Funding and Support

Established in 1949, the Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship honors the legacy of journalist Edward R. Murrow by supporting distinguished foreign correspondents or editors. The fellowship provides journalists with the opportunity to conduct in-depth research, contribute to CFR’s programs, and broaden their professional horizons.

Annually, IJNR invites proposals for grants to help defray the costs of reporting projects that focus on natural resources, the environment, energy, development, agriculture, environmental justice, and public health. Reporting projects must be based in or otherwise directly related to North America.

Since 2001, the Hasselblad Masters competition has been a global stage for the world's most creative photographers. They are looking for great images and unique vision, and would like to see submissions from any camera. Digital or film, any brand, any frame size. All are welcome.

The Project Development Grant provides funding to a fine art, reportage or documentary work-in-progress.

The Project Launch Grant provides funding to a complete, or nearly completed, documentary project or fine art series.

The Developing Room Short Film Grant supports in-progress scripts for narrative short films, web series pilots, proof-of-concept shorts for features and TV series, and pitch decks for documentary short films. Entries from all nationalities are welcome.

BigPicture encourages photographers from around the world to contribute their work to this competition that both celebrates and illustrates the rich diversity of life on Earth and inspires action to protect and conserve it through the power of imagery.

The World Water Day Photo Contest raises awareness about the importance of water as a critical resource through visual storytelling. Organized alongside UN Water's World Water Day, the competition invites photographers worldwide to explore themes like water preservation, landscapes, and storytelling. Proceeds from the contest support international water-related projects.

The Ted Scripps Fellowships offer mid-career journalists a year-long opportunity to deepen their understanding of environmental science and policy. Fellows pursue independent projects, audit university classes, and participate in seminars and field trips, gaining expertise to advance their reporting on environmental issues.

The Art of Progress Prize is an inaugural global award where art, innovation, and sustainability intersect – supporting the next generation of creative changemakers. Artists aged 35 and under from anywhere in the world are invited to apply, whose multi-sensory, environmentally conscious practices – from bio-art and data visualization to scent-driven installations – push creative boundaries.

The Centre for British Photography supports artists working with photography across Britain. These awards enable photographers to bring an ongoing project to completion within a year. They are open to individuals of all ages, irrespective of academic background.

Belfast Photo Festival is the largest annual photography festival in the UK and Ireland. Spanning over 30 venues, it presents cutting-edge contemporary photography from local, national, and international artists. The festival not only showcases exceptional work but also creates wide audience engagement, social impact and development opportunities for photographic artists. It contributes to the wider visual arts sector and Belfast’s living culture.

The Magnum Foundation are accepting applications for the Spring 2026 session of the New York City Fellowship, a program offering a project production grant, mentorship, and arts administration experience to NYC-based early-career photographers and photojournalists.

The Thomas L. Stokes Award honors the legacy of the late Thomas L. Stokes, a syndicated Washington columnist known for his focus on national affairs. Established in 1959, this annual award recognizes excellence in journalism related to energy, natural resources, and the environment. It seeks to celebrate reporting that embodies the independent spirit of Stokes and his commitment to these critical topics.

The award highlights visual stories centered on people and their social or cultural realities. These may include public or private narratives, minor or pivotal moments, major human tragedies, or everyday life experiences, as well as intimate and personal human connections.

The Film Fund supports in-progress narrative short films. Their grant covers costs associated with the production of your film, including travel, equipment, talent etc.

The WCF provides support for production, post-production and distribution for feature length films and creative documentary features. Special consideration is given to projects from production companies in regions with the lowest production capacity.

NYU Journalism is offering multiple grants, up to $1,000 each, to graduate or undergraduate students who are working on substantive reporting projects in any medium. The grants are designed to support research costs associated with reporting these stories. Funds may be used for travel.

The Maria Moors Cabot prizes recognize journalists and news organizations with a distinguished body of work that has contributed to Inter­-American understanding. The award is open to any journalist or news organization based in the Western Hemisphere.

The Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation helps fund important endeavors promoting photographic education and documentary photography across the United States. Its goal is to raise awareness of and appreciation for the field of photography, as well as for the photographers themselves. The Foundation prioritizes educational programs of all levels.

Since 2014, The Image Centre has offered a variety of fellowships for research related to photography. Research fellows have the opportunity to study select areas of The Image Centre's photography collections first-hand.

Since 2014, The Image Centre has offered a variety of fellowships for research related to photography. Research fellows have the opportunity to study select areas of The Image Centre's photography collections first-hand.

Since 2014, The Image Centre has offered a variety of fellowships for research related to photography. Research fellows have the opportunity to study select areas of The Image Centre's photography collections first-hand.

Since 2014, The Image Centre has offered a variety of fellowships for research related to photography. Research fellows have the opportunity to study select areas of The Image Centre's photography collections first-hand.

Since 2014, The Image Centre has offered a variety of fellowships for research related to photography. Research fellows have the opportunity to study select areas of The Image Centre's photography collections first-hand.

