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
Regional fund United States, Saint Paul
Minnesota Film Production Grant
Run by 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. Minnesota directors can also ask for up to USD 10,000 to design their own mentorship around a specific project.
Grant up to $30,000Open to writers in United StatesA writer with a producer
Next deadline Nov 24, 2026 (closes in 23 days)
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 $30,000Up to USD 30,000 toward production; a separate Minnesota Filmmaker Mentorship Grant pays up to USD 10,000 for a self-designed mentorship
- What it is
- Grant
- To apply
- Free
Who can apply
- Applicant
- A writer with a producer
- Where you write
- In United States
- Rules
- Early career directors based in Minnesota who have completed two films and screened at least one publicly, originated the idea themselves, hold the copyright and keep editorial control. Only directors may apply; for fiction the applicant is the writer-director.
- Stages
- Production
- Formats
- Feature, Short, Documentary, Animation
- Language of the application
- English
When to apply
The next closing date is Nov 24, 2026. The dates below are the current cycle's, as the funder states them. Step 1 closed October 1, 2026; eligible applicants were invited to Step 2, due November 24, 2026, with decisions by March 31, 2027 for a grant period of May 2027 to April 2029.
| Round | Closes |
|---|---|
| Step 2 (invited applicants) | Nov 24, 2026 |
Dates are as the funder states them. Check the time of day and the time zone on the official page.
What it gives besides money
Webinars on the application and work samples, staff appointments during Step 2, and the companion mentorship grant for directors who want to study with a chosen mentor.
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.