Minnesota Filmmaker Mentorship Grant

Minnesota Filmmaker Mentorship Grant is sponsored by Jerome Foundation (in partnership with Arts Midwest). Provides funding for Minnesota-based early-career film directors to engage in self-designed mentorships with experienced directors or other film professionals, strengthening their directing craft and professional skills in connection with a specific film project.

Minnesota Filmmaker Mentorship Grant | Jerome Foundation Step 1: October 1 / Step 2: November 24, 2026 no later than March 31, 2027 Behind the scenes of Tahiel Jimenez Medina’s Lengua .

This grant provides Minnesota-based early career film directors, working in short and/or long form experimental, narrative, animation or documentary genres, or in any hybrid combination of these forms, up to $10,000 to engage in self-designed mentorship with experienced directors or other film professionals to strengthen their film directing craft and/or professional skills in connection with a specific film project.

The Foundation seeks to fund filmmakers who take creative risks, seek innovative approaches, have a clarity of purpose and vision for imaginative storytelling, are engaged directly with those involved in their filmmaking, and work to build relationships with and impact their creative community and the field. Minnesota film directors interested in a production grant may apply to the Minnesota Film Production grant (up to $30,000).

Applicants may not apply to both programs. Start your application in Submittable . Thursday, September 10, 6–7 pm Central Join Jerome staff for a webinar to review the program and application process and stay for a Q&A.

Tuesday, September 15, 6–7 pm Central Step 1 CV and Work Sample Webinar Join Jerome staff for a webinar to learn recommended practices for work sample submissions for this program and how you might apply them to other grant programs. Staff will also share tips and ideas for creating a CV that helps the panel understand your work and experiences.

Thursday, October 1, 2026 Step 1 Application Deadline Applications must be submitted before 4 pm Central . Late applications not accepted. All applicants will be notified of application status.

Eligible applicants will be invited to complete the Step 2 Application. Wednesday, October 21, 6–7 pm Central Step 2 Application Webinar This session will provide context for and discuss ways to answer the application questions in Step 2, and will include time for a Q&A. Tuesday, November 24, 2026 Step 2 Application Deadline Applications must be submitted before 4 pm Central .

Late applications not accepted. Panel meetings and recommendation of Film Grants to Jerome Board No later than March 31, 2027 Notification of application status Public announcement of grantees May 2027 through April 2029 Timeline to receive grant funds On September 10, Jerome staff reviewed both the production and mentorship programs, eligibility requirements, application, and review process before having a Q&A.

Watch on Vimeo to see all the links referenced, chapters, and to download the slides. Step 1 CV and Work Sample Webinar On September 15, Jerome staff shared recommended practices for work sample submissions and tips and ideas for creating an artistic CV—applicable to this and other grant programs. Step 2 Application Webinar On October 21, Jerome staff provided context for and discussed ways to answer the application questions in Step 2.

Applicants are encouraged to schedule a 20-minute phone appointment or email Jerome staff with questions about the Step 2 application. Program Officer, Minnesota Program Officer, Minnesota Born in Saigon and rooted in Minneapolis, Truc Anh (TA, pronouns she/hers) is a queer, Southeast Asian artist/maker, and racial justice grantmaker.

She is passionate about creating the conditions for transformative change that centers racial, gender, and disability justice, especially at the intersections of LGBTQIA+ and Southeast Asian communities. In her previous role at Borealis Philanthropy, TA supported the Racial Equity to Accelerate Change (REACH) Fund which supported racial equity practitioners/capacity builders in the nonprofit sector. As a 1.

5 generation immigrant by way of war, Truc Anh is powered by stories of resistance and resilience. She practices art for healing and for joy. In her spare time, TA can be found outside in her garden, exploring the North Shore, cooking with her friends, or reading.

Truc Anh graduated from Carleton College with a degree in Sociology and Anthropology with a minor in Women & Gender Studies. Ryan Stopera is a photographer, filmmaker, producer, and consultant based in Minneapolis. A self-taught artist, Ryan began his career working with individuals experiencing homelessness, children and families, and foster care youth, as well as in program development and affordable housing development.

He began documenting protests in Minneapolis in the early 2000s, and since then his photos and films have helped elevate narratives not seen in the mainstream media and catalyzed his passion for documentary and narrative storytelling.

Ryan is inspired by collaborating with artists to create intentional work, build authentic connections, and hold space for challenging conversations to move hearts and minds towards cultural and social change. Sun Yung Shin is an award-winning Korean-born poet, writer, educator, and cultural worker based in Minneapolis.

She has worked in various sectors as a business analyst, technical writer, news editor, freelance journalist, equity and arts consultant, K-12 educator, and union steward. Her creative writing has been awarded grants, fellowships, and residencies from the Bush Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the MacDowell Foundation, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), and elsewhere.

