FELLOWSHIPS AND GRANTS
There are many grants and fellowships that can provide you with funding and help further your career.
Grants with an *asterisk are specifically for students.
INDUSTRY FELLOWSHIPS
Jacob Burns Film Center provides a year long fellowship for emerging filmmakers to produce short film projects in a collaborative community. Fellows receive mentorship, stipends, production equipment, post-production facilities and software. Fellows produce two short and support each other through table reads, industry workshops, rough-cut reviews, and skill shares.
The Concordia Fellowship is designed for BiPOC & other diverse US documentary filmmakers. Each fellow is assisted with creative development, career advancement and film project incubation to maximize their success in the industry.
Disney's Creative Talent Development & Inclusion Fellowship connects traditionally underrepresented writers and directors with opportunities across Disney Entertainment Television.
SCREENWRITING FELLOWSHIPS & LABS
Sponsored by the same same people who present the Oscars, the Nicholls fellowship provides one of the best ways for screenwriters to be discovered. They award up to five $35,000 fellowships to amateur screenwriters.
CineStory runs two annual labs, one for screenwriters and one for TV writers. Their aim is to provide a supportive environment in which writers can push their creative boundaries and learn how to improve their writing craft while also learning about the business side of film or television writing.
One of the best film labs in the industry, Film Independent's Screenwriting Lab supports emerging writers in developing their script and introducing them to those in the industry people who can give the writers concrete advice.
​
The New Voices Fellowship is a six-month mentorship program for emerging television and screenwriters who are exploring the human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way
For eighteen seasons, the ISA Fast Track Fellowship has been the premier screenwriting fellowship for writers on the rise. Fast Track Fellows have signed with major agencies like CAA, Paradigm and ICM. Many have been introduced to and then signed with management companies or had their scripts optioned, leading to development deals.
The NBC TV Writers Program is a premier program for emerging episodic television writers from underrepresented groups, with the goal of creating the next generation of showrunners and content creators.
The Nickelodeon Animation Writing Program is a full-time, paid, yearlong development Program for television comedy writers with unique voices and from underrepresented communities.
The Outfest Screenwriting Lab provide 10 LGBTQIA+ screenwriters with one-on-one mentorship from top industry showrunners, executives, and writers who will offer professional development, scriptwriting support and insight into the latest trends within the industry.
This one-year paid lab develops up-and-coming and experienced storytellers with commercial sensibilities and cultural perspectives, with the goal of creating narratives for potential development at Universal and Focus Features.
Through best-in-class talent development programs, mentorship, placement opportunities and industry exposure, WBD Access serves as a powerful conduit connecting underrepresented talent to our content and brands. Fellowships include writing and showrunning.
The WeScreenplay Feature Lab exists to help elevate your craft while also providing access to industry pros who can help you develop the skills needed for a career as a screenwriter. The lab will select a minimum of 4 winners to participate in a three-day interactive virtual screenwriting lab
The Writer's Lab is dedicated to the work of women 40+. Participants work with mentors and writers in a rigorous process of script development through one-on-one meetings, panel discussions, peer workshops, and mock writers rooms.
FILM GRANTS
Our Short Film Fund offers an opportunity for emerging screenwriters and filmmakers to have their short films financed and produced, and create a calling card to help them progress in the industry as a writer or writer/director.
The TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund provided grants and professional guidance in support of innovative and compelling scripted features and series that offer a fresh take on scientific, mathematic and technological themes.
This grant seeks films from student filmmakers enrolled in university, college, community college, extension courses, or high school that need help starting or finishing their film.
Films must be unique and make a contribution to society. Films can be short or feature length narratives or documentaries, but must be budgeted at $50,000 or less. Student Filmmakers from any country are welcome to apply.
Now entering its fourth decade, the Roy W. Dean Grants fund independent feature films, documentaries, web series, and short films with budgets of $500,000 or less that are unique and make a contribution to society that, without its help, might otherwise never get made.
Write one sentence pitch and get up to $10,000 for your short film. It's that simple.
Catapult Film Fund is dedicated to supporting documentary filmmakers with critical early stage funding and mentorship to launch distinctive, story-driven, and cinematic films
Are you planning to move to New York City? The Jerome Foundation provides multi-year grants to support the creation, development, and presentation of new works by early career artists based in NYC and Minnesota.
The Puffin Foundation seeks to open the doors of artistic expression by providing grants to artists who are often excluded from mainstream opportunities due to their race, gender, or social philosophy.
Coverfly Career Lab is an interactive series of online events designed to empower screenwriters by exploring the paths industry professionals. Through workshops and conversations, writers will hear career-defining details from established pros to give them insight into planning their own careers for the long term, plus opportunities to ask questions of their own.
Have you always wanted to shoot on film stock? Kodak partners with First Flights to provide 16mm film and up to $10,000 for filmmakers wanted to make a film, but who are not quite ready to make a feature.
The Davey Foundation supports emerging filmmakers through grant funding, equipment lending, screening opportunities, and mentorship with established filmmakers. It supports the Salt Lake City community by bringing cutting edge films to local venues.
The Creative Capital Award provides unrestricted project grants up to $50,000 which can be drawn down over a multi-year period, bespoke professional development services, and community-building opportunities.
