2026 Documentary Grant Application
Berkeley Film Foundation
Who can apply
PLEASE READ: CHANGE IN ELIGIBILITY. Eligibility. The Berkeley Film Foundation only funds filmmakers who work or live in the cities of Berkeley, Emeryville, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond, Alameda or Oakland. You must provide a physical address in one of these cities in the application – a P.O. Box unfortunately doesn’t count. The applicant must be the primary creator of the work as in the Director or Producer, i.e., the editor cannot apply for a grant. Additionally, the applicant must be:. • A credited Executive Producer is not eligible to apply.
About this opportunity
2026 General Grant Guidelines The Berkeley Film Foundation (BFF) is pleased to open applications for our 2026 Documentary Grant Program. Once you have read through the grant guidelines and find you are a qualified candidate, we invite you to submit an application through Submittable which will be active on our website starting Monday March 16 at 8:00am. The application will not be available to view until then. The deadline to apply for a General Grant AND a Student Grant* is Monday April 13, 2026 at 11:59pm PST. No extensions will be offered. *Due to the inclusion of a Narrative-short grant cycle on our 2026 calendar, we’ve had to shorten our timeline to accommodate for adequate review and therefore, student and general grant applications will be due at the same time. If you are are unable...