She is the author of a new memoir and five collections of poetry, and has edited three essay anthologies including A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota and What We Hunger For: Refugee and Immigrant Stories about Food and Family .

Her volumes for young readers include the recent picture book Revolutions Are Made of Love: The Story of James Boggs and Grace Lee Boggs , co-authored with Mélina Mangal and illustrated by Leslie Barlow. Her creative and critical work can be found in BOMB Magazine , Frieze Week Seoul , American Composers Forum , Poetry , and many collaborative community spaces.

With Su Hwang she is the co-founder of Poetry Asylum, and she also teaches creative writing with the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, the Loft Literary Center, and The Multitudes. As an author and frequent speaker she is represented by Aevitas Creative Management and Blue Flower Arts Literary Speakers Agency.

She also serves on the Board of Directors of Coffee House Press, the Board of Directors of Loft Literary Center, the Editorial Board of Black Lawrence Press's Immigrant Writing Prize, and the Advisory Board of More Than a Single Story. In alignment with healing- and disability-justice frameworks, she also maintains a community-based practice as a somatic healing practitioner, facilitator, and biodynamic craniosacral therapist.

She is currently a Distinguished Dayton Hudson Visiting Artist/Writer at Carleton College for 2026-2027. Sun Yung holds a B. A.

in English from Macalester College, a Master of Teaching degree from University of St. Thomas, and an M. F.

A. Creative Writing and Poetics from Naropa University. Program Officer, New York City Program Officer, New York City Melissa Levin is a values-driven arts administrator, artist-centered curator, and steadfast advocate for just and equitable practices in the arts.

For more than 12 years, Melissa worked at Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) where she was the Vice President of Cultural Programs. Her role encompassed wide-ranging institutional and artistic leadership, overseeing LMCC’s major artist-centered and public-facing initiatives including the River To River Festival, the Arts Center at Governors Island, and LMCC’s artist residency programs.

She next led a newly formed Artists, Estates, and Foundations division at Art Agency, Partners in its inaugural three years.

Starting in 2016, with collaborator Alex Fialho, Melissa has stewarded the legacy of and curated critically acclaimed exhibitions dedicated to the late artist Michael Richards, including Michael Richards: Winged (LMCC, 2016; Stanford University, 2019) and Richards’ first museum retrospective, Michael Richards: Are You Down? (The Bronx Museum, 2023–24; North Carolina Museum of Art, 2023; MOCA North Miami, 2021).

Melissa additionally serves on the boards of the Artist Communities Alliance and Danspace Project. She holds a B. A.

with honors in Visual Art and Art History from Barnard College. Grants and Operations Manager Contact me if you have technical issues or questions about Submittable Grants and Operations Manager Contact me if you have technical issues or questions about Submittable Andrea Brown joined the Jerome Foundation in 2016.

She came to the Jerome Foundation after five years at the Walker Art Center, where she was Associate Director of Strategic Marketing, and prior to that Associate Director of Digital Marketing and Marketing Manager. She worked in the New York office of the American Academy in Berlin before taking a 7-year detour into software at Marketing Bridge/Gage Marketing where she was Lead Account Supervisor. Andrea has a B.

A. in American Studies from Smith College. How many applications does the Filmmaker Mentorship program receive?

The MN Filmmaker Mentorship grant program averages 12 applications per round. How many grants does the Filmmaker Mentorship program provide? We anticipate giving up to two grants in this round.

What are some of the film projects the Foundation has supported? The Foundation has supported film projects since its founding in 1964. You can learn more about recent grantees or see all past grantees on our website.

The grantee search can also filter by year and by Minnesota and/or New York City. If I am only now directing my first project, may I apply for the Filmmaker Mentorship grant? No, it is too early for you to apply.

We hope that you will consider applying after completing at least two projects and publicly screening one of them—if you are still eligible and interested in support. There are a number of film programs for beginning filmmakers, for example, In Progress, Saint Paul Neighborhood Network, Mama Papaya, and Speak Minneapolis. How do I know if this is the right time for me to apply to the MN Filmmaker Mentorship program?

You will be asked to complete an eligibility questionnaire before you can access the application. Completing that questionnaire will clarify whether you meet our eligibility requirements. Additionally, you should consider your mentorship and production timeline.

You will need to receive the funds and schedule your mentorship activities during the grant period from May 2027 through April 2029. This program’s highest priority is to support directors in their 2nd-5th year. While directors working in their 5th-10th year are eligible, they will be a lower priority for the panel unless they can explain why they should still be considered at the earliest part of the early career range.

