or second feature screenplay, applied for by the writer-director with a five to ten page treatment and no producer required.

Next dates not yet publishedA writer aloneFeature

range₩10MGrantbetween rounds

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

up toA$30kRepayableany time

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

up toA$30kGrantcloses in 74 days

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

up toA$45kGrantcloses in 74 days

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

up toA$65kGrantcloses in 74 days

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

rangeA$50kGrantany time

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

up toA$50kGrantany time

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

up toA$50kRepayableany time

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

up toA$50kRepayableany time

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

up toA$35kRepayableany time

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

rangeA$100kGrantbetween rounds

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

up toA$10kGrantcloses in 121 days

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

up toA$35kRepayablecloses tomorrow

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

up toNZ$75kGrantcloses in 32 days

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

up toNZ$35kGrantany time

Also useful