About the Author: Lee Moss is a director, screenwriter and story consultant born in NYC and based in Dublin. For years, they have benefited from No Film School’s vetted grant/fellowship lists and are happy to pay it forward in this community.
If you’re ready to put down that Aperol Spritz and pick up your camera, we've got you. Our fall list includes deadlines for TV writing opportunities as well as labs, fellowships, and financial support for docs and narratives in all stages of production.
Opportunities are organized by regular deadline unless otherwise indicated – from September through early December – and by category: documentaries, narratives, and screenwriting. An asterisk(*) indicates an opportunity available in multiple categories.
As always, use your best judgment when deciding to apply.
Documentary
‘You Can’t Stop Spirit’Directed by Vashni Balleste; distributed by Reel South
Female Film Club*
The Female Film Club, a London-based organization created to foster community during the pandemic shutdown, is offering €10,000 in funding for female and non-binary-directed shorts from anywhere in the world. Narrative and documentary films at all stages of production and post are welcome. In addition to the cash grant, awardees will receive post-production services and support from Disauthority and Mo-Sys.
The project budget is allowed to be higher than the grant, but to ensure the film gets made, the filmmaker needs to have all additional funding in place by Sept 5th. The final winner will be announced at BFI in October 2026.
Application fee is £50.
Deadline: September 5
Screen Australia’s Documentary Production Program
If you're an Australian-based filmmaker, you’re probably already aware of Screen Australia. Their documentary production program awards grants of up to 80% of the total project budget, capped at $300,000 (AUD), for projects with a budget of $500,000 or less; or up to 65% for production budgets of more than $500,000.
A full list of Screen Australia’s funding opportunities can be found here. There are no fees to apply.
From Screen Australia:
“Screen Australia is committed to building equity into its programs and its engagement with the community. Gender equity, anti-racism, authentic story-telling, from and about under-represented groups, and inclusivity are priorities for Screen Australia. We expect that the lived experience portrayed through the narrative and characters are reflected within the key creative team. It is vital the creative team has the cultural authorship to tell the story so that the telling of the story is authentic. This will be taken into account when assessing applications.”
Deadline: September 24
First Flights Short Film Fund*
This fund, sponsored by Kodak, is offering grants of up to £7,000 in production funding to scripted and documentary short filmmakers worldwide. Awards will be given to projects which intend to be in production no more than six months after the deadline closes.
Filmmakers can also apply to shoot their project on 16mm film. Two winners of this category will each receive 5 x 400ft rolls of Kodak 16mm film stock, along with covered processing costs. Submission fee is £30.
Regular Deadline: September 30
National Film Board of Canada Filmmaker Assistance Program
Despite its unfortunate acronym, the Filmmaker Assistance Program (FAP) can be a lifesaver for Canadian citizens looking to get their short and feature-length documentaries over the finish line.
This program offers selected Canadian filmmakers the opportunity to travel to Montreal to complete a portion of their post-production in-house at Balmoral Studios. Services provided include post-production services and access to post-production equipment such as picture and sound editing suites, online editing services, title and credits design, sound effects, voice recording, mixing, access to the NFB archives, master copies, and authoring of a complete digital cinema package (DCP).
Filmmakers living within 150 km of Montreal must cover 10% of the total cost of requested post-production services. For filmmakers who live more than 150 km from Montreal but wish to travel to Montreal to access the services, the NFB waives the 10%.
Supported projects include ‘The Muse’, ‘In the Closet’ and ‘Saturday’. There is no fee to apply.
Deadline: October 10
Impact Partners Development/Production Funds
Impact Partners, a documentary equity investor since 2007, invests in the development of 8-12 documentary projects per year, reviewing projects on a rolling basis. They can provide $100,000-$300,000 per project for films with a director and producer attached that address urgent societal issues.
Applications begin with a Letter of Inquiry, and applicants should receive a response in 2-4 weeks. Supported films include ‘How to Survive a Plague’, ‘Mistress Dispeller’ and ‘Sugar Cane’. There are no listed submission fees.
From Impact Partners:
“We are looking for projects that tell strong, cinematic stories, explore the urgent issues and questions of our time, and have a clear point of view and artistic vision. Filmmakers can apply to the [development] fund for a variety of reasons as they get their projects off the ground, including development shoots, cutting a trailer or reel, conducting archival research, casting characters, etc.”
Deadline: Rolling
‘The Muse’Directed by Wanda Nolan, supported by the National Film Board of Canada Filmmaker Assistance Program
Yale Law School DocProject
Launched in 2018, The DocProject is a program of the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at Yale Law School. Under the guidance of experienced media lawyers, Yale law students provide filmmakers with pro bono legal research and advice from the earliest stages of their projects through rough-cuts.
