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.
- Reopens June 15, 2020 9:00 AM 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.
- Reopens August 3, 2020 9:00 AM PDT
Recent Diversity Development Fund Projects
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Short-Form Open Call
Short-Form Open Call offers development and co-production funding to help you complete your short nonfiction film or series for distribution on public media's web-based platforms.
- Submissions Accepted Year-Round
Recent Short-Form 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.
Check back soon to hear about upcoming events.
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 Short-Form Open Call Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions about Short-Form Open Call? 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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Sample Documentary Budget
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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.
From our blog
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Filmmakers Provide Insight on Taking Risks at Winter 2020 Independents Summit
March 2, 2020What risks are worth taking? Last week, at the ITVS Independents Winter Summit, storytellers and thought leaders came together from all over the country, and beyond, to explore the inherent risks and pressures facing the documentary industry. It was a support group, a safe space, an information-gathering marathon and a networking event all at once.We…
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Exploring the Risks Worth Taking at ITVS Independents Summit Winter 2020
February 6, 2020ITVS Independents Summit is week-long convening for storytellers and thought leaders to explore the inherent risks and pressures facing the documentary industry.
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Jon Olshefski's Fire for QUEST
January 23, 2020Jonathan Olshefski’s ITVS-supported QUEST (Open Call, 2015) follows Christopher “Quest” Rainey, Christine’a “Ma” Rainey, their daughter PJ, and Christine’a’s older son William over almost a decade in North Philadelphia. Deeply intimate, the film begins by focusing on the family’s involvement in their community—Quest’s name comes from his rap…
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