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, Perth
First Nations Project Development Fund
Run by Screenwest
Year-round development money for First Nations writers and producers in Western Australia, covering writers' rooms, new drafts, story developers and casting agents for scripted work, or research and sizzle shooting for documentary. Decisions arrive in six weeks, faster than the agency's round-based funds.
Repayable, up to A$35,000Open 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$35,000Up to AUD 35,000 per application for scripted projects, AUD 25,000 for documentary
- 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
- Key creatives who are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and live in Western Australia, or WA resident companies, holding the rights and full copyright, or at least an equal share in a co-production. Television projects need evidence of broadcaster interest; features need that or a strong audience strategy.
- Stages
- Writing and development
- Formats
- Feature, Series, Documentary
- Language of the application
- English
When to apply
Applications are taken at any time; decisions follow in the fund's own rhythm. Apply at any time; outcomes within six weeks
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.