💰 Funding Deadlines:

• October 1: Black Public Media’s 2026 Open Call is in search of nuanced stories that add the point of view of the Black diaspora to the larger public discourse. Five $20,000 grants and an invite to participate in BPM’s PitchBLACK Film Forum in 2027 will be awarded to broadcast or feature-length nonfiction films, as well as $150,000 in additional funding to the Forum winner. Learn more here.
• October 9: The Waymakers Collective is taking applications for their Appalachian Futures General Fund, providing $5,000 project grants to those in the Appalachian counties of Ohio, West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Western North Carolina who are working to imagine the future of the region. Apply here.
• October 9: The Frameline Completion Fund is accepting submissions for its Frameline Completion Fund, providing grants of up to $5,000 to be used for the completion of films highlighting LGBTQ+ people and their communities. Learn more here.
• October 13: The Mycoskie-UC Berkeley Psychedelic Documentary Fellowship is now accepting applications for filmmakers exploring the rapidly evolving world of psychedelics. Three documentary filmmakers will be awarded up to $20,000 to support a feature-length film, and five short documentary filmmakers will be awarded up to $10,000. Apply here.
• October 16: Vimeo is taking applications for their Short Film Grant, which will support five filmmakers with $60,000 cash, equipment, and mentorship. Apply here.
• November 8: Equality Fund is taking applications for the Equality Fund Journalism Fellowship, which provides $4000 CAD stipend to five journalists who are located in, and reporting on, communities in ODA-recipient countries. The fellowship is geared toward stories highlighting local solutions to global crises, with a focus on gender. Learn more here.
• Rolling: The Outrider AI + Nuclear Reporting Fund supports journalism and multimedia storytelling projects that explain the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and nuclear weapons. Journalists may receive up to $10,000 for projects, supporting expenses such as travel, research, multimedia production, and more. Deadline is rolling, submit your project here. 
• Rolling: The Pulitzer Center’s Global Reporting Grant supports in-depth, high-impact nonfiction projects that push boundaries and spotlight underreported stories. The Grant is open to journalists, filmmakers, and visual storytellers worldwide, and the typical award amount is $5,000-$10,000. Apply here.
• Rolling: Panavision’s New Filmmaker Grant Program offers grants for camera equipment and post-production services. The equipment grant provides use of Panavision digital or film camera packages, while the post-production grant works with Light Iron to provide new filmmakers with access to final color and finishing services. Only available in the US. Apply here. 

💡 Fellowship, Lab, and Pitch Deadlines:

• September 30: Harvard University’s Radcliffe Fellowship Program supports 50 scholars, artists, and public intellectuals with demonstrated records of achievement and great promise for future contributions. Fellows will come from around the world to work on an individual project while drawing on the knowledge and resources of the Harvard community. Learn more here.
• October 1: The EFM Doc Series Pitch is a new platform curated with DOK.forum in collaboration with Berlinale. The Pitch will bring up to 10 internationally oriented documentary series projects to the European Film Market, connecting them with producers, funders, distributors, and more. Early-stage projects across all subjects will be considered. Submit here.
• October 5: The BlackStar Greaves Seminar, a gathering of Black, Brown, and Indigenous artists in filmmaking, is seeking presentation proposals for their 2027 sessions. The seminar takes place at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, on March 5-7, 2027. Submit a proposal here.
• November 23: EURODOC is accepting applications for their EURODOC27 cohort. The program is for mid-career documentary producers and the workshops take place from March through October. Learn more here.
• December 4: The NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship will provide $20,000 grants and six months of mentorship to support three writers who are working on a revision of a feature screenplay or pilot that highlights the topic of climate change. Learn more.
• Rolling: The Retraction Watch Research Accountability Reporting Fellowship supports up to six U.S.-based journalists covering scientific accountability issues — retractions, fake data, fraud — at research universities or institutions. Newsrooms receive $7,500 in funding, one-on-one mentorship, and four virtual training sessions. Fellows are selected on a rolling basis as early as May 4. Submit here. 
• Rolling: Submit your documentary for Educational Distribution with GOOD DOCS! If your latest doc is based on education and engaging with students about rarely heard stories then this is where your next application should be. Find out more here.
• Rolling: More to Her Story is always looking for pitches from women in journalism. They believe in solutions journalism and its power to drive real-world change. In a world where women’s rights are increasingly under threat, they champion the voices of female journalists and use their stories as catalysts to drive lasting change. Pitch here. 
• Rolling: The Dot Line Space Art Foundation invites artists, collectives, and interdisciplinary practitioners to submit portfolios for Water Bodies & Ecology 2026, a research-driven program exploring water, ecology, climate, memory, and environmental consciousness. Unfolding across two venues over 40 days in 2026, the project includes research, installations, and exhibitions, and is open to all mediums and artistic practices. Apply here.

🎬 Festival Submission Deadlines:

• September 30: The call for entries for the 28th annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is now open! Submitted films will be considered for both the NEW DOCS and Invited Program categories. Apply here.
• October 19: The Hayti Heritage Center is accepting submissions for the Hayti Heritage Film Festival. They are seeking films by Black filmmakers from the American South or Global South, or by filmmakers with a connection to the American South, and the festival's 2027 theme is "Disrupt the Notion." Learn more here.
• October 30: Now in its 24th year, the True/False Film Fest is actively seeking work that engages with reality in surprising and expansive ways. Both shorts and features are welcome. Selected filmmakers will be notified by early February. Submit here.
• November 11: Submissions are now open for the 70th edition of the San Francisco International Film Festival. Taking place from April 22-May 2, 2027, the festival offers industry talks, pitch sessions, SFFILM education workshops, and more. Submit your film here.
• November 22: One World Romania is accepting submissions for the International Documentary & Human Rights Film Festival. Submit here.
• November 30: DocsBarcelona has opened their call for submissions for the 30th edition of their festival. Learn more here.
• December 15: Submissions are open for the 20th edition of Pordenone Docs Fest – The Voices of Documentary, taking place April 6-10, 2027 in Italy's 2027 Capital of Culture. Cinemazero seeks documentaries of high artistic and production quality running over 60 minutes and produced in 2025 or 2026, that are unreleased in Italy and have not been broadcast on television or made available online. Submit here.

• December 17: The Seattle International Film Festival is now accepting submissions for their 53rd annual festival, taking place May 13-23 at SIFF Cinemas with the goal of spotlighting new voices, independents, and films that have yet to break through to US audiences. Apply here.