Such directors should look carefully at the MN Film Production Grant program before deciding whether to apply for this Development grant. Directors may apply to one program or the other but not to both. We encourage you to review Jerome’s focus and review criteria (available in the Program Guide ) to see if those align with your approach to filmmaking.

The Foundation, in specific circumstances, is intentionally flexible to a degree with directors who may be past their 5th year and still consider themselves needing a mentorship program. The number of opportunities afforded to directors may differ significantly based on discipline, race/ethnicity, class, gender, physical ability, and geography, among other factors.

Can my related film project be a film for which I am the director, but that centers on an idea conceived by someone else or that has been written by someone else? May I apply if I am not a US citizen? Yes, if you have established your primary residency in Minnesota, are still a resident at the application deadline, and plan to remain a resident in Minnesota through April 2029.

Anyone with an SSN (social security number) or an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) is eligible to apply—including DACA recipients and most types of VISA recipients. Individuals who do not have an SSN or an ITIN are not eligible to apply. If I plan to move to New York City, which program should I apply to?

Current Minnesota filmmakers who plan to relocate to New York City before the application deadline should apply in the New York City Film Production program . There is not a Filmmaker Mentorship program for New York City filmmakers. When does my career as a director start?

Your CV needs credits for creating and presenting your own original film work going back at least two years, to 2025 or earlier, and no more than ten years, so nothing earlier than 2017. Credits counted for career stage include completed films and recognition through grants, awards, residencies, and fellowships, alongside public screenings of the work. An early credit does not automatically make you ineligible: there is one exception.

If your generative career began before 2017 but you took a demonstrable break of two years or longer, whether for a degree program or for personal reasons, your CV must show that break, and you will confirm it in writing in Step 1. I worked in another artistic discipline before I started directing. Does that count towards the 2–10 year timeframe?

It can. Mid-career or established generative artists from other fields who have recently shifted to film directing are not considered early career. However, if your work in either film or another artistic field was not as a generative artist (for example, you were a dancer, musician, actor, etc.), those years of experience performing the work of other artists do not count as part of the 2–10 year timeframe.

Prior work in another artistic discipline still belongs on your CV. Omitting it could cause your application to be ineligible. I've worked in film for years, but not as a director.

Does that count towards the 2–10 year timeframe? Eligibility is measured by years generating your own artistic work—like directing your own films. Years spent as an editor, cinematographer, assistant director, script supervisor, VFX artist, etc., do not start that clock.

But those roles do not substitute for directing credits either. Producers, cinematographers, screenwriters, editors, actors, and interdisciplinary artists who are not also primarily film directors are not eligible. Those non-directing credits do belong on the CV, under a heading like Additional Film/Artistic Experience.

Does this program fund actors, producers, writers or crew people? Only film directors may submit applications and receive funding from the Foundation. While grantees may use funds for productions costs, fees to actors, producers, writers and crew, etc., the applicant must be the film director(s).

Actors, producers, writers and crew may not submit their own applications. Does this program fund music videos, work-for-hire, studio, commercial, or industrial work? No. The program only supports independent work directed by the applicant.

This type of work cannot be proposed as the basis of a project for which funding is requested. Does this program fund radio or photography? No. This program’s exclusive focus is moving image media, which includes narrative, experimental, documentary, and animation.

May I receive support through the Filmmaker Mentorship grant program more than once? No. The Filmmaker Mentorship grant is awarded only once to a director. If you receive a Mentorship grant, you may apply to the Production grant program in a future round with the same project with which you engaged in the Mentorship grant, provided reporting requirements are complete and you are still in production with the project.

You may apply for one or the other of these opportunities, but not both, within the same program year. May my nonprofit organization or company submit an application on my behalf? No. This is an individual artist grant program, and the application must come from you, not from an organization.

If you are selected for a grant, funds must be distributed directly to you as an individual or directly to your single-proprietor LLC (if relevant). I received a Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship. Can I apply to this program?

No. Film directors who have any prior grants directly from Foundation (a MN Filmmaker Mentorship grant, a MN or NYC Film Production grant, a Jerome@Camargo grant, a Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship grant, or a Travel and Study grant) are not eligible to apply for the Mentorship Grant. Does my related film project have to be produced or shot in Minnesota or focus on subject matter related to Minnesota?

No. There is no geographic restriction on where the film shoots happen or the subject matter of your film. The residency requirement applies to you as the director, not to your production or focus. If my education background/degree is not film-related, does it need to be listed on my CV?

Yes. List all dates you were enrolled in any degree-granting program, including month and year of graduation, whatever the field of study. This is critical to determining your career stage, because time spent in a degree-granting program does not count toward the ten-year early career window.

Format it as: Name of College, B. A. , September 2014–June 2018.

