The Documentary Fund is accepting submissions until February 8, 2020, at 4:30 p.m. MST for the Summer 2021 grant cycle. Click here for the application.
The Sundance Institute Documentary Fund has two grant cycles per year, with decisions being made in the summer and winter. The deadline for our Summer 2021 grant cycle is Monday, February 8 at 4:30 p.m. MST.
| Where to Apply | Application currently here |
| Schedule | Grant-making decisions normally occur two times per year, in the summer and winter. Applications must be received approximately six months prior to a decision. |
| Size of Grant Pool | 40 to 50 projects per year |
| Eligibility |
We accept feature-length (52 minutes or more) nonfiction projects. The fund is open to projects and film teams from around the world. The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program supports independent nonfiction films with budgets under $1,000,000 (one million) USD. Creative and editorial control must be held by members of the films’ key creative teams. For United States productions, we prioritize films led by artists from historically underrepresented communities. We define these as communities that have been historically marginalized by virtue of their ability, citizenship status, ethnicity, gender identity, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Projects that focus on historically underrepresented communities must have a key creative from the community or with deep ties to the community in a power holding position represented on the team. For international productions, we prioritize films led by artists from Africa, China, India, Latin America, and the Middle East. Indigenous artists globally and artists from the above regions who are living in the diaspora are also prioritized. Applicants may submit at any production phase from development through post-production. All proposals must convey some vision for a finished film. Projects that have not yet secured characters or subjects, are unable to articulate a story or structure, or are unable to explain the project's driving central question are discouraged. We are unable to consider proposals for story research. You do not need any prior funding or a fiscal sponsor in order to apply. |
| What we do not fund |
Fiction films, short films (please see our Documentary Short Film Fund call for information on grants for shorts), series, NGO films, advocacy films, educational films, or branded content.We also tend not to fund purely historical or biographical films unless they show clear contemporary relevance or innovation in form. Once your film premieres, we are unable to provide post-production funding support. We therefore encourage applicants to apply at least six months before an anticipated premiere. Picture-locked cuts are also ineligible for post-production funding. |
| Entry Fee |
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| Requirements |
Please consult our proposal checklist for required questions. Applicants will also be required to upload a line-item budget that covers the entire project from development to finish. View a sample budget: PDF or Excel. (Source: Robert Bahar) |
| Evaluation criteria |
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| Grant Categories |
Development (up to $15,000): Production/Post-production (up to $40,000):
Production grants provide funds to projects that are able to deliver to us at least 10 minutes of edited material. At least 20 minutes are required for post-production grants. The reel should convey the narrative and aesthetic approach for the final film. |