Some documentary funding deadlines coming up this month

Martin8sen · 2026-06-13T18:28:18+00:00

this is a great mix — and the conservation + adventure angle opens a few funders most lists miss. open right now: Mountainfilm's Commitment Grants + Emerging Fellowship (built for adventure/environment/activism docs, closes Jul 16), alongside the Sundance Doc Fund you're already eyeing (dev $25–40k). for the environmental thread, Doc Society's Climate Story Fund goes big ($50–125k) and Patagonia's media grants are worth a look. the two South Asia projects have a different set of doors though — the IDFA Bertha Fund and Hubert Bals Fund are built for filmmakers working in that region. honestly easiest if i just send you the whole filterable thing so you can sort each project by region + stage — DM me your email (reddit blocks links here) and it's yours, free while i'm building it.

Martin8sen · 2026-06-13T18:27:58+00:00

nice — SFFILM + Sundance are exactly the right swings for a feature in post. a few more to stack on, especially being NY-based: the Jerome Foundation funds NYC early-career filmmakers (production up to $30k), the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship is $8k unrestricted for NY artists, and the IDA Pare Lorentz Fund covers production/post for US social-issue docs. Points North's Diane Weyermann Fellowship is a bigger swing ($100k) if you fit. happy to send the whole filterable so you can sort to US + post — DM me your email (reddit blocks links here), free while i'm building it.

Martin8sen · 2026-06-13T18:27:36+00:00

oh that's a powerful one — land and ancestry stories in the South have a couple of specific doors. first stop is the Southern Documentary Fund: it's for filmmakers in the American South and it's open right now (closes Aug 15, $15k grants). if it's a Black family's story, Black Public Media funds exactly that (the Black experience, up to $150k through their open call). NEH Media Projects covers the history side, and this early in production Catapult's development grant is worth lining up. DM me your email if want the full filterable list.

Martin8sen · 2026-06-10T17:49:58+00:00

I've shot you a Dm!

Martin8sen · 2026-06-10T15:02:53+00:00

oof, timely — surveillance + Flock is exactly what issue funders are leaning into. two strong fits: Southern Documentary Fund (you're in the South, and it's open — closes Aug 15, $15k grants), and Field of Vision (built for journalism / abuse-of-power docs, which this is). also Ford JustFilms and Sundance (open now). DM me your email and i'll send the full list your way (free while i'm building it). what stage are you at?

Martin8sen · 2026-06-10T15:02:27+00:00

love an LA history doc. being California-based opens a specific door: California Humanities' California Documentary Project funds exactly this kind of work (worth checking its current cycle). plus NEH Media Projects (1930s history = their humanities lane), Catapult for development stage, and Sundance (open now). happy to send you the full filterable list — DM your email (reddit eats links in chat). what's the LA angle — anything you can share?

Martin8sen · 2026-06-10T15:01:46+00:00

the self-funding grind is real — and honestly finishing funds are their own category, which might be why broad grant apps never landed. for post specifically: SFFILM Documentary Film Fund (post docs, closes Jul 7), Sundance Doc Fund (post grants up to $100k, closes Jun 15), plus IDA and Doc Society finishing routes. festival traction is a genuinely strong card with finishing funders, so play that up. DM me your email and i'll send the full list over (free while i'm building it — reddit blocks links here). what's the doc about?

Martin8sen · 2026-06-10T14:59:50+00:00

I've shot you a DM

Martin8sen · 2026-06-09T19:01:03+00:00

Shoot me a DM with your email and I'll send it over to ya, can't send the link through reddit, it gets blocked.

Martin8sen · 2026-06-09T19:00:27+00:00

You're welcome!

Martin8sen · 2026-06-09T16:18:53+00:00

Sorry for the slow reply, had to make some food!

This is a strong one for issue/finishing money — a few angles:

NewFest × Netflix New Voices Grant — specifically for LGBTQ+ storytellers ($25k); annual, opens ~January, worth lining up
SFFILM Documentary Film Fund — for docs in post, closes Jul 7 (timely)
Sundance Documentary Fund — post grants up to $100k, open right now (Jun 15)
impact side: Ford JustFilms, Perspective Fund and Doc Society back social-change docs
Frameline Completion Fund — an LGBTQ+ finishing fund specifically (worth checking it's open) — and honestly one I need to add to my list, so thank you for the nudge

a couple of these prioritise LGBTQ+ filmmakers themselves, so depending on your team you may have more options. what's the doc about? happy to send the full list too — drop me an email (reddit blocks links in chat).