Supported films include ‘Pay or Die’, ‘Hummingbirds’ and ‘How to Sue the Klan’. There is no fee to apply.
From DocProject:
“The project’s mission is twofold: to assist documentary filmmakers who would not otherwise have access to legal resources, and to train the next generation of media lawyers…The Clinic also assists in advancing filmmakers’ efforts to obtain access, in addition to advising on libel, privacy and other content concerns.”
Deadline: Rolling
Film Independent Non-Fiction Work In Progress Series
Finished your feature doc and looking for a test audience? Film Independent’s L.A. based screening series offers a place for filmmakers to share their projects and receive constructive feedback. Audiences are invited to watch films as they enter the final stages of editing, offering feedback via in-depth surveys and a moderated discussion, helping to ready their projects for festivals and distribution.
The program is open to filmmakers located anywhere, but the director and/or key members of the creative team must be able to attend the screening in person. Filmmakers must provide a full edit at the time of submission. There is a $25 application fee.
NOTE: Film Independent membership is not required when applying to Artist Development programs. However, all participants accepted into programs are required to join Film Independent at the standard annual General Membership rate of $105, in addition to the initial application fee.
Deadlines: Rolling and announced throughout the year. Calls go out approximately two months before a scheduled screening. Follow Film Independent to stay across.
Good Docs Educational Distribution Opportunity
Founded by documentary filmmaker Sarah Feinbloom in 2013, GOOD DOCS is an educational documentary distributor representing a wide collection of films that “do GOOD in the world.”
They work with established documentarians as well as emerging ones, promoting filmmakers for speaking engagements as well as screenings. Filmmakers can submit for distribution consideration directly on their website.
Films distributed by GOOD DOCS include ‘The Nest’, ‘Arrest the Midwife’ and ‘Between the Mountain and the Sky’. There is no fee to submit.
From GOOD DOCS:
“Our award-winning collection engages and inspires students by featuring rarely heard stories about individuals and communities working towards a more equitable world. We champion creative expression and complex films that provoke critical thinking.”
Deadline: Rolling
Reel South Multi-Platform Distribution
Reel South is a PBS documentary series and a platform for non-fiction filmmakers in the American South working within the region’s tradition of storytelling. Filmmakers based in the South are given priority, but all stories set in the South will be eligible.
Narrated and non-narrated films are considered along with first-person or point-of-view projects, observational films, and news documentaries. Both shorts and features will be considered for distribution.
Selected films will receive a license fee, series packaging, captioning, mastering, inclusion on the series website, promotion, and errors and omissions insurance coverage.
Distributed films include ‘Winn’, ‘Roleplay’ and ‘I’m The Girl – The Story of a Photograph’. There is no fee to apply.
From RS:
“REEL SOUTH reveals the South's proud yet complicated heritage, as told by a diversity of voices and perspectives, through the commission, curation, and distribution of feature-length and short documentaries.”
Deadline: Rolling
The Scottish Documentary Institute Consultancies
These free consultancy appointments are offered to documentary filmmakers based in Scotland, sponsored by the Scottish Documentary Institute. Topics include festival strategy, forum/market applications, funding strategy for shorts and features, pitching and story development advice.
Films that have benefitted from SDI consultancy include ‘The Islands and the Whales’, ‘16 Years Til Summer’ and ‘Traveling Light’
Deadline: Rolling
Narrative
‘Monochromatic’Directed by Karen Bryson supported by the the First Flights Short Film Fund
Female Film Club*
The Female Film Club, a London-based organization created to foster community during the pandemic shutdown, is offering €10,000 in funding for female and non-binary-directed shorts from anywhere in the world. Narrative and documentary films at all stages of production and post are welcome. In addition to the cash grant, awardees will receive post-production services and support from Disauthority and Mo-Sys.
The project budget is allowed to be higher than the grant, but to ensure the film gets made, the filmmaker needs to have all additional funding in place by Sept 5th. The final winner will be announced at BFI in October 2026.
Application fee is £50.
Deadline: September 5
Seriesfest/Shondaland Women’s Directing Mentorship
Founded in 2019, this program is designed to provide a career launchpad to U.S. and U.K.-based female directors with unique voices.
The 2027 winner will receive the opportunity to shadow a director on an episode of a Shondaland original series and will receive an all-access badge to SeriesFest Season 13.
Applicants must have 3 years of professional experience (in any professional role, not just director). Applicants who have previously directed a network series are ineligible.
