The 2024 Austin Film Society Grant for Feature Films application cycle is now open.
Donor Name: Austin Film Society
State: Texas
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/06/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The AFS Grant awards funds annually to film and video artists in the state of Texas. Grants are provided to artists whose work shows promise, skill, and creativity. 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.
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.
If eligible, applicants can apply for any of the following cash and in-kind awards in this 2024 AFS Grant spring cycle.

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.

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. This includes paying yourself to work on the project.

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.

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.

For more information, visit Austin Film Society.