Currently 10 active film and video grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in the US. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Every entry is funded, no exposure-only calls. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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Grant programme for feature documentaries and episodic docuseries at any stage of production (must have sample footage; films in early development without footage or that are picture-locked are ineligible). Projects must be about or intersect with an environmental issue and a proposed or activated solution, and must have clear impact goals and a developed idea for an impact campaign. Awarded teams (up to 2 applying team members, one of whom is the director) join a cohort fellowship for a year. Encouraged stories: intersectional environmental issues and solutions; leadership, hope and innovation that move past defeatist narratives; fresh viewpoints challenging conventional environmental storytelling; equitable, inclusive and diverse environmental movements centring underrepresented and historically excluded voices; systemic bias and injustice in environmental policy; cultural practices honouring traditional and ancestral knowledge; community power and civic engagement at the intersection of environmental justice and planetary health; protection and restoration of land, water, biodiversity. Applicants must be 18+; previous filmmaking experience highly recommended. US citizenship not required (but US residency for at least one team member is). Application uses the Nonfiction Documentary Core Application format. Deadline 14 May 2026 at 23:59 PST (Submittable cutoff 9:00 AM 15 May 2026). Recipients notified and funds awarded by October 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.
Annual short film grant from Black Film Space, a 501(c)(3) supporting the careers of independent Black filmmakers, in partnership with cliveRd., a deeptech and arts studio founded by Danielle Bennett. One winner receives $8,000 plus access to a private Jamaica estate as a free shooting location. 2026 cycle has a nature-as-character mandate: the project must include nature as a setting, character, supporter/obstacle, or theme. Narrative scripted shorts only; documentaries and non-fiction excluded. Script must be under 20 pages and serve as a teaser/proof-of-concept for a planned feature. Application requires: visual sample of previous work, completed short script, feature treatment, production/casting/team/postproduction/festival plan, and a US bank account. Submissions opened 21 April 2026 and close 31 May 2026 (11:59PM ET); semifinalists notified mid July, winner announced live at the BFS Awards on 20 September 2026, funds disbursed early October. cliveRd. and BFS must be credited as producers on the resulting short. $35 submission fee (free for Black Film Space members). Selection considers script quality, merit of previous work, and financial need.
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. International fellows are also eligible for the Dolby Institute Fellowship ($50K post-production grant utilising Dolby Vision and Atmos). Fast Track alums become eligible to apply to the Amplifier Fellowship for Black filmmakers ($30K unrestricted plus year-long support). Non-member deadline 8 June 2026; Film Independent member extension to 22 June 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.
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). International fellows are also eligible for the Dolby Institute Fellowship ($50K post-production grant utilising Dolby Vision and Atmos). Project Involve alums become eligible to apply to the Amplifier Fellowship for Black filmmakers ($30K unrestricted plus year-long support; six fellows annually). Applications open 18 May 2026; non-member deadline 13 July 2026; Film Independent member extension to 27 July 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 (Cayton-Goldrich, MPAC Hollywood Bureau, Sony Music Vision). International fellows are also eligible for the Dolby Institute Fellowship ($50K post-production grant utilising Dolby Vision and Atmos). Lab alums become eligible to apply to the Amplifier Fellowship for Black filmmakers ($30K unrestricted plus year-long support; six fellows annually). Applications open 29 June 2026; non-member deadline 31 August 2026; Film Independent member extension to 14 September 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.
Annual screenwriting fellowship from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) administered through The Black List, awarding $20,000 each to three writers to revise a feature screenplay or pilot that engages with climate change in a compelling way. Submission and selection happen on The Black List platform; applicants should review program eligibility and any associated hosting/submission fees on blcklst.com before applying. Strong fit for narrative writers using fiction to dramatise climate, ecology, energy, or environmental-justice themes (rather than documentary). Deadline 4 December 2026.
One-off film grant awarding a single filmmaker $4,500 to support an independent narrative project in 2026. Application is free to submit. Centerpiece of the application is a production book built on the IMGN platform: script breakdown, schedule, coverage, and pre-visualization for the project (tutorials are provided inside the application). Eligibility: US-based filmmakers in the 50 states plus DC, aged 18 and older. If the project is already completed before funds are disbursed, the grant is paid as a reimbursement upon submission of a final cut of the film. Winner announced and funds disbursed by end of January 2027.