Past awardees include Tamika Miller, Rachel Myers and Gia-Rayne Harris.
Application fee is $50.
Deadline: September 15
First Flights Short Film Fund*
This fund, sponsored by Kodak, is offering grants of up to £7,000 in production funding to scripted and documentary short filmmakers worldwide. Awards will be given to projects which intend to be in production no more than six months after the deadline closes.
Filmmakers can also apply to shoot their project on 16mm film. Two winners of this category will each receive 5 x 400ft rolls of Kodak 16mm film stock, along with covered processing costs. Submission fee is £30.
Regular Deadline: September 30
Shore Scripts Short Film Fund
Shore Scripts is offering a $15,000 production grant for a winning short film script, plus $4,000 in finishing funds to a separate winner.
Past awarded projects include ‘The Town’, ‘Salam’ and ‘Thirsty Girl’. Regular deadline application fee is $49.
From Shore:
“We started our Short Film Fund in 2016 to create another avenue to get screenwriters' work out there into the industry. Having your screenplay produced, and gaining that credit, is instrumental in the building of your career…The films we have produced have gone on to play at hundreds of film festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, Cannes, BFI London, Austin, Palm Springs, and Encounters and have won BAFTA and other major awards.”
Late Deadline: September 30
Pandora Short Film Grant
Sponsored by Panavision and Kodak, the Pandora Short Film Grant offers $12,000 to a U.S. Filmmaker towards the production of a short narrative film.
The grant winner and three finalists, who will also receive in-kind equipment support from Kodak and Panavision, are chosen blindly based on their script and pitch materials.
These final four will also receive one-on-one mentorship from established industry professionals who have made career-launching shorts.
2026 mentors will be writer/directors Alma Har’el, Lila Neugebauer, Lauren Wolkstein, Sarah Elizabeth Mintz and Chris Merola. The late deadline application fee is $40.
Late Deadline: October 1
Lynn Shelton “Of A Certain Age” Grant
A project-based award for women and non-binary directors, aged 39 or older, who are working on their first narrative feature. This unrestricted, $25,000 award seeks to recognize filmmakers for their distinct visions, storytelling and singularity.
Past grantees include Jing Zou, Erica Tremblay and Jessica Sanders. There is generally a $30 application fee.
From Of A Certain Age:
“The Lynn Shelton “Of A Certain Age” Grant was created…to honor the legacy of beloved filmmaker Lynn Shelton…Shelton often spoke of feeling inspired after seeing filmmaker Claire Denis speak at Northwest Film Forum and learning that Denis did not make her first feature until age 40. Shelton went on to make her own first feature film (We Go Way Back) at the age of 39. In the years since, she built a prolific canon of feature and television work and made an indelible mark on the landscape of American cinema.”
Deadline: October 3 (application opens September 5)
‘A Girl Unknown’Directed by Jing Zou, Lynn Shelton “Of A Certain Age” awardee
The Wave Grant
Established in 2023 by the Wavelength Studio, The WAVE (Women at the Very Edge) Grant is devoted to supporting emerging filmmakers from diverse backgrounds and perspectives to tell their own “great f**king story.”
Five U.S.-based recipients will receive a $5,000 seed grant for the production of their first short film, as well as mentorship and in-kind partnered services from Seed&Spark, Fujifilm, WeTransfer, and Nice Shoes.
Short narrative films of approximately 10 minutes will be considered. Production cannot be scheduled to begin before April 2026.
Applicants may have experience in the film industry but cannot have previously directed a scripted short or feature (student films are okay). There is no fee to apply.
Deadline: November 16 (applications open October 15th)
Black Artist Grant (UK)
Offered by the art platform Creative Debuts, this program offers no-strings-attached microgrants of £500 to support Black artists residing in the United Kingdom. Applications are no-fee, rolling, and a new recipient is chosen monthly.
From Creative Debuts:
“This grant has been set up because Black artists are systematically under-supported by the art world; by institutions, curators, the artist-led scene, major and minor funding bodies, the market, art schools, and by audiences too.
Creative Debuts recognises that a full institutional overhaul and dismantling of racist structures is required to transform the industry permanently, but they hope in a small way that this grant will help enable recipients to continue their artistic practice when the odds are so stacked against them.”
Deadline: Rolling
National Film Board of Canada Filmmaker Assistance Program*
Despite its unfortunate acronym, the Filmmaker Assistance Program (FAP) can be a lifesaver for Canadian citizens looking to get their animated projects over the finish line.
