ASSISTANCE APPLICATION INFORMATION
Environmental Media Fund has ceased operations and is no longer accepting applications for assistance.
It has been our privilege to serve the film making community for the past 12 years.
How To Apply For Assistance: Requests for grants, technical assistance or fiscal sponsorship can be made at any time for projects related to our areas of interest. Environmental Media Fund has no deadlines or standard forms. We prefer concise, well-organized proposals. Submitting a brief Letter of Inquiry rather than a fully developed proposal is an advisable first step to allow for a preliminary response regarding the possibility of support.
EMF encourages proposals to be submitted electronically. Links to project web pages can also be submitted when applicable. Grants are approved by the Board of Directors. Your proposal may be reviewed and evaluated by EMF Advisors or others that can provide a qualified opinion. Sending unsolicited information about your project to EMF constitutes your agreement to a fully release of EMF from any and all liability or claims of copyright infringement.
For more information please see our Application Template.
Funding Timetable: EMF has no fixed funding cycle or application due dates. Applications are considered year round and can be submitted at any time.
Considerations: Proposals may be to develop documentary films with ancillary digital programming, events and educational materials that meet our selection criteria. Projects may be for single programs, multi-part series or collaborative efforts involving participation by other organizations or educational institutions. Video and digital components, DVD's and web sites should be an integral part of any project. Whenever possible, projects should include methods to provide the audience or participants with ways to explore the content beyond the original presentation or broadcast, and to take action. Projects that involve coordinated educational outreach or combinations of curricula and lesson plans are of particular interest but these must be a derivative of the documentary film, not stand alone projects.
PLEASE NOTE that EMF is focused on assisting documentary filmmakers creating films (primarily feature length documentaries with ancillary video and digital content) for broad public distribution: this is defined as a national broadcast or release and generally does not include local PBS station showings or single "four wall" theatrical events.
Interactive Media: If possible, projects should encourage active engagement by viewers. Projects that offer new insights into subjects and use innovative formats and non-traditional ways of engaging audiences are welcome. Web-based and DVD projects should go beyond being a collection of archival materials. They should contextualize and interpret ideas for the public in creative ways, provide users with an interactive experience, and have a clear plan for reaching their intended audiences. Social networking tools should be a component of any proposal.
Script Development Consulting Services: If applying for script and story development assistance, all that is required is an email request for a free first consultation.