Where can I find funding as an individual film/video artist?
If you are an individual artist, you might want to review the resources found in our FAQs for Individual Grantseekers. Another excellent resource for learning about the grantseeking process is the Guide to Funding Research.
Most foundation grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations, rather than directly to individuals. The individual grantseeker should expect to encounter stiff competition for grant dollars. It is essential, therefore, that you research all potential funding sources within your own discipline or geographic area.
Most grantmakers place very specific limitations on their giving to individuals, since provisions for grants to individuals require advance approval of the program by the IRS. For this reason, grantmakers usually cannot make exceptions to their program guidelines, even if you present a compelling case for them to do so.
However, each of the Foundation Center's five libraries has a collection of materials of interest to individual grantseekers. The Foundation Center's information on grantmakers for individuals is available in two formats and may be helpful in your search for foundation funding. They are:
Foundation Grants to Individuals, in both formats, includes information on grantmakers giving to individuals for research and education, for the arts and sciences, and even for personal, living and medical expenses. Information about how to apply for funding from each foundation is included. All Foundation Center libraries and Cooperating Collections provide free public access to the print version of Foundation Grants to Individuals, and some may have the online version as well. These resource tools also may be purchased through the Marketplace.
Electronic Resources for Film/Video Artists:
- The Foundation Center's Individual Grantseekers page gathers all of the Foundation Center's information, tools, and resources for individual grantseekers in one place.
- Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers Supports a variety of programs and services for the independent media community.
- Independent Television Service Funds proposals by independent producers, and provides production, promotion, marketing and distribution support.
- International Documentary Association has a listing of grants with deadlines, grants without deadlines, and information on fiscal sponsorship.
- New York Foundation for the Arts, a nonprofit arts service organization, provides grants and services to individual artists and arts-related organizations in all artistic disciplines in the United States. Includes information on fellowship opportunities in writing and the visual arts, and on fiscal sponsorship. NYFA also provides access to NYFA Source, an extensive national database of awards, services, and publications for artists of all disciplines. Artists, arts organizations, and the general public can access information on over 3,400 arts organizations, 2,800 award programs, 3,100 service programs, and 900 publications for individual artists nationwide, with more programs added every day.
- NYFA Current a weekly digest of news in the arts, which often contains information on grants and funding and is also available via an electronic mailing list.
- P.O.V. on PBS has information on submission procedures in its "Call for Entries".
- National Alliance for Media Arts & Culture is a national association of nonprofit organizations and individuals committed to furthering the support and advocacy of film, video, audio and online/multimedia arts.
- Arts Resource Network, the Seattle Arts Commission's new arts portal Web site lists regional and national funding opportunities for individual film/video artists.
- National Endowment for the Humanities supports all areas of the humanities, including the funding of documentaries.
- Morrie Warshawski provides an extensive bibliography on fundraising for independent film and video projects.
- Arts Over America, a page hosted by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), includes links to state art agencies, many of which offer funding opportunities.
Print Resources for Film/Video Artists:
- Edelson, Phyllis, ed. Foundation Grants to Individuals. New York, NY: The Foundation Center, biennial. Profiles more than 6,000 foundation programs that make grants to individuals for education, arts and culture, general welfare and more. All Foundation Center libraries and Cooperating Collections provide free public access to Foundation Grants to Individuals.
- Annual Register of Grant Support: A Directory of Funding Sources. New York, NY: R.R. Bowker, annual. Describes over 3,500 grant programs in all subjects. Covers government, public and private foundation, corporate, association, and other special interest support programs.
- Blum, Laurie. The Complete Guide to Getting a Grant: How to Turn Your Ideas Into Dollars. Rev. ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1996. Guide for novice grantseekers, primarily individuals, with information on finding a funder, working with sponsors, and writing a proposal. Includes resources lists.
- Directory of Grants in the Humanities. Westport, CT: Oryx Press, annual. Includes over 3,300 sources of funding by foundations, federal and state government agencies, corporations, professional organizations and associations which support film and video production.
- Kelly, Andrew. "Creative Partnerships: Fundraising for Short Film Projects." International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing 6 (February 2001) p. 9-20. Tells the history of a collaboration between filmmakers, corporations, and funders to create the Brief Encounters Short Film Festival in Bristol, England. The experience of this arts program may prove useful for other sponsorships.
- Warshawski, Morrie. Shaking the Money Tree: How to Get Grants and Donations for Film and Video Projects. (2nd ed.) Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2003. Witty step-by-step guide covers planning a project, doing research, writing a proposal, soliciting donations from individuals, and more.
- Wiese, Michael. Film & Video Financing. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 1991, 299p. Approaches financing a film or video project from a variety of angles, including risk capital, getting investors, and pre-sales.
- Wiese, Michael. The Independent Film and Videomaker's Guide. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 1998, 488p. Chapters cover developing, distributing, financing, and marketing of independent film and television works. Extensive bibliography includes Web sites of interest.
For other books and articles for individual film and videomakers, try searching our Catalog of Nonprofit Literature, the Center's bibliographic database. You could start searching on the subjects "Arts--grants", "Films and video", or "Individual grants and grantseekers".
Many of the books and articles found through CNL can be located in Center Libraries and some Cooperating Collections. It is best to call ahead to verify a specific library's holdings. All articles, but not books, can be obtained through interlibrary loan at your local Cooperating Collection.
For Individuals with Fiscal Sponsorship:
Depending on the nature of your project, you might wish to consider affiliation with a tax-exempt organization in order to broaden your base of potential support. In this type of arrangement, a nonprofit would act as your fiscal agent, receiving and administering the grant for you. It is important that you begin looking for a sponsor at the same time that you start researching potential funders. For more information on fiscal sponsorship, see our FAQs on Fiscal Sponsorship or our Guide to Fiscal Sponsorship and Affiliation.
All five Center libraries and some Cooperating Collections offer educational classes for individual artists (called Grantseeking Basics for Individuals in the Arts).
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