Get Funded
You’ve found a story and you’re committed to telling it—no matter what. Let’s do it together.
Open Call
Open Call provides documentary funding and co-production support so you can complete your nonfiction work in progress, then air it on public television.
- The deadline for this round was July 26, 2019 11:59 PM PDT
Recent Open Call Projects
Diversity Development Fund
DDF gives producers of color up to $25,000 in research and development funding so you can develop your documentary for air on public television. Pre-production nonfiction projects only.
- The deadline for this round was September 13, 2019 11:59 PM PDT
Recent Diversity Development Fund Projects
Digital Open Call
Digital Open Call offers research and development funding for you to pilot a story on public media digital platforms. Pre-production nonfiction projects only.
- Reopens Winter 2020
Recent Digital Open Call Projects
Series and Special Projects
We commission a limited number of innovative and timely projects for public media, providing development and production funding. Submissions for Series and Special Project funding are by invitation-only. This collection also encompasses documentary films funded through limited special open calls held over the years.
Recent Series and Special Projects
ITVS in the Field
We’d love to meet you! Join the ITVS team at an event. We want to hear about your latest projects.
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News and Documentary Emmy Awards
September 24-24, 2019
New York,, NYDirector of Production
David Eisenberg
Digital Content Producer
Danielle Orange
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New Orleans Film Festival
October 16-23, 2019
New Orleans, LASeries Producer, Digital Initiatives
Pamela Torno
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Bay Area Video Coalition Panel
October 16-16, 2019
San Francisco, CAContent Development Manager
Jannet Nuñez
Get Funded
We join forces with visionaries like you from across America to bring risk-taking independent film to the public.
Filmmaker Resources
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ITVS Open Call Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about Open Call Production Funding? Find the most commonly asked questions and their answers here.
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ITVS Diversity Development Fund Frequently Asked Questions
Find the answers to the most commonly asked questions about ITVS Diversity Development Fund.
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ITVS Digital Open Call Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about Digital Open Call Production Funding? Find the most commonly asked questions and their answers here.
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From Concept to Contract: The Path of an ITVS Proposal
ITVS can give you the funding and support you need to tell your story. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the process submitted proposals follow.
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The AIR/ITVS Scan of Independent Journalists
This benchmark analysis provides new insight into how independent radio, television, and online producers intersect with the rapidly evolving public media landscape.
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Sample Documentary Budget
From our blog
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Diverse Stories Resonate with Debbie Lum
August 30, 2019Debbie Lum, DDF-funded for her film My Tiger Mom, and also an ITVS alum for Try Harder! and Seeking Asian Female, talks about what it meant to be funded in name of diversity.
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When Filmmaker and Subject Are Father and Son: Tadashi and Robert Nakamura in Their "Third Act"
August 26, 2019Documentary filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura opens up about making a film about--and with--his father, longtime documentary maker and teacher Robert Nakamura.
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For Royal Rodgers, Perseverance Is Key
August 26, 2019We spoke with Royal Rodgers, whose project Hollywood’s Architect was among the very first films to receive ITVS development funding in 2004, and is due at last to air on PBS in 2020.
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