Location: United States and international (FilmHouse residency in San Francisco for screenwriting and development tracks)

Award: Up to $25,000 per project across three tracks (Screenwriting, Development, Post-production); 15 to 20 projects funded annually. Includes FilmHouse residency access (4-week, non-contiguous; required for Screenwriting and Development tracks; not required for Post-production).

Duration: Per project

Deadline: 22 May 2026

The largest granting body for independent narrative feature films in the US. Supports films that address social-justice issues (distribution of wealth, opportunities and privileges) in a positive and meaningful way through plot, character, theme or setting, and that benefit the Bay Area filmmaking community professionally or economically. Three tracks, all up to $25,000: Screenwriting (open to filmmakers anywhere in the US or internationally; FilmHouse residency included), Development (for producers of narrative features needing to engage with the Bay Area to develop and package the film; FilmHouse residency included), and Post-production (no Bay Area residency required). Eligibility: 18+, key creative role (screenwriter, director or producer), feature-length fiction film only (no shorts or documentaries), project budget $3M or under. Not work-for-hire. Stories may be set anywhere; applicants do not need to live in the Bay Area. Regular deadline 8 May 2026 (application fee $30); final deadline 22 May 2026 (application fee $50). Application fee waived for SFFILM members. Apply via the SFFILM Grant Platform; multiple narrative-grant submissions allowed for one fee per application. Past grantees include Sean Wang's Dìdi, Savanah Leaf's Earth Mama, Joe Talbot's The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Boots Riley's Sorry to Bother You, Chloé Zhao's Songs My Brothers Taught Me, Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station and Benh Zeitlin's Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Open call details

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Location: United States (open to filmmakers nationwide; previously Chicagoland-only)

Award: $2,000 production grant (must be spent on production costs, not marketing/promotion; distributed in full at the start of the grant term)

Duration: 12 months. End-of-term: screen the project for Pentimenti staff (does not need to be completed) and submit a short report with receipts.

Deadline: 30 Apr 2026

Production grant for emerging women, non-binary, and/or LGBTQ+ filmmakers in the US working on a film or video about art or artists. The project does not have to be a documentary: fiction, hybrid, and experimental work is welcome. No min/max length, but preference goes to projects feasible in scope. Applicants must be 18+, reside in the US or attend college/university here, serve as director on the project (collaboration is fine), and have prior filmmaking experience without yet having extensive accomplishments (multiple completed feature films in a principal role, major distribution deals, multiple major festival awards, or significant critical/commercial success would disqualify). Awardee receives the $2,000 plus three creative consultations with Pentimenti staff (grantee retains full creative control), one feedback session with the grant jury, and a spotlight feature across Pentimenti's website, newsletter, and social channels. Pentimenti is the arts nonprofit and film production company behind 'Hairy Who & The Chicago Imagists' (2014) and 'Westermann: Memorial to the Idea of Man If He Was an Idea.' Questions: Harrison Sherrod, Executive Director, harrison@pentimentiproductions.org.

Open call details

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Location: Los Angeles / Remote, US

Award: Lab fellowship + access to bundled fellowships for selected fellows: Cayton-Goldrich (Jewish filmmakers, $10,000), MPAC Hollywood Bureau (American-Muslim, $10,000), Sony Music Vision ($10,000)

Duration: Lab cohort

Deadline: 04 May 2026

Competitive lab for emerging documentary producers, with mentorship, industry access and a fellowship cohort. Selected fellows are also eligible for bundled fellowships across Film Independent's Artist Development programs: Cayton-Goldrich Family Foundation Fellowship ($10K, two Jewish filmmakers), MPAC Hollywood Bureau Fellowship ($10K, two American-Muslim filmmakers), Sony Music Vision Fellowship ($10K, two filmmakers with a significant music component). Non-member deadline 4 May 2026; Film Independent member extension to 18 May 2026.

Open call details

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Location: Los Angeles / Remote, US

Award: Lab fellowship + bundled Sloan Producing Grant + access to Cayton-Goldrich ($10K), MPAC Hollywood Bureau ($10K), Sony Music Vision ($10K) for selected fellows

Duration: Lab cohort

Deadline: 04 May 2026

Competitive lab for emerging fiction producers, with mentorship, industry access and fellowship pathways. Selected fellows are eligible for the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Producing Grant (science/technology fiction features) and the same bundled $10K fellowships available across Artist Development programs (Cayton-Goldrich, MPAC Hollywood Bureau, Sony Music Vision). Non-member deadline 4 May 2026; Film Independent member extension to 18 May 2026.

