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
Regional fund Australia, Sydney
Development Program
Run by Screen NSW
New South Wales pays only the NSW spend, so a Sydney-based writer's fee is exactly what it covers. Caps rise with market interest, from AUD 25,000 for an unattached feature to 50,000 with co-finance. The money is an investment, repaid from the production budget if the project is made and written off if it is not.
Repayable, up to A$50,000Open to writers in AustraliaA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production company
Applications taken any time
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$50,000Up to AUD 50,000; a fiction feature or series gets AUD 25,000 without market interest, 35,000 with a letter of interest, 50,000 with market co-finance; documentary caps run AUD 15,000 to 35,000
- 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
- Writers, directors and producers who are Australian residents or citizens and hold the rights. Either the applicant or one of the key creatives needs a credit on a project that qualifies. A writer may apply alone for early-stage work; advanced materials need a producer. A producer based outside NSW has to bring in a writer who lives in NSW.
- Stages
- Writing and development
- Formats
- Feature, Series, Documentary, Animation
- Language of the application
- English
When to apply
Applications are taken at any time; decisions follow in the fund's own rhythm. Open all financial year, July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027; outcomes 8 to 10 weeks after a complete application
What it gives besides money
Information sessions and webinars, and a feedback session for unsuccessful applicants on request.
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 Development
Screen Australia, First Nations Department
Draft money for feature screenplays by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers with a track record.
up toA$45kGrantcloses in 74 days
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.