The Revolutionary Storyteller Grant by Photographers Without Borders aims to support photographers with strong connections to the communities they document. The grant focuses on projects that address themes such as land and water protection, Indigenous knowledge, climate change, and regeneration.

New York City doesn’t pose, it lives. Every block, every face, every moment tells a story. UNFILTERED is about capturing the city’s beauty in its truest form: the laughter, the chaos, the quiet, the connection. It’s not about perfection. It’s about presence.

The Leica Oskar Barnack Award Women Grant will offer female photographers the opportunity to realise a new image series, which will be presented as part of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award.

BFI Network Short Film funding is intended to support early career filmmakers and stimulate new ideas and stories by supporting original and entirely fictional shortform projects of up to 15 minutes in length in live action, animation and immersive/virtual reality.

10×10 invite proposals for photobook research on Black identity, Africa and the African diaspora. The concept of the photobook for your study can be interpreted in the broadest sense possible: classic bound books, portfolios, personal albums, unpublished books, zines, digital media, scrapbooks, or posters.

The Roy W. Dean Grant funds independent films that are unique and make a contribution to society that, without its help, might otherwise never get made.

The Open Fund for Individuals is one of Creative Scotland’s key funding programs, supporting the wide range of activity initiated by artists, writers, producers and other creative practitioners in Scotland. The fund is intended to support periods of research, development and/or delivery of creative activity, such as specific projects and productions for up to 24 months. It can support an individual’s time where this is related to specific creative outcomes.

The Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award was created to honor the life and work of Pulitzer Prize-winning AP photographer and IWMF Courage in Journalism Award winner Anja Niedringhaus (1965-2014). With this Award, the IWMF celebrates the courageous work of women photojournalists like Anja. The Award recognizes the importance of visual journalistic work that inspires us to take action and compels us to better understand the world.

The Pivot Fund supports hyperlocal news outlets that use digital technology to inform and engage communities that are underserved by traditional media. They look for outlets trusted by their audiences, a powerful asset that money can’t buy.

The Pulitzer Center invites journalists who are working on projects related to tropical rainforests to submit a proposal to the Rainforest Journalism Fund. This particular grant focuses on work around the themes of the rainforest in our overall climate equations, and the solutions and effects of deforestation.

FIJ have launched an emergency grant program for stories on threats to democracy in the United States. Emergency grants are available for investigative stories that break new ground and expose wrongdoing in the public or private sectors related to threats to democracy. Proposals from journalists from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged.

Mongabay are asking for pitches on topics related to Bangladesh’s response to climate change. They’re offering payment for already completed work, and grants to fund future trips for the creation of new stories. Due to limited resources compared to the scale of the challenges, Bangladesh is now facing hurdles in taking adequate adaptation measures to tackle the harmful impacts of climate change.

The Pulitzer Center’s global reporting grants support in-depth, high-impact reporting on critical issues that are often overlooked in the media, from global health to climate change. Their stories address the root causes of crises around the world, including within the United States. They support projects across all media platforms and encourage ambitious, prize-worthy proposals that combine print, photography, audio, and/or video for one or more news outlets.

The Congo Basin Journalism Fund aims to support and build capacity of local, regional, and international journalists reporting on issues related to rainforests, funding costs associated with reporting projects on rainforests, with an emphasis on unreported or underreported issues in the regions and how they connect on a global scale.

The South Asian Journalists Association Fellowship program is designed to promote in-depth, long-form news reports covering issues which are often ignored or given only fleeting coverage by the media. Examples of these are news of natural disasters, accidents and scandals which are often prominently featured as "Breaking News" over a few new cycles, spanning a few days but whose long-term impact are seldom covered in depth, if at all.

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a New York based, philanthropic, not-for-profit institution that makes grants in three areas: research in science, technology, and economics; quality and diversity of scientific institutions; and public engagement with science.

Impact Partners Films are looking for early-stage projects that have a director attached and have secured some access. Submitted projects should tell strong, cinematic stories, explore the urgent issues and questions of our time, and have a clear point of view and artistic vision. Through Impact Partner's general and development funds, they invest in 10-15 projects a year, and review projects year-round on a rolling basis.

Culture Colab seeks grantees working at the intersection of pop culture and social change who identify culture change as a clear outcome of their work. Submitted projects must demonstrate commitment to long-term narrative and culture change strategies in the arts, entertainment, digital, mass media, and/or social justice sectors.

The IDFA Bertha Fund (IBF) is dedicated to strengthening independent, author-driven documentary filmmaking in regions and communities where access to funding and distribution for independent creative documentary film is structurally challenging. The Fund engages with documentary filmmakers whose work is grounded in bold artistic vision, innovation in form, and exploration of new perspectives. IBF-supported films bring truly independent stories to both local and international audiences through distinctive visual storytelling.

Photobooks are an important part of the photographic field and can take many forms. With the photobook grants, the Hasselblad Foundation aims to support and contribute to developing and publishing photobooks.

