Look for documentary film funding and grants news and trends from foundations and small business serving the film industry. While nonprofit organizations are dedicated to expanding opportunities for the production, distribution and exhibition of documentaries, privately owned businesses offer production industry experience and provide financial services information.

Documentary film associations and foundations support grants for documentaries and work to increase public appreciation and demand for documentary content from across ethnic, political and socioeconomic boundaries. Businesses serving the film industry will offer more regional insider information as well as provide more independent funding offerings. Look to both for grant and funding forums, seminars, lectures, workshops, print and online publications about post production funds, screening space and education opportunities.

1. Research funding options with film funding books.

2. Consider industry blogs about funding sources for documentary films.

3. Stay up to date with newsletters from film foundations and industry businesses.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get documentary film funding and grants news and trends books

Consider grant research books for specialized information about shopping for funds for documentary films. While arts grants are usually awarded to non-profit organizations, details about funding for documentary film can help direct your search for documentary film grants more effectively.

I recommend: Buy "The Art of Funding Your Films," from Carole Dean, one of the largest grant providers, for how-to facts for winning grant money. Look at "Arts Funding IV: An Update on Foundation Trends" from the Foundation Center for comparison of growth in arts funding, including changes in giving for specific disciplines, patterns by region and shifts in support awards.

Read blog feeds about documentary funding and festivals

Stay tuned to trends and insider information with funding and festival blogs. Funding information should include trends from financial industries while festival information provides lists of potential documentary grants and funding sources.

I recommend: The Film Funding Blog by Sharp Angle provides information resources and trends in film financing, film funding strategies, movie distribution, marketing and related topics. Read the UT Documentary Center Blog for professional opportunities ranging from film festival grants, workshops and episode contests.

Subscribe to foundations and small business newsfeed for funding for documentaries

Stay informed about the latest events and deadlines of your favorite media foundations and film production services. Get on a subscription list to have important bulletins forwarded to your inbox.

I recommend: Get Beyond The Box from the Independent Television Service (ITVS) for feature articles, funding guidelines and applications, upcoming broadcasts and other useful information for independent filmmakers, public television stations and audiences. Stay current on news from the MacArthur Foundation by subscribing to the RSS feed about independent documentary film funds as well as multiyear initiatives.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  The volatile economy has tightened funding options, but soft money film financing can help get a film started. Sign up for a newsletter with a film finance consulting service for assistance with soft money options and film business plan strategies.
• •  Look for regional film production news feeds for more information about documentary filmmaking grants.

No matter how brilliant a filmmaker or clever a subject matter, a documentary cannot be made without the means to do so. Documentary film funding does exist, and it may take as much time, effort and talent to secure funding for documentaries as it does to complete the film.

When trying to find funding sources for documentary films, it is extremely important to concentrate your efforts in the places most likely to support your project. Plenty of research and preparation in advance can greatly increase the chances of success.

Before beginning the process to seek funding for documentaries, it helps to:

1. Find the target audience. The ones most likely to be interested in seeing the film will most likely be interested in contributing to documentary funding.
2. Determine whether this documentary is a profit or non-profit film.
3. Begin as much of the process for filming as possible; investors want to see commitment.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find grants for documentaries through your state humanities department

There are are many national government programs, but they are commonly known and often overflowed with applicants. Apply with the state for less competition.

I recommend: Visit your state’s website for application deadlines and requirements, or see them listed at the International Documentary Association’s website. Also check out the grants page at the Independent Feature Project's website.

Apply for major independent documentary film grants

Many organizations fund profects. Apply for the grants that may be in line with your subject matter.

I recommend: Try the Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media and the Playboy Foundation.

Write very good documentary grants proposals

It is very important that you write in a very professional way that represents your filmmaking abilities and the passion for your documentary when applying for film grants.

I recommend: Have a look at the Foundation Center’s reference guide for proposal writing. Also visit the National Science Foundation's Guide to Proposal Writing.

Create a business plan and budget for funding documentaries

When trying to sell the idea of your documentary to potential investors, show them a plan of exactly where there money is going.

I recommend: Get help with a business plan at Master Plans, or see sample business plans at BulletProof Business Plans.

Try internet marketing to attract documentary filmmaking grants

The web is the best way to gain access to a lot of viewers for a small price.

I recommend: Visit Fundable. It allows you to build a page on their website about your project and collect secure online donations from anonymous donors for any amount. Advertise on Craigslist, promising credits at the end of the film.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't overlook small grants. You can use them in addition to other documentary film funding, or use multiple small grants which don't have nearly the amount of applicants to compete with.
• •  Network, network, network. Meet everyone that you can in every way that you can, and talk about your project as much as possible to spread word of mouth.
• •  Don't forget to include your own income when applying for documentary film grants and funding if you are looking for investors interested in financial return. They want to see a project finished fast, and that won't be accomplished when the filmmaker is working a full-time job.

