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
Production Fund (Production Finance Fund and Regional Filming Fund)
Run by Screen NSW
The state's production money is a grant, not equity: Screen NSW cash-flows it and the producer keeps ownership. Features and documentaries can draw 10 percent of their NSW spend, and shoots outside Greater Sydney can add a regional top-up. Earlier Screen NSW development money may convert to producer equity.
Grant up to A$1,050,000Open to writers in AustraliaA production company
Next deadline Nov 23, 2026 (closes in 22 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$1,050,000Up to AUD 850,000 from the Production Finance Fund, a percentage of qualifying NSW spend by format (10 percent for features and documentaries, 5.5 percent for TV drama), plus up to AUD 200,000 from the Regional Filming Fund
- What it is
- Grant
- To apply
- Free
Who can apply
- Applicant
- A production company
- Where you write
- In Australia
- Rules
- Australian production companies with at least half the budget spent in NSW (80 percent for companies without NSW creatives), a NSW-based writer, director or producer, significant Australian content or co-production status, and full finance at application. Budgets must be under AUD 20 million. A conversation with a Screen Investment Manager comes first.
- Stages
- Production and completion
- Formats
- Feature, Series, Documentary, Animation
- Language of the application
- English
When to apply
The next closing date is Nov 23, 2026. The dates below are the current cycle's, as the funder states them. Up to four rounds a financial year; the program closes when the budget is spent
| Round | Closes |
|---|---|
| Round 99 | Nov 23, 2026 |
| Round 100 | Apr 5, 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 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 production funding elsewhere
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
Minnesota Film Production Grant
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.
up to$30kGrantcloses in 23 days
New York City Film Production Grant
Jerome Foundation
A production grant for New York City directors near the start of their careers, in any moving-image form from animation to documentary.
up to$30kGrantcloses in 23 days
BPM Open Call
Black Public Media
Public television's fund for Black nonfiction stories runs one call a year: five projects get USD 20,000 and a place at PitchBLACK, where one leaves with up to USD 150,000 of production…
range$150kInvestmentbetween 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.