Open call details

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Location: Los Angeles, US

Award: Selection unlocks Sloan Fast Track Grant + Climate Entertainment Development Grant ($25,000 for climate-focused fiction features) + Cayton-Goldrich / MPAC / Sony Music Vision $10K fellowships

Duration: Project market for features in active development

Deadline: 08 Jun 2026

Project market for filmmakers with feature projects in active development, with industry meetings, financing pathways and bundled grants. Selected projects are eligible for the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fast Track Grant (science/technology fiction features) and the Climate Entertainment Development Grant ($25K, climate-focused fiction features). Same $10K fellowship pool (Cayton-Goldrich, MPAC Hollywood Bureau, Sony Music Vision) applies. Non-member deadline 8 June 2026; Film Independent member extension to 22 June 2026.

Open call details

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Location: Los Angeles, US

Award: Multiple bundled fellowships for selected fellows: Amazon MGM Studios ($10,000), Climate Entertainment Commissioning Grant ($25,000 for a new climate-focused fiction feature script), LAIKA Animation Track (production grant + cash stipend, 5 fellows over 2 years), Panavision Fellowship ($60,000 camera package), Sony Pictures Entertainment ($10,000), University of Arizona TFTV ($10,000)

Duration: Annual fellowship program

Deadline: 13 Jul 2026

Signature fellowship program offering career opportunities to filmmakers from communities typically underrepresented in film and entertainment. Selected fellows are eligible for a stack of bundled fellowships: Amazon MGM Studios ($10K), Climate Entertainment Commissioning Grant ($25K to write a new climate-focused fiction feature), LAIKA Animation Track (production grant + stipend across 2 years for 5 stop-motion fellows), Panavision Fellowship ($60K camera package for an outstanding cinematographer), Sony Pictures Entertainment ($10K), and University of Arizona TFTV Fellowship ($10K for a TFTV alum). Applications open 18 May 2026; non-member deadline 13 July 2026; Film Independent member extension to 27 July 2026.

Open call details

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Location: Los Angeles, US

Award: Lab fellowship + access to bundled $10K fellowships (Cayton-Goldrich, MPAC, Sony Music Vision) and Climate Entertainment Development Grant ($25K for climate-focused fiction features)

Duration: Lab cohort

Deadline: 31 Aug 2026

Competitive screenwriting lab for emerging feature screenwriters. Selected fellows are eligible for the Climate Entertainment Development Grant ($25K, climate-focused fiction features) and the same bundled $10K fellowship pool available across Artist Development programs. Applications open 29 June 2026; non-member deadline 31 August 2026; Film Independent member extension to 14 September 2026.

Open call details

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Location: Los Angeles, US

Award: Lab fellowship + access to bundled $10K fellowships (Cayton-Goldrich, MPAC, Sony Music Vision) for selected fellows

Duration: Intensive cohort

Deadline: 28 Sep 2026

Intensive program for emerging episodic (TV/series) directors, with mentorship, set shadowing opportunities and industry access. Selected fellows are eligible for the same bundled $10K fellowship pool (Cayton-Goldrich, MPAC Hollywood Bureau, Sony Music Vision) available across Artist Development programs. Applications open 27 July 2026; non-member deadline 28 September 2026; Film Independent member extension to 12 October 2026.

Open call details

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Location: United States

Award: Up to $75,000 (Development) | $350,000 (Radio/Podcast Production) | $700,000 (Documentary Production)

Duration: Project-based

Deadline: 25 Jun 2026

Supports development, production and distribution of radio programmes, podcasts and documentary films that engage general audiences with humanities ideas. Proposals must build on sound humanities scholarship, present multiple perspectives, involve external humanities scholars at all phases, involve appropriate media professionals, use accessible formats, and show potential to attract a large public audience. Development awards (up to $75,000) cover scholar meetings, preliminary interviews, treatments and scripts, work-in-progress trailers, outreach planning and archival research.

Open call details

Want to see more grants? Visit The Grant Desk (https://www.artificialnouveau.com/smalltools/grants/).