AFS Grant
Austin Film Society
Texas filmmakers have their own state fund: cash for features and shorts in production or post, with camera and finishing packages on top.
up to$20kGrantbetween rounds
Broadcaster United States, San Francisco
Open Call
Run by 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. It is not a grant: ITVS licenses the public media rights in return. Between calls the page sits closed, so the thing to do is join the mailing list and have a project in production when it opens.
Investment, up to $400,000Open to writers in United StatesA writer with a producer or a production company
Not taking applications this cycle
That closing date has passed. We check the funder's page every day and add the next dates once they are published.
The money
- Amount
- Up to $400,000Up to USD 400,000 for a feature and up to USD 50,000 for a stand-alone short, paid under a co-production agreement that licenses public media broadcast and streaming rights for a term
- What it is
- InvestmentThe fund takes a share of the film and recoups from its earnings.
- To apply
- Free
Who can apply
- Applicant
- A writer with a producer or a production company
- Where you write
- In United States
- Rules
- Independent producers of a single nonfiction film of 10 to 90 minutes that is already in production or post-production; series, pilots and projects still in development are sent elsewhere. The filmmaker keeps copyright and editorial control. Residency terms were not on the page while the call was closed.
- Stages
- Production and completion
- Formats
- Documentary, Short
- Language of the application
- English
When to apply
The fund is not taking applications this cycle. We check its page every day and will list the next call when it is published. Marked not currently accepting applications when checked; ITVS runs it as a periodic call.
What it gives besides money
Co-production support and story feedback from ITVS, then a route to PBS and other public media outlets as the film nears completion.
Also open to writers in United States
Arts Innovator Award
Artist Trust
Two Washington artists a year receive USD 25,000 for pushing at the edges of their field, with no project report attached.
range$25kGrantbetween rounds
Creative Accelerator Fund
Illinois Arts Council
Illinois pays working artists USD 10,000 by lottery rather than by jury: show an active practice with two work samples and the state lottery draws the winners region by region.
range$10kGrantbetween rounds
Fellowship Awards
Artist Trust
Washington State's merit award for working artists: USD 10,000 with no strings, judged on the body of work rather than a project.
range$10kGrantcloses tomorrow
More production funding elsewhere
CMF Indigenous Development, Predevelopment and Production Programs (administered by the ISO)
Indigenous Screen Office with the Canada Media Fund
The Canada Media Fund's Indigenous money is handed to the Indigenous Screen Office to run, with higher contribution rates than the general programs: up to 84 percent of a predevelopment…
up toCA$750kGrant or repayablebetween rounds
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…
VariesGrantany time
Indigenous Funding streams
Telefilm Canada
Three ring-fenced streams inside Telefilm's feature programs: development, production and a Talent to Watch component for a first micro-budget feature.
VariesGrant or repayablecloses in 100 days
POV Program
Canada Media Fund
Single, authored documentaries have a selective CMF round of their own, in English and in French, each spring.
VariesGrant or repayablebetween rounds
Also useful
Fellowships and labsPrograms that pick a few writers and work with them for months, on the events pages.Where Creative Europe's development money goesEvery MEDIA development grant since 2014, by country, company and year.How to write a treatmentThe document a development application is built on, step by step.Screenwriting eventsContests, labs, festivals and conferences, with their deadlines.