Firelight Fund 2025

Mission Overview
As Firelight Media celebrates its 25th anniversary, we launch the Firelight Fund to meet this urgent moment. The Firelight Fund supports Black, Brown, and Indigenous stories from development through distribution, with a focus on those who are telling urgent stories and using their craft to advance social justice.

The Firelight Fund is more than a grant - it's a statement of our deep belief in the power and importance of documentary film, art, and culture—especially when these forms of expression are under attack. The fund works to strengthen the infrastructure for Black, Brown, and Indigenous documentary filmmakers. Despite uncertainties surrounding documentary funding and distribution, we believe these challenges should not hinder new work; rather, they should inspire artistic growth and new forms of solidarity.

The inaugural open call will take place from Thursday, August 21, through Thursday, September 18, 2025.We anticipate making the initial grant disbursements in Fall 2025.

Funding & Eligibility Criteria
The Firelight Fund will prioritize filmmakers from communities disproportionately impacted by today’s political and social crises, with attention to those from Black, Brown and Indigenous communities – especially those targeted due to their gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic and immigration status, geographic location, and/or disability. 

Initial grant sizes will range up to $50,000 per project, and the inaugural grant cycle will kick off in the fall of 2025.

• Open to short documentaries at any stage and feature-length documentaries at production, post-production, or distribution and impact stages.
• Open to directors (including co-directors) who primarily reside in the U.S. or its territories (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands).
• Priority will be given to projects and filmmakers that fit the selection criteria and demonstrate a commitment to Firelight Media’s mission, vision, and values.
• Priority will be given to applicants whose grant activity timeline is both urgent and feasible, and who can clearly articulate how the grant will advance their project.

Selection Criteria & Open Call Process
The inaugural open call will take place from August 21 through September 18, 2025. We anticipate making the initial grant disbursements in the fall of 2025. 

Applications are evaluated based on:

• Relevance & Urgency: Timely, community-driven stories
• Artistic Vision: Bold, original, and creative storytelling
• Impact Potential: Ability to inspire awareness, action, and systemic change
• Community Connection: Deep, authentic relationships with the participants or communities represented
• Feasibility: Realistic scope, timeline, and budget

The Firelight Fund Application - Filmmakers can apply through Submittable by filling out an application during the open call period. Applications will be reviewed by Firelight Media artist programs staff and the leadership team in two rounds of review. The Firelight Fund application includes:

• A project proposal for each stage in production based on the Non-Fiction Core App 3.1, outlining the creative vision and the anticipated distribution and/or impact goals for the film.
• Applications that will not advance will be notified through the Submittable platform.

Accessibility Notice: If you require an alternative submission method (e.g., a video or audio application) due to access needs, please email us at grants@firelightmedia.org or call the Firelight Media office at 212- 222-1068 to initiate your application process.

Ineligibility

Applicants are not eligible to receive support through one or any of Firelight Media’s artist programs if they are:

• Applying with a project that is a student film or related to ongoing coursework.
• Contracted with another Firelight Media Artist Program and have not completed the final deliverables by the time they would receive the support from the program they’re applying to.
• Employed by Firelight Media as an officer, full-time employee, or member of the board of directors.
• Not holders of the majority of the intellectual property of the film. The Director(s) should hold the majority of creative and intellectual rights for the film.