Call for Applications: AFS Grant for Feature Films in the United States

AFS is committed to fostering diverse and underrepresented voices in independent film. Special attention is paid to providing support to women filmmakers and those who identify with communities of color.

Funded with revenue from the Texas Film Awards, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and private and corporate donations, the AFS Grant serves to redress the loss of public funds for filmmakers by disbursing funds for production and offering travel stipends to Texas filmmakers.

In 2020, AFS addressed the increasingly threatened livelihoods of artists due to the COVID-19 crisis and issued grants to artists for projects in development. Development support will continue in 2024. AFS Grant recipients have shown their films at renowned festivals like Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Toronto, Venice, Tribeca, Rotterdam, and SXSW and have won Independent Spirit Awards and Student Academy Awards.

The AFS Grant for Feature Films is open to documentary and narrative film projects that are 40 minutes and longer. There is one application to apply for either the AFS Grant for Features in Development or the AFS Grant for Features in Production, which includes any of the following stages of production: pre-production, production, or post-production. The development grant application is open to filmmakers with an established body of work. Note: Filmmakers are restricted to submitting one application per grant cycle.

What you can apply for?

• Cash Grants
  • AFS Grant for Features in Production—Cash Grant: Filmmakers may apply for up to $15,000 cash for pre-production, production, or post-production through the AFS Grant for Features in Production. Total cash support from the AFS Grant will not exceed $15,000. However, applicants can apply to receive in-kind grants in addition to the $15,000 cash request. Note: They are no longer funding distribution as a separate stage. Distribution costs can be requested as part of a post-production ask.
  • AFS Grant for Features in Development—Cash Grant: Intended to support a pipeline of independent film production in Texas, the AFS Grant for Features in Development will award two career artists a one-time, unrestricted grant in the amount of $10,000 to go towards any activity that advances a feature-length film project – either narrative or documentary – in development. While they do not require reporting on how the money is spent, your proposal should include how the $10,000 will help you make progress on this project.
• Cash Awards 
  • North Texas Pioneer Film Award—Cash Grant, Development and Production (pre-production, production, and post-production): $30,000 in cash grants will be awarded to emerging and established filmmakers residing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and surrounding counties. Grants ranging from $5,000–$15,000 will be awarded for the development, production, or post-production of feature-length films (40 minutes or greater). The grant aims to fund emerging filmmakers with first or second feature films and filmmakers with backgrounds that are traditionally underrepresented in independent film.
  • New Texas Voices Award—Cash Grant, Production (Pre-Production, Production, and Post-Production): Affirming its ongoing commitment to supporting diverse voices and growing new talent, AFS offers a $10,000 New Texas Voices Award to filmmakers who identify with a community of color traditionally underrepresented in independent film. This award will be accompanied by specialized consultation for the awarded filmmakers. Filmmakers who wish to be considered must have a first feature-length film (narrative or documentary) in early to mid-production and must provide demographic data in the application. All other regular eligibility and application requirements for the AFS Grant must be met. This award is sponsored by the Warren Skaaren Charitable Trust.
• In-Kind Awards 
  • MPS Camera and Lighting Austin Award—In-Kind Award: The MPS Camera and Lighting Austin Award comes in the form of a multi-day camera package rental from MPS Studios with a value up to $10,000. The award must be used by the awarded project and cannot be transferred or sold. Grantees must meet MPS’ minimum insurance requirements, and package rental is subject to availability. MPS must be acknowledged in the film’s credits.
  • Stuck On On DCP Award—In-Kind Award: Stuck On On DCP awards theatrical digital cinema packages (DCPs) to two different AFS Grant applicant features. The project may be a theatrical documentary or narrative feature up to 100 minutes in length. This award includes one 2K DCP file creation. Hard drive and/or digital delivery costs are not included and vary depending on the time of request. Please keep in mind that January through May are peak times at Stuck On On when creating your Project Timeline. Stuck On On must be acknowledged in the film’s credits.

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible to apply for an AFS Grant, you must meet the following requirements:
  • The Grant is intended to support the artist community in Texas and keep it thriving. You must have a current Texas residency.
  • You must be the director or co-director of the project to apply.
  • You cannot apply if you are:
    • attending school full-time outside of the state of Texas
    • a previous Texas resident
    • an out of state director working on a Texas-based film
    • AFS staff or members of the board of directors are not eligible to apply
• A project is only eligible if it meets the following requirements for the AFS Grant:
  • All genres of film and video are eligible, except industrial or promotional pieces, music videos, and “works-for-hire.”
  • All projects must be single, stand-alone works intended to be distributed alone. Television or web series are not eligible at this time.
  • Projects must be in development, pre-production, production, or post-production stages. Note: They are no longer funding distribution as its own grant category. Distribution funds may be requested as part of a post-production ask.
• Filmmakers must meet the following additional requirements if applying for development support:
  • Development funding is geared toward filmmakers with an established body of film work. Qualifications include at least one completed and distributed feature-length film, a number of completed and distributed short films, or a background in television writing and directing.
  • Applicants must provide, at minimum, two samples of previously completed work.
  • You may not apply for both development and production support in the same grant cycle, even if they are for different projects.
• If you have already received a development grant, you cannot reapply for development funding, even for a different project.
• If you have received two previous AFS Grants for the same project, you cannot apply for a third AFS Grant for that project.
• If your project has previously received one AFS Grant (in development or production), you are eligible to apply for a second grant for the same project as long as you’re applying for a different stage in the process and are in good standing on your previous contract.

For more information, visit AFS.