Call for Entries: Research & Development Grant Program

The Chicken & Egg Films Research & Development Grant provides financial support to directors during research and development, filmmaking phases that are too often unpaid and unsupported. Many filmmakers invest their personal resources to get their projects off the ground because it is hard to secure funding without significant sample material. Yet, producing material without external funding can be almost impossible. Their grant addresses this “chicken or egg” challenge.

Funding Information

• A total of $450,000 USD is awarded in the following grant amounts:
  • $10,000 USD grants for Research
  • USD 20,000 grants for Development

Deliverables

• Research Grantees will be required to deliver:
  • A short narrative report detailing how the funds were utilized and the impact they had on the project and the filmmaker’s career. Grantees will also be asked to report back on the status of the Planned Activities outlined in their application. No expense receipts will be required.
• Development Grantees will be required to deliver:
  • A narrative report detailing how the funds were utilized and the impact they had on the project and the filmmaker’s career. Grantees will also be asked to report back on the status of the Planned Activities outlined in their application. No expense receipts will be required.
  • A teaser, trailer and/or pitch deck.

Eligible Activities

• Research
  • The research stage is a period of sowing and ideation.
  • Core activities include:
    • Identifying secondary sources such as literature, art, and cultural materials
    • Familiarizing with other (film) projects
    • Identifying primary sources and collaborators
    • Locating visual assets and archives
    • Identifying and tracking potential or multiple storylines
    • Finding a narrative framework that can support the film
    • Building foundational relationships with the community and collaborators at the center of the story
    • Research activities could also be for specific needs in a film that is further in the development (but not production) process
• Development
  • The development stage is a nuanced period of exploration and discovery.
  • Core activities include:
    • Gaining access to core participants and collaborators, and starting shooting
    • Developing the story or form of the film
    • Plotting the film’s multiple and intersecting timelines
    • Fine-tuning the development budget and creating a fundraising strategy
    • Creating fundraising materials such as a pitch deck, trailer, teaser, etc.
    • Testing pitch materials for resonance at pitch venues with potential funders
    • Engaging possible partners

Eligibility Criteria

• Filmmakers must meet the following criteria:
  • Identify as a woman or gender-expansive filmmaker.
  • Have directed at least one feature-length documentary.
  • The film must have a duration of 48 minutes or longer.
  • The film must be completed, having premiered already or actively seeking an upcoming premiere (e.g. within next 3-4 months).
  • The film must be independently produced. Commissioned documentaries, including those produced for news/journalism outlets, are eligible to be considered as prior work if the filmmaker had directorial control.
• Be based anywhere in the world, except countries under comprehensive US sanctions, including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and the following regions of Ukraine: Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk. Further information on why filmmakers based in these countries/regions are ineligible.
• “Work-for-hire” without creative control are not eligible, and student films produced in an undergraduate or graduate program are also not eligible.

Evaluation Criteria

• Priority will be given to films committed to creating social change and/or uplifting underrepresented stories that challenge mainstream narratives. They support a broad range of stories and artistic approaches from the personal to the political, including films that are experimental, animated, essayistic, archival, and beyond:
  • Story, Concept, Theme: The story is timely, and the topics and themes are compelling and relevant. There is a clear subject matter and questions that will be explored. In addition for Development Grant applicants: The narrative trajectory and potential character arcs are clearly described.
  • Prior Work/Directorial Vision: The director’s prior work exhibits artistry and competency that creates confidence they will execute the current project well. In addition for Development Grant applicants: There is clear creative vision for the project, and the approach is innovative and unique.
  • Access and Accountability: The director clearly articulates their connection to the story, film participants, and community, and is thoughtful about the processes for accountability in working with them.
  • Feasibility and Grant Impact: The project idea and planned activities feasible in terms of scope and timeline, and the grant will have an impact on advancing the project.

For more information, visit Chicken & Egg Films.