Documentary Development Program
Screen Australia
Development money for documentaries headed for cinemas, television or direct-to-audience platforms such as YouTube and VR.
up toA$30kRepayableany time
National fund Australia, Sydney
First Nations Feature Development
Run by Screen Australia, First Nations Department
Draft money for feature screenplays by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers with a track record. The writer can apply alone for the first two tranches, and the budget may pay a story consultant as well as the writer. Four deadlines a year keep the wait to about six weeks.
Grant up to A$45,000Open to writers in AustraliaA writer alone or a writer with a producer
Next deadline Jan 14, 2027 (closes in 74 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 A$45,000Up to AUD 30,000 for a writer or writer-director alone, up to AUD 45,000 with a producer attached
- What it is
- Grant
- To apply
- Free
Who can apply
- Applicant
- A writer alone or a writer with a producer
- Where you write
- In Australia
- Rules
- Writers who are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and hold at least three eligible drama writing credits; an attached director has to meet the same bar. Without a producer, a writer can take no more than two tranches. When a First Nations writer and a non-Indigenous writer share the script, the idea has to originate with the First Nations writer.
- Stages
- Writing and development
- Formats
- Feature
- Language of the application
- English
When to apply
The next closing date is Jan 14, 2027. The dates below are the current cycle's, as the funder states them. Deadlines fall at 5pm Sydney time; decisions take about six weeks
| Round | Closes |
|---|---|
| Round | Jan 14, 2027 |
| Round | Mar 11, 2027 |
| Round | May 6, 2027 |
Dates are as the funder states them. Check the time of day and the time zone on the official page.
Also open to writers in Australia
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…
up toA$500kInvestmentcloses in 95 days
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.
up toA$30kGrantcloses in 74 days
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.
VariesInvestmentany time
More writing grants elsewhere
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
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.
range$2.5kGrantbetween 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.