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Apply for CAAM Documentary Fund in the US

Deadline: 29 October 2023

With support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) provides project funding to independent documentary films by and about the Asian American experience for public television.

Funding Information

  • Awards typically range between $10,000 and $50,000.

Eligibility Criteria

  • To be eligible, applicants must meet the following criteria:
    • Applicant must hold artistic, budgetary and editorial control and must own the copyright of the proposed project.
    • Documentaries are eligible for production or post-production funding and must be intended for public television broadcast.
    • Applicants must be 18 years of age, be citizens or legal residents of the United States or its territories.
    • All projects in the post-production phase or further must have a full-length rough or fine cut to be considered. Projects in the production phase must include a maximum 15-minute sample of the project that is being submitted.
    • Applicants must have previous film or television experience. If this is your first media project, you must provide a video sample that demonstrates your ability to tell a story well through a visual medium.
    • In some cases, CAAM may require a Fiscal Sponsor, which is a non-profit 501(c)(3) IRS tax-exempt entity. Your sponsor would agree to accept funds from CAAM on your behalf and is responsible for redistributing funds to the project accordingly.
    • Projects must be delivered according to PBS standard lengths (26:46, 56:46, 1:26:46 or 1:56:46).
    • Only one proposal per applicant will be accepted.
  • The CAAM Documentary Fund Open Call is a licensing agreement, not a grant. For a filmmaker to accept this funding, they will be signing an agreement that states that the filmmaker has agreed to broadcast their film on public television typically for a period of four (4) years and six (6) broadcast releases. CAAM/CPB refers to this as a licensing agreement for U.S. broadcast and streaming rights for public television.

Ineligible Projects

  • Projects not intended for public television audience.
  • Projects not intended to be at standard PBS broadcast length (26:46, 56:46, 1:26:46 or 1:56:46).
  • Projects for which the U.S. television broadcast rights are not available.
  • Projects in the script development stage.
  • Projects intended solely for theatrical release or commercial in nature.
  • Projects in which applicant is commissioned, employed or hired by a commercial or public television station.
  • Thesis projects or student films which are co- or solely-owned or copy-written, or otherwise editorially or fiscally controlled by the school.
  • Projects or production entities which are foreign-based, owned or controlled.
  • Industrial or promotional projects.
  • Projects that are not about the Asian American experience.

For more information, visit CAAM.