Let's Talk Film Grants + 33 top notch grants to apply for

Even starting to write this Substack felt ominous and overwhelming to me! I think that has to do with the fact that grants can be both of those things + massive time sucks and honestly at least for me… they are CONFUSING… Where do you find them? What kind of grant do I need? Who is offering them? When? To who? For how much? And then WOAH they need a LOT of information.

Full-disclosure - I am not a grant curating expert, this is not my expertise (although keep reading because I do point to some of those experts!) but I do think it’s an immensely important and often intimidating facet that can take your filmmaking process to the next level! So, I wanted to take the time to go over all things ‘film grant’: the process, common questions, the crossover between grants and fellowships, and include a list of grants that I’ve heard good things about!

If there is a * by the grant name, that means it’s currently open but most look like they are closing in September!

What is a film grant?

Film grants are resources given by organizations to support the production of various films. Grants usually in come in the form of funding but they can also include services, equipment and/or some light mentorship.

Grants are different from labs, contests, fellowships as those three tend to have a heavier focus on the mentorship and networking aspects along with potentially overseeing the long term production or various phases of production. You can check out my list of contests, pitch weeks and fellowships here. Whereas film grants are often just the specific offers of funds, services, equipment and some light mentorship - lending themselves to more freedom of use.

Types of Grants

Grants can be offered for for any of the various stages of productions: development, production, post-production and distribution. They can be specific to a specific type of film: documentary, full length narratives, short films, TV and more.

They may also be aimed towards assisting specific groups: women, LGTBQIA community members, people with disabilities, students, Black or BIPOC community members.

Grants can also come from different places, there are: non-profit grants, corporate grants, and government grants. Each comes with their own parameters or requirements. Some grants are specific to your city, town, state too!

There are also helpful “programs” where you can get stipulated funding for specific types of projects - for example - SeriesFest has various grants and funding opportunities if your film has specific inclusivity concepts. They also have amazing mentorships and fellowships - so there’s kind of a crossover in there.

Furthermore, it’s important to remember that grants are different than:

• fiscal sponsorships (listed one below)

• Producing credit exchange offers (also listed below)

When do you apply for a grant?

I’m not sure if it’s worthwhile to apply for grants if it’s your first or even second time making a film just because I don’t think you should spend large amounts of money on your earliest projects/productions… unless you’ve been working within the film industry for a while. There are just so many learning curves and mistakes to be made on our first go’s that you don’t want money to be spent on those mistakes when you could save the money for when you’re ready to level up your production value with VFX, casting, equipment, etc.

But once you feel ready, applying to grants can ideally be done in pre-production but really they must be worked on around the grant deadlines. Just like marketing a film, applying to a grant is no easy feat. You should start preparing your answers as early as possible.

Application Prep

Submitting to grants can feel similar to submitting to contests, fellowships and labs. They’ll ask for an artist statement, a film pitch and treatment, production budget, letters of recommendation, mood boards, sometimes even a proof of concept. It’s really just a lot of information included in the above rewritten into their questionnaires with word count rules, so it takes some time to organize it all.

My suggestion, if you’re interested in applying for grants, would be to start a running google document that contains all your answers to all of the most frequently asked questions and make sure you take note of max word count on different grants. Here are some common questions beyond the above mentioned items:

• Project Description - Provide the title, genre, logline, and a brief description of your project

• Influences and Previous Work - As an artist, what are the key influences that shape your work? This could include art movements, other artists' work, cultural heritage, research from outside your field, and other relevant influences. What are experiences from previous projects that have helped inform your approach?

• Originality & Innovation - Share any intention and approaches you’re taking with your story and project. What sets it apart from others, and is there anything that makes it unique?

• Grant Alignment - Why do you believe that your project would be a good fit for the grant?