Currently 9 active film and video grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in the US. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Almost every entry is funded; a few notable unpaid open calls and festival submissions are included as clearly flagged exceptions. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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The Legalization Project is running a nine-month programme for experienced content creators who want to make engaging, accessible work about U.S. immigration law, policy and the issues affecting immigrant communities. Rather than commissioning one-off pieces, it pairs a USD 10,000 stipend with actual legal grounding: training in U.S. immigration law and policy, ongoing updates from immigration attorneys and advocates, and continuous feedback on the content you make. This suits creators already working in video, social or short-form documentary who want to report accurately on a fast-moving legal area rather than guess at it. ELIGIBILITY: experienced content creators who are immigrants. The programme is explicitly open to immigrants of ALL statuses. APPLICATION: preliminary applications are due 17 August 2026, through the programme page at legalizationproject.notion.site/icc-program (also circulated as bit.ly/icc-program). Being a preliminary application, expect a second stage after this date.
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.
100 Voices of Florida is a grant for filmmakers and screenwriters that awards up to USD 5,000 in unrestricted funds, which winners can use for finishing funds, festival submission fees, cast and crew reimbursements, production, or anything else. Applicants submit either a short film (under twenty minutes) or a script (twenty pages or less); films in other languages must include accurate English subtitles, and scripts must be in English. The grant is open to writers, directors, and producers who are at least 18 years old, and creative teams may submit, though only one entrant receives the award. A panel of judges with professional filmmaking experience evaluates entries, and the winner also receives a meeting with an industry professional. The deadline for the current cycle is September 20, 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.
The Pandora Short Film Grant is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that awards an annual $12,000 grant to an early-career US filmmaker for the production of a narrative short film. Projects at script stage or already filmed and seeking finishing funds are both eligible. The winner also receives a Panavision camera package (about $15,000), an optional $1,000 Kodak Film Grant, mentorship from an award-winning filmmaker (2026 mentors include Alma Har'el, Lila Neugebauer, Lauren Wolkstein, Sarah Elizabeth Mintz and Chris Merola), and fiscal sponsorship; three finalists receive mentorship, fiscal sponsorship, Panavision New Filmmaker Program consideration and discounted production insurance. ELIGIBILITY: open to all early-career US filmmakers; applicants are asked NOT to apply if they have directed a feature film with a budget over $250K or directed or produced television. Selection is blind, based on script and pitch materials, weighting artistic vision over industry resume. TIMELINE: submissions open 30 May 2026, close 1 October 2026, notifications 15 November 2026.
The Nebraska Arts Council's Individual Artist Fellowship awards up to $5,000 for a one-year period to support professional development: creating new work, presentations, training and/or research. The fellowship rotates among three umbrella categories; the 2026 round accepts Performing Arts applications in theater/playwriting, choreography, filmmaking/screenwriting, and music/sound. ELIGIBILITY: Nebraska resident for at least 24 months before application, remaining resident during the fellowship year (attestation required); 19 or older; not enrolled in an undergraduate program in the discipline applied for (graduate and certificate programs allowed); applicants must be the originator of the submitted work, not an interpreter. Previous winners may reapply after three years with new work if prior grant requirements were completed. SUBMISSION: artist biography, artist statement (name redacted; themes, influences, techniques), and five work samples with descriptions or synopses. Questions: meagan.dion@nebraska.gov. DEADLINE: 17 November 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).
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.
Field of Vision is a filmmaker-driven documentary unit that creates and commissions original short-form and feature nonfiction visual journalism. It funds and commissions filmmakers, often as assignments, and supports projects in development and production (it does not acquire finished films). SUPPORT: commissioning fees and production funding; specific amounts are not published publicly. ELIGIBILITY: filmmakers of all experience levels, within and outside the United States. APPLICATIONS are accepted on a rolling basis, with no fixed funding cycles or deadlines. Submit via the Field of Vision submissions page.