Sundance Institute Documentary Fund
Contact Information:
Sundance Institute
8530 Wilshire Blvd., 3rd Floor
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Phone: 310-360-1981
Fax: 310-360-1969
Website: http://www.sundance.org
Type of foundation: Public charity
Types of grants: Development, production and engagement grants.
Description: Founded by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences. Through its programs, the Institute seeks to discover, support and inspire independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world and to introduce audiences to their new work.
The Sundance Documentary Fund supports U.S. and international documentary films that focus on current human rights issues, freedom of expression, social justice, civil liberties and critical issues of our time. The Fund makes grants in the following categories:
- Development grants provide seed funds to filmmakers whose projects are in early research through pre-production (up to $20,000).
- Production/post-production grants are available for documentaries in production or post-production (up to $50,000). Applications are required to include continuously edited material that is approximately 20 to 75 minutes for the project being proposed.
- Audience Engagement grants are available to filmmakers who have already received an award from the Sundance Institute. Grants support innovative distribution and audience engagement strategies for the same project that was previously funded.
Sundance also annually awards a grant (up to $20,000) and ongoing creative support to a selected filmmaker in the early stages of a science or technology-themed narrative screenplay through a partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. More information is available here.
Additional grant opportunities are available to filmmakers through a variety of fellowships, awards and smaller grants. More information is available here.
Sample grants: A list of recent recipients of Sundance Documentary Fund grants is available here.
Fit for public broadcasting: Sundance supports independent filmmakers, many of whom create work shown on public television.
Eligibility: The Sundance Documentary Fund supports cinematic feature documentaries about pressing human rights, social justice, civil liberties and related topics from the U.S. and internationally.
Sundance Documentary Fund grants are made to the artist and do not encumber rights.
Deadline: Deadlines for the Documentary Fund are generally the first week of February and the first week of July. Award decisions take four to six months.
How to apply: Information on how to apply to the Documentary Fund and a link to begin the process are available here. Application is competitive. The Documentary Fund receives up to 2,000 proposals annually and funds 35 to 50.
Giving range: Up to $50,000
Total giving: The Documentary Fund awards grants totaling $1-2 million per year.