This program offers selected Canadian filmmakers the opportunity to travel to Montreal to complete a portion of their post-production in-house at Balmoral Studios. Services provided include post-production services and access to post-production equipment such as picture and sound editing suites, online editing services, title and credits design, sound effects, voice recording, mixing, access to the NFB archives, master copies, and authoring of a complete digital cinema package (DCP).
Filmmakers living within 150 km of Montreal must cover 10% of the total cost of requested post-production services. For filmmakers who live more than 150 km from Montreal but wish to travel to Montreal to access the services, the NFB waives the 10%.
Supported projects include ‘Bread Will Walk’, ‘After Us’ and ‘Corpus and the Wandering’. There is no fee to apply.
Deadline: October 10
Panavision's New Filmmaker Program
If you are a U.S. or Canada-based student or low-budget indie filmmaker, Panavision may supply you with a free camera package.
Panavision has four 16mm and two 35mm cameras which have been set aside from the rental pool and are permanently attached to the program. Digital cameras may also be considered, based upon availability.
Supported projects include ‘Palm Trees and Power Lines’, ‘Zana’ and ‘Dixieland’. There is no fee to apply.
Deadline: Rolling
Screenwriting
‘Union County’Written and directed by Adam Meeks, developed at the Film Independent Screenwriting Lab
Film Independent Screenwriting Lab
The Screenwriting Lab is a two-week workshop held in Los Angeles, designed to provide individualized story and career development for emerging screenwriters with a fiction feature screenplay.
Each Screenwriting Fellow is paired with a creative advisor, with whom they’ll work one-on-one and in group sessions. A variety of guest speakers are invited to screen and discuss their own films and offer career insights, and a final pitch event offers further opportunity for individualized feedback and interaction with industry executives.
Past Screenwriting Lab projects include Adam Meek’s ‘Union County ’, Robbie Pickering’s ‘Natural Selection ’, and Jing Ai Ng’s ‘Forge’. Past advisors include lab alum Chloè Zhao, Derek Cianfrance, and Andrew Ahn.
There is a $65 application fee.
Extended Deadline: September 14
MacDowell Spring/Summer Residency
MacDowell’s prestigious residency program has supported hundreds of artists since its founding in 1907. Artists are provided with a private studio, chef-prepared meals, and living accommodations on their 450-acre property in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Residencies last from 4-6 weeks.
Past screenwriting residents include Dee Rees, David Zellner, and Isabel Sandoval.
From MacDowell:
“About 300 artists in seven disciplines are awarded Fellowships each year, and the sole criterion for acceptance is artistic excellence. There are no residency fees, and need-based stipends and travel reimbursement grants are available to open the residency to the broadest possible community of artists.”
Deadline: September 10
Writer’s Access Support Staff Training Program
The Writers Guild Foundation, in partnership with TV writers and producers Tanya Saracho (Vida), Mike Royce (One Day at a Time), and Liz Hsiao Lan Alper (Day of the Dead), created this 14-week course to provide writers who are BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, and over the age of 50, with the tools and education to become a writers’ assistant and script coordinator, resulting in meaningful employment opportunities.
Graduates of the program are added to an ongoing list of trained writers’ assistants and script coordinators that is made available to studios, networks, and showrunners, in order to increase the pool of eligible hires.
The program will take place between January and May of next year. Applicants must be available for classes, hosted online via Zoom, on Thursday evenings from 7-10 pm PT. Optional in-person meetups and networking events are held exclusively in Los Angeles. There is no fee to apply.
Deadline: September 13
The Barn Residency
Founded by Edward Albee, this residency in Montauk, Long Island, has been operating for almost 60 years. It exists to serve writers and visual artists from all walks of life by providing time and space in which to work without disturbance.
Open year-round, the one-month residency is designed to offer space to four creative persons at a time. Writers and Visual Artists each receive a generously sized private ensuite bedroom and a private studio. There are usually two visual artists and two writers staying together during a cycle. Stipends are also provided in the amount of $2500 per Fellow, which will be disbursed upon completion of the one-month residency period.
Screenwriters will be asked to submit a full manuscript no longer than 130 pages. There are no fees to apply.
Deadline: September 14
‘Lingua Franca’Written and directed by MacDowell alum Isabel Sandoval
New York Mills Cultural Center Retreat
Located in the historic Finnish-founded town of New York Mills, Minnesota, this residency welcomes one artist at a time for stays of two to six weeks in 2027, providing free housing and studio access in a quiet rural setting.
Artists stay in a cozy one-bedroom bungalow within walking distance of the Cultural Center and downtown New York Mills, equipped with workspaces, essentials, and wireless internet. Artists provide their own transportation and meals.
