BFI Development Funding
BFI (British Film Institute), National Lottery
The main public route for developing a British fiction feature, from treatment through to a screenplay ready to finance.
VariesGrant or repayableany time
Regional fund United Kingdom, Edinburgh, Scotland
WRITE NOW early stage development documentary fund
Run by Scottish Documentary Institute
A small grant for the writing phase of a first or second feature documentary by a director based in Scotland, before there is anything to shoot. The sum is modest, but it is paid to the director alone and comes with surgeries from the institute's team.
Grant up to £3,000Open to writers in United KingdomA writer alone
Next dates not yet published
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 £3,000Grants of up to GBP 3,000 for the early development and writing of a feature documentary.
- What it is
- Grant
- To apply
- Free
Who can apply
- Applicant
- A writer alone
- Where you write
- In United Kingdom
- Rules
- Documentary directors based in Scotland working on a first or second feature.
- Stages
- Writing and development
- Formats
- Documentary
- Language of the application
- English
Its site names no past recipients or funded projects. It is listed because applying is free.
When to apply
The fund opens once a year. The next cycle's dates are not yet published; we add them when they are. The page sets a date of August 24 to get in touch before applying, with the year not stated; its guidance is labeled 2026. No closing date is published.
What it gives besides money
Online surgeries on the application and the idea, advice for first-time applicants, and access support on request.
Also open to writers in United Kingdom
BFI Doc Society Fund: features development and production
Doc Society for the BFI (British Film Institute), National Lottery
The UK's National Lottery money for feature documentaries, run by Doc Society.
range£150kGrantcloses in 50 days
BFI Filmmaking Fund: Discovery and Impact feature funding
BFI (British Film Institute), National Lottery
Production money for British features in two strands split by budget and by the director's experience.
up to£1.3MGrant or repayablecloses in 45 days
Made of Truth (BFI Doc Society short film fund)
Doc Society for BFI NETWORK (British Film Institute), National Lottery
A yearly grant for short documentaries by UK filmmakers at the start of their careers, in live action or animation.
up to£25kGrantbetween rounds
More writing grants elsewhere
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Artist Trust
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Creative Accelerator Fund
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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
Where Creative Europe's development money goesEvery MEDIA development grant since 2014, by country, company and year.Fellowships and labsPrograms that pick a few writers and work with them for months, on the events pages.How to write a treatmentThe document a development application is built on, step by step.Screenwriting eventsContests, labs, festivals and conferences, with their deadlines.