The Sundance Institute Documentary Fund supports the work of nonfiction filmmakers from around the globe. In a changing media landscape, the fund has been a stable, progressive force in supporting work that has expressed the world in creative, complex, beautiful, and provocative ways and has created real cultural and social impact around some of the most pressing issues of our time. The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program supports independent nonfiction films with budgets under $1,000,000 (one million) USD worldwide. Films may be in any language, but we ask that proposals are written in English and that visual materials are subtitled in English. For international productions, we prioritize films led by artists from Africa, China, India, Latin America, and the Middle East. We are especially keen to raise the voices of underserved or underrepresented communities worldwide to build a more fair, free, and open society.

Up to $40,000 as grant

Sundance Documentary Fund also funds: production, post-production

A previous work sample is required.

The Documentary Fund offers additional support for projects that address specific pressing socio-cultural issues, through our partners. Projects selected for these opportunities will be fielded through our general Documentary Fund application.

Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program It is made possible by founding support from Open Society Foundations. Generous additional support is provided by Skoll Foundation; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Ford Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; The Charles Engelhard Foundation; Hilton Worldwide; The Rockefeller Foundation; Arcus Foundation; TED; Time Warner Foundation; CNN Films; the Joan and Lewis Platt Foundation; Compton Foundation; Threshold Foundation; the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Candescent Films; Kenneth Cole Productions; the J.A. & H.G. Woodruff, Jr. Charitable Trust; Nancy Blachman and David desJardins; and the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney Foundation.