Top Film Grant tips from a person whose job is to review and evaluate film grant applications. Many filmmakers often believe an “easy” way to receive film funding is through a film grant, which is just not the case. There is a great deal of competition, as thousands of applicants apply for the same grant. Although it is a competitive process, below is some advice to help you stay ahead of the game and your competition.
Put Care into the Grant Application
Think of your film grant application as if it were your college application. Not everyone will be accepted and the application pool is filled with extremely talented people. Assume you are a small fish in an ocean of filmmakers and do not slack on any portion of your proposal.
How to Make Your Application Stand Out
Start by covering the basics, and make sure you answer all the application questions with as much detail as possible. You want the reviewers to trust you know what you are doing with regards to film making as they read your application. Grant reviewers will not hand money over to just anyone, so sell yourself and your project in every paragraph. Like anything of importance, triple check for grammatical errors. A misspelled word could cost you a film grant, as everything is expected to be perfect.
Have A Strong Sample of Work
Sample footage (a reel, a short film, etc.) or a writing sample is a film grant game changer. You can have a well written proposal and a great idea, but if there is no sample work to back this, you will not receive the grant.
When choosing a sample body of work, know it is being evaluating on two things: production value and overall storytelling capabilities. Is it a good film? Was it well produced? Was the acting good? Did it appear to have a budget? These are all questions grant evaluators ponder while reviewing your application. If you do not have a film or a reel, be sure to have a strong writing sample. This sample will be evaluated based on plot, characters and dialogue.
Have Strong Names Attached
Not only is your project being evaluated, but you, as a a filmmaker and producer, are as well. Much like independent film investors, the first question an evaluator asks is, “If I give this person money, will they know what to do with it?”
You must include strong filmmaker bios. Assume your competition is submitting projects with a solid cast and crew attached; and/or with letters of intent from notable actors and producers with strong resumes.
If it is early in your career, and you are not confident in your resume, be sure to attach a seasoned filmmaker to the project. Prove you have been working on the project for some time, with considerable effort, and make your grant application more appealing by securing a strong talent and crew.
The film grant evaluation process is grueling. Thousands apply and only a few receive those coveted grants. Film grant applications pass through many stages and multiple evaluators. Nothing about the film making process is easy, especially asking for money. However, by following our film grant tips, you will be one step ahead of the game and your competition.
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Documentary Funding Top 10 Tips
No doubt, documentary funding is tough work. But here's the good news...You CAN raise documentary capital and it may not be as hard as you think.
Get the best Fundraising advice, from the Emmy-winning creator of Desktop Documentaries, at Documentary Funding Tips and check out the industry's best fundraising tools.
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Documentary Funding Tips
Documentary funding is tough work, but here's the good news...You CAN raise documentary capital and it may not be as hard as you think. Get the best fundraising advice, from the Emmy-winning creator of Desktop Documentaries, at Documentary Funding Tips.
Desktop Documentaries offers the Documentary Fundraising Toolkit, which includes a 190-page full-color documentary fundraising guide, a 25-page documentary proposal template with instructions, two budget templates with budgeting guide, list of the top 100 documentary film grants, e-book with 25 specific fundraising ideas to start raising your first $10,000 and a fundraising check-list. All the best fundraising tools, templates and resources, including 20+ years of experience, combined into one comprehensive packet.
List of Film Grants
Do you have a Film Grant to share with our readers? Please post your Film Grant here.
