National fund Australia, Sydney

Documentary Development Program

Run by Screen Australia

Development money for documentaries headed for cinemas, television or direct-to-audience platforms such as YouTube and VR. It pays for research, treatments and sizzle material before a commission exists. The money comes back to Screen Australia only if the film is made, with or without its production funding.

Repayable, up to A$30,000Open to writers in AustraliaA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production company

Applications taken any time

The money

Amount
Up to A$30,000Up to AUD 30,000 per application, paid back if the film goes into production
What it is
RepayableA loan, an advance on receipts or a conditionally repayable grant: it is paid back only out of what the film earns.
To apply
Free

Who can apply

Applicant
A writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production company
Where you write
In Australia
Rules
Open to Australian citizens and permanent residents, applying alone or together, and to companies that are incorporated in Australia and controlled from there. Applicants need an ABN. Both the writer and the director of the documentary have to hold Australian citizenship or permanent residency, unless the project is set up as an official co-production.
Stages
Development
Formats
Documentary
Language of the application
English

When to apply

Applications are taken at any time; decisions follow in the fund's own rhythm. Always open; a decision follows within eight weeks of the file moving to assessment

Also open to writers in Australia

See every fund for Australia

ProductionCompletionAustraliaNational fund

Documentary Production Program

Screen Australia

Three lanes for documentary production: Producer First for films still closing finance, Platform First for commissioned programs, and Direct-to-Audience for work released on YouTube…

Next deadline Feb 4, 2027A production companyDocumentary

up toA$500kInvestmentcloses in 95 days

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

ProductionCompletionAustraliaNational fund

First Nations Feature Production Fund

Screen Australia, First Nations Department

Production and post-production investment for low-budget features written and directed by First Nations filmmakers.

Applications taken any timeA production companyFeature

VariesInvestmentany time

More development funding elsewhere

See all development funding

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

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

up to$10kGrantpaused

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

range$100kInvestmentbetween 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

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.