Redford Center Grants

Application and Program Eligibility

APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED

Our 2024 open call for grants applications will take place April 4 – May 12, 2024. Environmental nonfiction feature films or docuseries at any stage of development, production, or postproduction are eligible to apply. Each film awarded will receive a first-year (2024) $25,000 grant to support production and impact campaign expenses, an opportunity to present at an intimate, invitational virtual film showcase with funders and industry leaders, and a trip to an in-person Grantee Summit for project development and advisement. In year two (2025), grantees will have the opportunity to be considered for a  second grant to support the production’s completion, and impact. In addition to financial support, we work in a grantee cohort model and provide learning sessions and opportunities, networking and promotional support, and community building to all grantees. 

Learn more about eligibility and the application process below and by watching the recording of our Redford Center Grants information session:

Applicant and Project Eligibility

  • Applicant Eligibility

    • Must be 18+ years of age
    • Application must come from Director or Producer
    • Applications from anywhere in the world are eligible
    • Previous filmmaking experience highly recommended
    • Awardees will be expected to be available to participate in our professional development programming.

  • Project Eligibility

    • New and ongoing nonfiction feature films or docu-series at any stage of development or production. Projects that are picture locked are ineligible to apply.
    • Must be a documentary feature film or episodic docu-series
    • Must have a clear impact goal and developed idea for an impact campaign
    • Must be about, or intersect with, an environmental issue and a proposed or activated solution

We encourage stories about:

  • Intersectional environmental issues and solutions for people and the planet. 
  • Leadership, progress, solutions, possibility, hope, and innovation that transform defeatist narratives around the environmental crises.
  • Fresh viewpoints or filmmaking artistry that challenge the conventional boundaries of what an environmental story is expected to be. 
  • An equitable, inclusive, and diverse environmental movement that centers  underrepresented and historically excluded communities and voices. 
  • Systemic bias, discrimination, and injustice in environmental policy and their impacts on communities, individuals, and the earth.  
  • Pathways to direct action, groundbreaking achievements, or measurable impact.
  • Protecting and restoring land, water, biodiversity, and natural resources.   
  • Cultural practices that honor traditional and ancestral knowledge and wisdom. 
  • Community power and civic engagement initiatives at the intersection of environmental justice and planetary health.

In addition to providing financial support, The Redford Center’s support involves helping build community around these projects, advising on the design of intentional impact strategies and campaigns, and connecting filmmakers with additional opportunities, partnerships, funding, and advice that will lead them toward their ultimate impact goals. 

Reflecting the core values of our organization, we seek to ensure accountability to and representation of the intersectionality of environmental advocates and artists, which includes Black, Indigenous, People of Color; Women; people with disabilities; immigrant and refugee communities; and LGBTQ+ communities, and all people whose lives are disproportionately impacted by environmental injustices. 

Grantees Receive:

  • A $25,000 gift of financial support in the first year of the grants cycle.
  • An invitation to apply for second-year funding, which includes a more substantial financial investment to support ongoing production, post-production, or an impact campaign.
  • Travel and lodging covered to attend The Redford Center Grants Summit in Spring 2025 (US-based) with exclusive participation in learning sessions and networking events with experts, industry leaders, and fellow artists. Each team is offered support in refining their project narratives and impact goals. 
  • An opportunity to present at an intimate, invitational virtual film showcase with funders and industry leaders in Fall 2024. 
  • Promotional support and strategic advice, from development to distribution, from The Redford Center.
  • Invitation to join The Redford Center’s fiscal sponsorship program at a discounted rate, which makes it easier to attract and accept philanthropic support. 

The call for applications is open from April 4 – May 12, 2024, and takes recommendations from the Nonfiction Documentary Core Application, a collaborative effort to standardize application requirements to foster greater access and a more equitable and sustainable documentary field. 

Application deliverables will be reviewed for realistic progress towards short-term and long-term goals, and applicants will need to demonstrate measurable ways to track project impact. 

Please make sure to read our Terms and Conditions and our Frequently Asked Questions.

Questions? Please contact us at grants@redfordcenter.org.