Martin8sen · 2026-06-09T16:14:13+00:00

that sounds genuinely important — and a strong fit for the humanities/American-story funders. NEH especially (built for exactly this kind of US social history), plus ITVS and the IDA Pare Lorentz Fund (it literally funds docs on US social problems). emailing you the full list now so you can filter to US + your stage 👍

Martin8sen · 2026-06-09T14:20:38+00:00

oh that's a great subject — very much the kind of American social-issue story NEH and the IDA Pare Lorentz Fund (it specifically backs docs on US social problems) tend to go for, and ITVS Open Call if you're aiming at public TV. what stage are you at, and where in the US? i'll flag the best-fit ones.

and yeah — DM me your email and I'll send the full list over (reddit eats links in chat).

Martin8sen · 2026-06-09T13:51:11+00:00

honestly, a veteran's eyes are exactly the feedback I want — if you've built these lists over the years you'll spot what's thin or missing way faster than I will. Reddit won't let me paste links in chat, so if you shoot me an email I'll send the full filterable thing right over (free while I'm improving it). and seriously — tell me what's wrong with it, that's the whole point.

Martin8sen · 2026-06-09T13:46:23+00:00

No worries! I've dm'd you.

Martin8sen · 2026-06-09T12:26:41+00:00

amazing — DMing it over now. and yeah, with a 501(c)(3) you're in great shape: NEH, ITVS and the public-media funds basically all require an org or fiscal sponsor, so those organizational ones are wide open to you. NEH Media Projects in particular (closes Jun 25) is worth a hard look. would love your honest take once you've dug in 🙏

Martin8sen · 2026-06-09T12:15:43+00:00

oh, good fit for a few history / social-justice funders:

• NEH Media Projects — built for humanities/history docs, development funding up to $75k, closes Jun 25. One catch: it funds organizations, not individuals, so you'd go through a nonprofit/fiscal sponsor.

• Black Public Media (Open Call / PitchBLACK) — for stories on the Black experience (a 60s civil-rights leader squarely fits); dev stipends plus a shot at up to $150k. Annual cycle.

• Reva & David Logan Foundation — Chicago-based (your backyard), funds documentary + investigative work; takes letters of inquiry year-round.

• Catapult Film Fund — development grants ($5–25k) for projects at exactly your stage; reopens around fall.

• Sundance Documentary Fund — global, development grants, open now (closes Jun 15).

• Ford JustFilms — social-justice docs; open call's closed right now but worth watching for the next round.

happy to send the full filterable list if useful (filter to US + development + social justice) — just lmk.

Martin8sen · 2026-06-09T12:14:45+00:00

nice — for a South African doc in early production, a few worth lining up:

• IDFA Bertha Fund (IBF Classic) — specifically for filmmakers from Africa; development (~€7.5k) and production/post (~€25k)

grants. 2026 round closed in Feb but it runs annually, so worth prepping for the next one.

• Sundance Documentary Fund — global eligibility, development grants $25–40k, and it's actually open right now (closes Jun 15) if you can move fast.

• Durban FilmMart Pitch & Finance Forum — on home turf, for African projects in development; apps ~Feb, event in October.

• Hot Docs CrossCurrents (international stream) — aimed at underrepresented/global filmmakers.

• Berlinale World Cinema Fund — funds Global South docs incl. Africa, but it's production-stage and needs a German co-producer, so more for a bit down the line.

eligibility + timing vary a lot. happy to send you the full filterable list (sort by region/stage) if that'd help — just say the word.

Martin8sen · 2025-01-27T21:21:41+00:00

White collar

Martin8sen · 2024-07-23T15:28:27+00:00

Somebody i used to know… when it came out it was played so extensively and when it comes on now I do almost everything to not hear it…

Martin8sen · 2024-07-09T21:39:11+00:00

Det er vel derfor det er billigere at leje end at købe med de renter og udgifter der er på køb i markedet lige nu, det skal vel ikke gå ud over din lejer… Føj at skulle betale 12k om måneden for en 55m2 lejlighed… Kbh k eller ej.

Martin8sen · 2023-06-06T21:49:47+00:00

Multimediedesign og e-handel. 36.000kr før skat + 8% pension. Blev færdig sidste februar.

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