As part of their residency, the Artist in Residence will create and lead a community outreach program designed to engage local residents in the arts. This program could take the form of a workshop, reading, performance, or other interactive event held at the Cultural Center, offering participants a hands-on opportunity to explore the artist’s creative process and medium.
Participants are selected based on artistic merit, dedication to their craft, commitment to creative growth, and interest in developing community through the arts.
There are no fees to apply.
Deadline: October 1
Camargo Fellowship
Created in 1971 by the American artist and philanthropist Jerome Hill, this international fellowship offers 10-week residencies to established or mid-career artists and scholars from diverse backgrounds, engaged in projects with strong research-based components.
Located in Cassis, France, on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, the Foundation not only provides time and space for the residents, but also initiates exchanges within the group and develops a collective spirit – one of the program’s distinctive features. The interactions developed among the program’s fellows are a vital element of this program.
Seven artists fellowships are awarded per year. Upcoming windows are for September-November 17, 2027, and February-May 2028. A 3500 EUR stipend is provided for the duration of the residency, as is funding for basic transportation to and from Cassis per Fellow.
Applicants should have maintained a professional practice for at least 5 years and should be able to demonstrate a track record of publications, exhibitions, credits, awards, and/or other grants. There is no fee to apply.
Deadline: October 1
New Harmony Residency
Taking place over 10 days in May 2027, this residency is held in the pastoral landscape of New Harmony, Indiana. 18 writers working in theatre, film, and television will receive artistic support, including dramaturgical meetings, collaborators willing to read pages, and time and space to work and dream.
Residents will stay in a private room with a full bathroom at the New Harmony Inn Resort and Conference Center. Roundtrip air and ground transportation to/from southern Indiana, as well as meals throughout the residency, are supplied. For parent artists, childcare support is available for dependents of any age. There is no fee to apply.
From New Harmony:
“For four decades, The New Harmony Project has acted on the belief that writers need more than deadlines and deliverables: they need time, space, community, and care. In a small town founded on the pursuit of a better world, writers are invited to step away from the pressures of everyday life, renew their creative practice, and devote themselves fully to the stories only they can tell.”
Deadline: October 1 (Applications open in early September)
The Ouray Film Sabbatical
Located in the mountain town of Ouray, Colorado, known as the “Switzerland of America,” this four-day gathering is a fully funded residential experience that provides creative support, rest, and community for ten filmmakers, writers, and programmers.
The sabbatical is hosted by Ouray International Film Festival founders and filmmakers Jared LaCroix, Jake Abell, and Ben Wiessner. 2027 on-site facilitators will include filmmaker Alexandria Bombach, Bill Ross IV, and Robie Flores.
Applicants will be asked about their creative journey and what they hope to get out of this sabbatical. They will also be asked for a work sample. There is a $45 application fee.
“A wonderful, valuable program for pretty much anyone in the independent film ecosystem. It's like a meeting of the minds between directors, producers, documentarians, writers, festival programmers, etc - but a meeting of the minds where you also go to hot springs, make crafts, and enjoy a beautiful little mountain town.”
-Sam Osborn, 2026 Ouray Fellow
Deadline: October 5
Blacklist/Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriting Fellowship
Need a crazy story? This program awards one screenwriter with an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2027 Sundance Film Festival accompanied by producer Cassian Elwes. It is open to unrepresented feature writers with an independent sensibility who have made less than $5,000 in aggregate in their film or television writing careers.
While there are no additional fees to apply, applicants are required to upload a project onto the Blacklist website in order to be considered at a cost of $30
From Blacklist:
“The Blacklist will choose ten screenplays imbued with an independent spirit by unrepresented screenwriters, which will be sent on to Mr. Elwes for his consideration. One fellowship recipient will be selected by Mr. Elwes by calendar year's end.”
Deadline: November 1
Blacklist/NDRC Climate Storytelling Fellowship
Co-presented by The Blacklist and the National Resources Defense Council, this fellowship grants $20,000 each to three applicants every year. The award is intended to support the revision of a feature screenplay or pilot that engages with climate change in a compelling way.
Grantees will receive continued mentorship throughout the revision process, as well as access to relevant experts and consultants. Previous mentors include Brit Marling, Scott Z. Burns, and Mike Schur.
There is no fee to submit this application.
Deadline: December 4
Useful Links:
- Documentary Grants - International Documentary Association
- Funds For Writers - Opportunities for prose writers & screenwriters
- Sundance Co//ab List of Opportunities - Sundance Institute
(sign up for a free Co//ab account to see all grants) - Res Artis - Worldwide Network of Artist Residencies
- Dear Producer - Opportunities and support guide for producers
