Documentary Film Grants
for Independent Filmmakers
Find funding for your film!

Do you need funding for your documentary?

Documentary film grants are available for almost every topic imaginable including health care, human rights, environmental issues and education.

Grants can be an excellent source of funding for your documentary project.

Each film grant has its own requirements and application process, so make sure you fully understand the purpose and mission of each grant.

Grants are just one of many ways to get money for your film.

Recommended --> Documentary Fundraising Tool Kit

Benefits of a documentary film grant:

This money is a “gift”, so you do not have the burden of paying the money back.

Grants often come in larger amounts of money, so it eliminates fundraising in small increments

Provides a boost of publicity when the grant is announced

Provides credibility for your project.

The Foundation Center

One of the best places to begin your search for grant funding is Candid (formerly the Foundation Center).

Candid, a 501©3 non-profit, has six learning centers across the United States and they maintain a database on nearly 100,000 foundations, corporate donors, and grantmaking public charities in the U.S. You can find out who is receiving funding and why. You can do some basic research for free, but there’s a modest fee to access their online database and they have tons of free training and webinars.

Film Grants Database

Scan the list below for a sampling of documentary film grants. Do you have a film grant or know of other funding sources for documentaries? Please create your own grant page here as part of our complimentary online database listing service or browse through all the grants below.

Another terrific resource is the International Documentary Association's Documentary Grants Directory.

Post Your Documentary Film Grant

Tell us about your organization's film grant and get it posted here on Desktop Documentaries. This is not a place to request funds. For grant listings only please.

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Documentary Film Grants Available

Click below to see more documentary film grants..

SFFILM Documentary Film Fund
The SFFILM Documentary Film Fund is open to feature-length documentary films from anywhere in the world that are within three months of beginning post-production. …

MOFFOM Documentary Grant
The Music on Film-Film on Music (MOFFOM) grant awards a total of $20,000 in finishing funds for scoring, composition, and music licensing efforts for …

MOFFOM Documentary Grant
The Music on Film-Film on Music (MOFFOM) grant awards a total of $20,000 in finishing funds for scoring, composition, and music licensing efforts for feature-length …

AlterCiné Foundation Documentary Film Grant
Grant amount: up to $10,000 CAD Every year, AlterCiné Foundation awards one grant of 10,000 Canadian dollars and a few 5,000 Canadian dollars grants …

Screen Australia’s Documentary Development Fund
Grant amount: up to $30,000 AUD Screen Australia’s Documentary Development program primarily supports one-off and series documentaries, including online …

2022 Sundance Institute Sandbox Fund
The Sandbox Fund offers grants, engagement events, and other opportunities for independent artists seeking to explore the intrinsic link between science …

ITVS Diversity Film Fund For Filmmakers Of Color
Funding Amount : $25,000 The ITVS Diversity Development Fund has one funding round per year, with a deadline in September. We’re looking for exceptional …

Whicker's World Film and TV Funding Award | Documentary Film Grant
Grant Amount: £80,000 and £15,000 The Film and TV Funding Award is awarded annually to an emerging filmmaker from anywhere in the world with the most …

BAVC MediaMaker Fellowship | Documentary Film Grant
Grant Amount: $10,000 Since 1991, BAVC's MediaMaker Fellowship has provided in-kind training and support for independent artists at work on social-issue …

The IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund
Grant amount: Up to $15,000 Phase of Production: Development/Pre-Production The IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund provides development funds to documentary …

Chicken and Egg Pictures: The (Egg)celerator Lab Open Call
Announcement: The 2023 (Egg)celerator Lab Open Call will run from May–June 2022. The (Egg)celerator Lab (formerly the Accelerator Lab) is focused …

THE 2022 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS LAVINE/KEN BURNS PRIZE FOR FILM
Application Deadline: Submissions will open in early 2022 The Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film is a $200,000 cash award to be presented …

JDC Archives Documentary Film Grant
JDC Archives Documentary Film Grant The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) offers the annual JDC Archives Documentary Film Grant. …

The Rogovy Foundation: Miller / Packan Fund⎪Documentary Film Grant
The Miller / Packan Documentary Film Fund provides grants to feature-length non-fiction projects that address social issues and inspire others. The Fund …

Catapult Film Fund | Documentary Film Grant
The Catapult Film Fund provides documentary film grants of up to $20,000 to support powerful, artful storytelling across a broad spectrum of issues and …

Hot Docs-Blue Ice Group Documentary Fund (For African Filmmakers)
Toronto, ON Canada - The Hot Docs-Blue Ice Group Documentary Fund is a grant program providing financial support to African documentary filmmakers for …

International Journalist's Network | Documentary Funding Grants
The International Journalist's Network provides a wide variety of opportunities for full-time, freelance, professional, semi-professional and citizen …

Roy W. Dean Film and Video Grants | Documentary Film Grant
The Roy W. Dean Film and Video Grants are managed by Carol Dean and From The Heart Productions. "I want great stories with compelling characters. We fund …

Doc Society | Documentary Film Grants
Doc Society (previously BRITDOC) is a UK-based non-profit committed to enabling great documentary films and connecting them to audiences globally. Since …

Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund | Documentary Film Grant
The Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund Total Grant Fund: $115,000 Individual grants will range from approximately $15,000-$25,000 The Pare Lorentz …

Southern Documentary Fund | Documentary Film Grant Funding
Stories are at the heart of the work of the Southern Documentary Fund. Stories that come from the varied landscapes of the American South -- its people, …

Sundance Institute | Documentary Fund
The Sundance Institute Documentary Fund provides support for U.S. and international documentary films that focus on current human rights issues, freedom …

Austin Film Society Film Grants
Since its inception in 1996, the AFS Grant has awarded over $2 million in cash grants and $340,000 in-kind goods and services to 425 Texas filmmakers, …

Women In Film | Film Finishing Fund Grant (WIFF FFF)
2021 UPDATE: CURRENTLY ON HOLD The Women In Film Foundation's Film Finishing Fund (WIFF FFF) supports films by, for or about women by providing cash …

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The Independent Television Service (ITVS) | Documentary and Television Funding
ITVS funds, distributes, and promotes new programs primarily for public television. We work with independent producers to create and present programs that …

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