The Brown Institute for Media Innovation, a collaboration between Stanford's School of Engineering and Columbia Journalism School, offers the Magic Grant to support innovative projects at the intersection of technology and storytelling. They encourage bold proposals that push the boundaries of media and technology.

Providing outreach, access, and support to aspiring filmmakers throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The Revolution Fund accepts nominations for proposals for small one-time grants that last no longer than a year. Mama Cash aims to be responsive to movements by meeting them where they are. The Revolution Fund is Mama Cash’s participatory grantmaking fund that enables them to respond to funding requests that fall outside other grantmaking criteria.

Fiscal sponsorship is an arrangement between an existing 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and an individual or entity lacking the legal status needed to receive grants from foundations, individual donors and government agencies.

The Hundred Film Fund aims to fund and produce one hundred films which are making use of AI to tell their stories. If you are a professional director, producer, screenwriter or creative professional looking to tell new stories with an AI-augmented project in need of funding, you're invited you to apply.

ProPublica's Sustainability Desk launched in January 2025 to allow them to work with former Local Reporting Network partners on new ideas or on continuations of earlier projects. This is a flexible partnership — reporters work at their own pace, and ProPublica contributes to the news organization for expenses (but not a full salary reimbursement) and continues to provide an editor plus a range of support including data, research, engagement and visuals help.

The Short Film Fund provides an opportunity for emerging writers, directors and producers from around the world to receive much-needed financial support to get their work produced and seen. The fund accepts narrative short films (live-action & animation), web series pilots, and proof-of-concept shorts for TV series and features. Many of the fund's alumni have gone on to gain representation, sell their screenplays, get staffed on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, & BBC shows, and develop their shorts into features and TV shows.

The Short Film Fund provides an opportunity for emerging writers, directors and producers from around the world to receive much-needed financial support to get their work produced and seen. The fund accepts narrative short films (live-action & animation), web series pilots, and proof-of-concept shorts for TV series and features. Many of the fund's alumni have gone on to gain representation, sell their screenplays, get staffed on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, & BBC shows, and develop their shorts into features and TV shows.

Slick Films has established itself as one of the UK’s most exciting up and coming indie production companies. Slick Films invites writers, directors, and producers from all over the world to submit their original, compelling narratives.

The UVFF Short Film Fund provides financial support for essential production, post-production or festival submissions.

The prize recognizes black and white works by professional up-and-coming photographers on the topic: "Behind the Looking Glass.” As a symbol of reflection, the mirror represents metaphorical snapshots and descriptions of states of being, including the view of oneself. Participants are encouraged to find and photographically capture individual and creative forms of representation on this theme.

Cortona On The Move and the BarTur Photo Award are proud to announce their partnership to present the Cortona On The Move | BarTur Grant. Supported by the Visual Storytellers Fund, this initiative aims to support photographers worldwide by providing grants and resources to create compelling documentary photo essays. The Grant focuses on projects that illuminate urgent social, environmental, economic, and cultural issues of our time.

Their goal of the BBVA Foundation Awards for Biodiversity Conservation is to publicly recognize the work done by conservationist organizations, institutions and agencies in carrying forward environmental conservation policies and projects, and the efforts of communication professionals who have contributed to the protection of our natural heritage.

The award recognizes mid-career journalists who exemplify excellence in science reporting, reflecting Begley's dedication, skill, and commitment to mentoring. It aims to support in-depth reporting projects that embody high standards in science journalism.

The First Flights Short Film Fund is intended for live action and documentary short films of any genre. Filmmakers will have full creative control of the project but will receive support in submitting the film to festivals and distribution opportunities.

The O'Shaughnessy Fellowships is a one-year program that unites the world’s bravest souls and brightest minds to manifest the future humanity deserves, for researchers, builders and creatives advancing civilization. Twelve Months of pure possibility. No equity. No corporate overlords. No thesis requirements. No committee approvals.

The theme of PORTRAITS – Hellerau Photography Award is “Escapism”. You are invited to apply either with a series of up to 20 images or with single works. Awardees are included in a group exhibition, and receive cash prizes.

The PRIFF Short Film Fund, powered by Genera Films, offers up to £5,000 to help filmmakers bring their stories to life — whether through production or post-production support, providing crucial backing to projects that are ready to move.

Unsolicited Script's Short Film Fund supports the production of a short film screenplay or the completion of a short film with a grant of up to $9,500, in-kind post-production services, festival strategy, production insurance, tax credit support, and career advice.

The Lumen Prize is an international award that celebrates art created with technology. The competition recognizes a wide range of digital art forms, including AI-generated art, interactive installations, VR experiences, and more. By providing cash prizes, exhibitions, and networking opportunities, the prize fosters innovation and helps connect digital artists with a global audience.

The Creative Shorts Fellowship supports Emerging Native filmmakers to produce a short film: documentary, drama, experimental, or animation piece; and supports a mentorship with a career professional film producer or director. Emerging Native filmmakers find their own mentor for their project. Film professionals, Native or non-Native, may also submit a proposal—following criteria and eligibility—to mentor an Emerging Native filmmaker in the production of that emerging filmmaker’s short film.