Am I required to list my student work on my CV? No. While you are required to list all your work created outside of a degree program, you may choose to include or omit student work from your filmography. There is one exception: if you started a film while you were in a degree program and completed it after graduation, it is important to share this information on your CV and in the work sample context.

Authorship is important to Jerome because it ensures that you are presenting your own work and not someone else’s, especially in a field that is inherently collaborative. It is a clear way to say that the work is by you. If the public screening of a work sample is scheduled but not completed by the deadline, is it eligible?

If the screening is before the Step 2 deadline of November 24 and you can provide documentation, such as a program link confirming participation, it can be considered publicly screened for the purposes of allowing it as a work sample and for your eligibility—both of which require at least one completed and publicly screened work. I’ve been invited to complete the Step 2 application. How do I access it?

The Step 2 application is an “additional form” connected to your Step 1 application. To locate it: Click the submission, then go to the FORMS tab. In the Additional Forms section, you will see Step 2 Application: Questions about Mentorship Activities and Related Film Project.

Click on the Step 2 Application link. Be sure to submit the form before the Tuesday, November 24, 4 pm Central Time deadline. This article includes screenshots showing how to find the application form in Submittable.

May I submit work samples that I shot, edited, produced, wrote, performed in, etc., but did not direct? No. Only work samples from projects that you directed may be submitted. If you do not have at least two completed projects that you have directed, you are not yet eligible to apply for Jerome support.

The spaces for text seem limiting. Can I exceed these limits? While Submittable allows you to exceed recommended word counts, you are strongly discouraged from doing so.

We require panels to review only the amount of material captured in the suggested limit fields. Past panels have reacted positively to concise writing. Panels have noted that “the pitch” is an important professional skill.

May I submit more than one application? No. You may submit only one application per round, regardless of the number of projects you may be working on in the potential grant period. If you submit an application as an individual, you cannot apply separately with a co-directing team, and no members of a co-directing team be a part of more than one application.

If you submit more than one application or if your name appears as an applicant in more than one application, all applications you submitted and in which you are named will be deemed ineligible. If you apply in the MN Filmmaker Mentorship program, you may not also apply to the MN Film Production program. Both applications will be deemed ineligible.

May I change or add work samples after submitting my application? May I provide an updated CV after submitting my application? No. The review process begins immediately after the deadline and cannot accommodate changes to your application.

May I send letters of support or testimonials as part of my application? No. Panels are asked to assess based on the work samples and materials as provided in the application. We believe the benefit these letters may offer is outweighed by the burden they place on you to request them, references to write them, and staff or applicants to ensure they have been submitted.

If I don’t get a grant, can I request feedback? Only if you are a finalist or an awardee. Because of the time it takes panelists to review the significant number of applications we receive, asking them to provide critical feedback for each application is beyond their capacity.

At the panel meeting, where a smaller number finalist applications are discussed, staff take notes during each conversation and subsequently offer anonymized feedback optionally to finalists and awardees by appointment. While Jerome is not able to offer specific feedback to applicants who are not finalists, we typically share a compilation of general trends we've identified around what makes applications more or less competitive.

Why are the names of the panelists involved in the review kept confidential? We know that the film community can be a small one, and we are diligent in ensuring that no one with a conflict of interest is part of the decision-making process for an applicant with whom they have close professional or personal relationships that would create an actual or perceived bias.

In assembling a panel, we work hard to capture the diversity of the field, in terms of identity, aesthetic expression, genre and form, understanding of and relationship with early career artists, and geographic location. Panels are intentionally comprised of working filmmakers including past awardees and film professionals based in Minnesota, as well as those working nationally.

All panels are composed to ensure that no single race or ethnicity constitutes a majority of the panel. At the same time, we want to ensure your confidence in the panels and their qualifications. We therefore periodically post on our website a comprehensive list of panelists we have engaged for selection processes in multiple programs, even while we do not associate any particular panelist to a specific program or year.

The panel composition changes with each program cycle, so knowing the identity of the panel in a given year does not provide insight into who will serve in the next round. In addition to the listing of panelists, the roster of grantees provides information about the filmmakers and projects supported by this grant program. What are allowable expenses for this program?

Can I use the funds for production or only for artist development? This grant prioritizes self-designed mentorship activities for early career filmmakers and should not be considered supplemental production funding. Budgets submitted with your application need to outline how you plan to use the funds to advance your skills as a director.

Mentorship activities can inform and enhance your project, and expenses are not intended solely for production. Expenses included in your budget must tie to mentorship and align with what you intend to do to advance your skills. Equipment purchases are capped at 25% of the total amount requested.

Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship Film Production & Mentorship Seeding, Field-building, Ecosystem Development Jerome Hill Artist Fellows Arts Organization Grantees Voices from the Arts Ecosystem