Rethink traditional ideas about funding sources for documentary films. Grants for documentary films are awarded to nonprofit organizations, not directly to individuals. Consider potential funding sources not only from film production foundations and government arts councils but also within your own specialized subject matter or geographic area. Grant funding has specific limitations, so always look for funding from private investors.

Making the most of documentary film funding and grants means thinking outside the business plan. Online marketing tools and services can establish your production company brand. Internet technology provides a cost effective means to distribute portions of your project to potential funding sources. You can market your documentary film to a larger number of potential investors with web-based services designed to promote private investment opportunities. A solid brand presence online also offers potential investors visibility through your visitor traffic.

1. Find private investors for funding your documentary film.

2. Get independent film funding.

3. Apply for state grants and incentives.

4. Network with foundations sharing your passions.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Consider private funding sources for documentary films

Contact a pool of private investors to fund your next project with online investment networking communities. Post your funding needs or search for investors offering funds for filmmakers. Members can usually create a free profile with specific and targeted details about investment and funding opportunities. The network provider then charges a fee to post requests or contact other members.

I recommend: The Go BIG Network offers an on-line marketplace for networking startup companies, investors, advisors, jobseekers and service providers. Reach more than 8,000 potential investors by posting a funding request or search for film production investors and contact them directly. Go4Funding.com is an online platform where entrepreneurs, investors and business experts post their capital requirements or their investor profiles. With Go4Funding.com, you can upload images and videos of your pitch.

Partner with foundations for independent film funding

If you have a compelling but little known subject or a historical film, consider foundations and production services companies offering funds for student filmmakers and independent producers. Independent film foundations award funding to projects that make a contribution to society, but they still want to see a good business plan.

I recommend: From the Heart Productions is a nonprofit organization offering up to $500,000 for shorts, documentaries and independent productions. The Independent Television Service (ITVS) funds, distributes and promotes programming that addresses the needs of underserved and underrepresented audiences from independent producers.

Look for state government film grants for documentary funding

State supported regional film organizations offer financial incentives, locations services, city services and expert support to encourage economic activity and promote regional heritage. Also consider local tourism foundations when filming in popular locations.

I recommend: The Pennsylvania Film Office provides funding for film and television productions in Pennsylvania. New York State Council on the Arts, second among the states in per capita funding for the arts, provides funding to media and film productions each year for nonprofit organizations incorporated in New York State.

Consider documentary film grants for specific subjects

Network with philanthropic foundations supporting documentary filmmaking grants on your subject. Organizations sharing your passion for cultural complexities or personal politics can often support your efforts to raise public awareness.

I recommend: The Lynn and Jules Kroll Fund for Jewish Documentary Film is made up of grants from Steven Spielberg’s Righteous Persons Foundation and the Charles H. Revson Foundation to support projects that expand the understanding of Jewish experiences. Grants for documentaries are offered for post-production support. The All Roads Seed Grant Program awards grants to film projects by and about indigenous and underrepresented minority-culture throughout the year. Submission deadlines for documentary grants are quarterly with notifications six weeks later.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Get help with your strategic plan for making the most of documentary film funding and grants.
• •  Design a website for your documentary film focused on getting investors.

Securing the financing to complete a documentary film can be as time- and energy-consuming and require as much creativity as filmmaking. While grants and funding for films are available, they are not always easily found, take a long time for the application process and are highly competitive. To gain an advantage while involved in the application process, extensive research is necessary. The first step in the process is to understand the most widely used documentary film funding and grants key terms.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

For-profit documentary

A for-profit documentary is made with the intention of selling the rights to a film distributor for a profit, and documentaries treated as an investment opportunity will lead you to specific funding sources.

I recommend: Learn all about making a documentary film for a profit at Artemis Society International.

Nonprofit documentary

A nonprofit documentary, or not-for-profit, is made for the sole purpose of educating viewers on a social issue and not to turn a profit. Making a nonprofit film will interest a specific kind of investor.

I recommend: Read more about making a nonprofit documentary film and see some samples of cause-inspired films at Teleduction.

State grants

State grants are funds allocated by the state government to be used specifically for a public service authorized by the state.

I recommend: Visit the International Documentary Association to learn more about specific state grant requirements and deadlines, including where, when and how to apply for them.

Independent grants

Independent grants are money awards given out to be used for a specific purpose by corporations, businesses, independent associations or organizations with a common mission.

I recommend: Find out more about the largest independent grant program, the Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media, at the Funding Exchange.

Federal grants

An award of financial assistance allocated by the federal government for a specific project, like a documentary film, that benefits society is considered a federal grant.

I recommend: Look into finding the federal grants for filmmakers and applying for them at the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Grant proposal

A grant proposal is a formal written request for granted funds whether they are from federal, state or private sources. Requests should be highly detailed, represent your professional filmmaking abilities, your passion for the subject matter and creative vision.

I recommend: Become an expert at writing grant proposals by reading the reference guide for writing proposals at the Foundation Center.