Documentary Film Grants
- British Film Institute Film Grants
- Chicago Digital Media Production Fund
- Chicken & Egg Pictures Which Came First Fund
- Conservation Media Group Film Grant
- Creative Capital Film Video Grant
- Derek Freese Documentary Fund
- Filmmakers Without Borders Filmmaking Grants
- Film Independent Filmmaker Grants and Awards
- Flanders Audiovisual Film Grant Fund
- Frameline LGBTQ+ Film Grant Completion Fund
- Independent Production Fund Canadian Film Grant
- Independent Television Service (ITVS) Film Grant, TV and Documentary Funding
- Intercept Documentary Film Grant
- JDC Archives Documentary Film Grant
- Miller Packan Documentary Film Fund
- New York Foundation for the Arts Film Grant
- New York State Council of Arts Film Grants
- NYC Womens Fund for Media, Music and Theatre
- Roy Dean Film Grant Awarded by From the Heart Productions
- San Francisco Film Society Film Grant
- Screencraft Film Grant
- SIFF + True Productions $100,000 Documentary Grant
- Sundance Film Grants
- Tribeca Film Institute Grants
- Women In Film | Film Finishing Fund Grant (WIFF FFF)
- Women Make Movies Production Grant
Short Film Grants
- Austin Film Society Film Grants
- British Film Institute Film Grants
- Conservation Media Group Film Grant
- The Dan O'Bannon Film Grant
- Roy Dean Film Grant Awarded by From the Heart Productions
- Rooftop Films Filmmaker Grants NYC
- Film in Singapore Film Grant (FSC)
- Filmmakers Without Borders Filmmaking Grants
- Flanders Audiovisual Film Grant Fund
- Intercept Documentary Film Grant
- NYC Womens Fund for Media, Music and Theatre
- Shore Scripts Short Film Fund
- Tribeca Film Institute Grants
- UK Jewish Film Grants
- Women In Film | Film Finishing Fund Grant (WIFF FFF)
Women in Film Grants
Feature Film Grants
- Austin Film Society Film Grants
- British Film Institute Film Grants
- Chicago Digital Media Production Fund
- Cinereach Film Grant
- Creative Capital Film Video Grant
- The Dan O'Bannon Film Grant
- British Film Institute Film Grants
- Filmmakers Without Borders Filmmaking Grants
- Film Independent Filmmaker Grants and Awards
- Flanders Audiovisual Film Grant Fund
- New York Foundation for the Arts Film Grant
- NYC Womens Fund for Media, Music and Theatre
- Rooftop Films Filmmaker Grants NYC
- Roy Dean Film Grant Awarded by From the Heart Productions
- San Francisco Film Society Film Grant
- Screencraft Film Grant
- Tribeca Film Institute Grants
- Film in Singapore Film Grant (FSC)
- Women Make Movies Production Grant
- Women In Film | Film Finishing Fund Grant (WIFF FFF)
Emerging Filmmaker Grants
- Austin Film Society Film Grants
- British Film Institute Film Grants
- Chicago Digital Media Production Fund
- Cinereach Film Grant
- Conservation Media Group Film Grant
- Creative Capital Film Video Grant
- Derek Freese Documentary Fund
- The Dan O'Bannon Film Grant
- Film in Singapore Film Grant (FSC)
- Film Independent Filmmaker Grants and Awards
- Flanders Audiovisual Film Grant Fund
- Frameline LGBTQ+ Film Grant Completion Fund
- Independent Production Fund Canadian Film Grant
- Intercept Documentary Film Grant
- Miller Packan Documentary Film Fund
- New York Foundation for the Arts Film Grant
- New York State Council of Arts Film Grants
- NYC Womens Fund for Media, Music and Theatre
- Oppenheimer New Filmmaker Grant Program
- Panavision's New Filmmaker Program
- Princess Grace Film Awards
- Screencraft Film Grant
- San Francisco Film Society Film Grant
- Shore Scripts Short Film Fund
- Sundance Film Grants
- Tribeca Film Institute Grants
- UK Jewish Film Grants
- Women In Film | Film Finishing Fund Grant (WIFF FFF)
Screenwriting Film Grants
Television Grants
Canada Film Grants
More Film Grants
See All: Full List of Film Grants
Film Grant Deadlines Rolling/Various Application Deadlines
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Film Festival Grants
- Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) Film Grant
- British Film Institute Film Grants
- Canada Council for the Arts
- Conservation Media Group Film Grant
- Film Independent Filmmaker Grants and Awards
- Independent Production Fund Canadian Film Grant
- Independent Television Service (ITVS) Film Grant, TV and Documentary Funding
- Michigan Council for Arts, Culture And Film Affairs
- New York Foundation for the Arts Film Grant
- New York State Council of Arts Film Grants
- Rooftop Films Filmmaker Grants NYC
- Roy Dean Film Grant Awarded by From the Heart Productions
- San Francisco Film Society Film Grant
- Screencraft Film Grant (Jan/March/June)
- Film in Singapore Film Grant (FSC)
- Sundance Film Grants
- Tribeca Film Institute Grants
- Women In Film | Film Finishing Fund Grant (WIFF FFF)
Film Grant Deadlines Spring
- Austin Film Society Film Grants
- Chicago Digital Media Production Fund (April)
- Derek Freese Documentary Fund (April)
- Filmmakers Without Borders Filmmaking Grants (June 1)
- Intercept Documentary Film Grant (June 1)
- Shore Scripts Short Film Fund (May)
- Princess Grace Film Awards (May)
- Miller Packan Documentary Film Fund (May)
- Women In Film | Film Finishing Fund Grant (WIFF FFF) (May/June/July)
Film Grant Deadlines Summer
Film Grant Deadlines Fall
- Frameline LGBTQ+ Film Grant Completion Fund (Oct)
- NYC Womens Fund for Media, Music and Theatre (Oct)
- Miller Packan Documentary Film Fund (Nov)
Film Grant Deadlines Winter
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