Your organization is eligible if it meets any of the following:

• You are a current Skoll Foundation awardee or grantee.
• You previously received a direct Skoll Foundation award or grant (even if it has since concluded).
• Your organization is a direct implementing partner or downstream grantee of a current Skoll awardee, and the proposed story focuses on that funded work.

Organizations whose only connection to Skoll is indirect — for example, attending a Skoll-sponsored event, or receiving funding through a co-funder who also funds Skoll awardees — are not eligible for this cohort.

Stories should focus on at least one of the following priorities:

1. Mitigating climate change
2. Global health
3. Economic opportunity
4. Girls’ Education

If you're unsure whether your relationship to Skoll qualifies, email ssp@videoconsortium.org and we'll confirm before you invest time in an application.

The four areas listed — climate, global health, economic opportunity, and girls' education — reflect the thematic focus Skoll Foundation has set for this cohort. But we recognize that the most powerful solutions-focused stories often sit at the intersection of multiple issues or challenge neat categorization. If your work addresses a priority area through an unexpected lens — for instance, a climate adaptation story that is fundamentally about economic resilience, or a health systems story rooted in gender equity beyond girls' education — we welcome that. In your application, tell us which priority area(s) your story connects to and how. We'd rather see a compelling, honest story that stretches a category than a forced fit.

When reviewing proposals, here is what we will be looking for:

• Potential impact: how valuable will this film be in furthering your work?
• Viability of project: can this film be completed on time and within budget?
• Location of organization & filming
• Compelling nature of the story: is there a powerful character being featured, or an inspiring story of transformation?
• Alignment with Skoll's priorities: does the story focus on one of the Skoll priorities highlighted in the previous section?

We’re looking for solution-focused stories that highlight your model in action. Examples may include:

• A character-driven story that shows your work in action
• A “day in the life” of someone served by or involved in your work
• A before-and-after impact journey
• Profiles of beneficiaries, implementers, or communities
• Correcting a misconception through lived experience
• An aspect of your work that’s never been shown before
• A moving call to action
• An About Us style video

The film projects we are not looking for include:

• Overtly promotional or fundraising videos
• Institutional, text-driven explainers
• Stories without a human, character-driven core
• Fictional or fully animated projects (only nonfiction/creative documentary work is eligible)

You can watch previous cohorts' work here.

Each film has a budget that's paid directly to the storyteller-partner, covering time, gear access, and limited filmmaker travel. Typically, films involve 2–4 days of on-location shooting, 1–3 featured characters/interviews, and weeks of editing.

In addition, your organization will receive:

• A small stipend for production-related travel/per diem if needed
• An optional stipend to executing your impact campaign

 Your organization will be responsible for:

• Providing guidance to the storyteller on scope and access to subjects/locations
• Offering clear, actionable feedback on project briefs and in-progress drafts
• Dedicating one point person to coordinate internally and with SSP

We encourage organizations to be open to creativity and innovation!

You’ll have full support throughout the process. The SSP co-directors will be your main contacts. Together, we’ll help you complete your story, in whatever form it takes, and successfully launch it into the world.

This program embodies Skoll's ethos (and VC's alignment) that those closest to a challenge should lead how their stories are told.

That principle shapes every phase of SSP production:

• Informed consent: All featured individuals (or their guardians) give documented, informed consent before filming begins — including clear explanation, in their language, of how the footage will be used and distributed. Consent can be withdrawn at any point before final publication.
• Community review: Organizations and, where appropriate, featured communities will have the opportunity to review rough cuts and flag concerns before release.
• Safeguarding: Storytellers and organizations must adhere to SSP's safeguarding protocols, which address working with minors, at-risk populations, and sensitive subject matter. These protocols are be shared during onboarding.
• Do-no-harm: If at any point during production it becomes clear that telling a specific story could put a storyteller, subject, or community at risk, that production will pause or be reshaped. 

The above is integral to SSP because extractive storytelling, however well-intentioned it might be, undermines the trust and proximity that make this program work.

Absolutely. Please add their name to the application.

Every SSP film gets a tailored distribution plan developed in collaboration with your organization. Typical channels include:

• Conferences and convenings (e.g. technical conferences, Skoll World Forum, et al): screenings and panel discussions where your story is used as a panel opener or foundation for discussion.
• Online platforms: publication on Skoll and VC's social media channels, as well as support for your organization to launch the film on your own platforms, including virtual premiere infrastructure.
• Media partnerships: VC leverages relationships with editorial outlets and streaming platforms to pitch stories for broader reach.
• Festival circuit: where appropriate, films are submitted to documentary and impact film festivals.
• Grassroots community screenings: at the end of the day, you know your work best and where your story will have the greatest effect. We'll support your vision to build a system that allows you to screen the film for the communities your work directly affects, or whatever would be most meaningful for impact.

We'll work with you to set realistic audience goals and identify the distribution channels most relevant to your mission.

Storytellers will be chosen based on the strength and alignment of their past work and proximity to your organization and filming location(s).

We will notify you with final decisions by December, 2026.

Of course. Please email ssp@videoconsortium.org and we'll work with you to create a focused application.

Yes! Each organization can submit up to three applications or project proposals for consideration. Please note that only one project will be produced.

Definitely. Please add a link to the film in your application as a reference example and note what changes, updates, improvements you're envisioning.

Most films will be between 4 and 9 minutes; working with a content creator will result in a series of short vertical videos optimized for social media.

Possibly! Please email ssp@videoconsortium.org to express future interest.

In this cohort, SSP will expand some projects beyond traditional documentary filmmakers to include content creators, whose primary distribution medium is social media. These will be people with aligned values, engaged audiences, and may include proximate journalists, activists, community organizers, influencers, or even someone from your own team that could grow into this kind of role, etc. If you have (or would like to have) an existing relationship with a local creator, please nominate them in your application. 

If the story or work involves a partner or beneficiary of a Skoll awardee/grantee, they may apply as well.

Yes! If you are a current or past grantee, your organization is eligible to apply.