Development and Co-production Funding for Short Nonfiction Film (US)

Deadline: 15 December 2023

The Independent Television Service is offering development and co-production funding to help you complete your short nonfiction film or series for distribution on public media’s web-based platforms.

They’re looking for exceptional nonfiction stories that spark dialogue and engage a young and diverse audience on public media’s web-based platforms.

Short-Form Open Call is only open to standalone documentary shorts, web series, and vertical video series. These programs will be distributed online via platforms such as YouTube, the PBS App, and/or social platforms such as Instagram Reels, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts.

Themes

Stories of any subject will be considered, though they have a special interest in the following topics and closely related themes:
- Criminal Justice Reform
- Democracy/Civics
- Environmental Justice

Who they Fund?

Short Documentary Filmmakers
- They provide co-production support and between $30,000 and $50,000 to complete standalone nonfiction films up to 25 minutes in length. Projects must be in pre-production or mid-production.
Nonfiction Short Series Creators
- ITVS Short-Form Open Call supports series creators in one of two ways:
  - For projects in R&D that have not yet begun principal production, they provide development support and funding up to $25,000 to help you take your original series idea to the pilot stage. ITVS will work with you to develop the story and determine the length and number of episodes.
  - For projects in early- to mid-production, they provide production support and funding to help complete your series in progress. The amount of ITVS’ funding contribution may vary based on the project.
Nonfiction Vertical Video Creators
- They provide co-production support and between $20,000 and $30,000 to complete production on vertical series delivered in 9 x 16 aspect ratio, and intended for distribution solely on social media platforms. ITVS will work with you to develop the story and determine the number of episodes, which can be no longer than 60 seconds in length. They accept proposals for vertical video series in pre-production.

Eligibility Criteria

You are eligible to apply if you are:
- The owner of the copyright of your production, and you maintain editorial control of the story.
- Someone with previous web/vertical video, television, or film production experience in a principal role: director, co-director, producer, co-producer.
- Applying only to this ITVS funding initiative, and you are not currently under consideration for other ITVS funding.
- A citizen or legal resident of the U.S. or its external territories age 18 or older.

Ineligible

You are not eligible to apply if you are:
- A former employee who has worked for ITVS within the past 12 months.
- Employed as a producer or director by a broadcast entity or film studio.
- Currently a student at any college or university.
A project is ineligible if:
- It is a narrative fiction project.
- It is a completed series or one-off short that is either looking for distribution or previously has been broadcast or distributed publicly (including theatrical, festivals, educational, community screenings, subscription video-on-demand, or other web-based platforms).
- It is a new season for an already existing series.
- It is a standard broadcast or feature-length documentary (TRT longer than 25 minutes).
- It is a series in which episodes are standard broadcast length (TRT longer than 25 minutes).
- It is at an advanced stage (e.g. at fine cut through festival submission cut).
- It is a program intended for, or already committed to, a commercial distributor.