SFFILM Rainin Grants

SFFILM Rainin Grants is sponsored by Kenneth Rainin Foundation. Supports narrative feature film projects addressing social justice issues and benefiting the Bay Area filmmaking community.

SFFILM Rainin Grants & Programs - Kenneth Rainin Foundation SFFILM Rainin Grants & Programs Managed by SFFILM and supported by the Rainin Foundation, these grants and programs support filmmakers to develop their careers. The Rainin Foundation’s unique partnership with SFFILM began in 2009 with the SFFILM Rainin Grant program, which is the largest granting body for independent narrative feature films in the United States.

The following grants and programs offer assistance and opportunities to champion filmmakers. Learn more on SFFILM’s website and contact SFFILM directly with questions. SFFILM Rainin Grants support narrative feature film projects internationally that address social justice issues and benefit and uplift the Bay Area filmmaking community in a professional and economic capacity.

Narrative film is a powerful medium that has the potential to inspire social change. Awards are made to 15-20 projects once a year in the fall for screenwriting, development or post-production.

The SFFILM Rainin Grant program has awarded over $6 million to more than 175 projects since its inception in 2009, including Channing Godfrey Peoples’ Miss Juneteenth , Joe Talbot’s The Last Black Man in San Francisco , Boots Riley’s indie phenomenon Sorry to Bother You , Reinaldo Marcus Green’s Monsters and Men , Ryan Coogler’s debut feature Fruitvale Station , and Ben Zeitlin’s debut phenomenon Beasts of the Southern Wild .

We are incredibly proud to be associated with these films and grateful to SFFILM for their partnership. Lakeith Stanfield (left) and director Boots Riley on the set of “Sorry to Bother You,” an Annapurna Pictures release.

Photo credit: Peter Prato / Annapurna Pictures Filmmakers With Disabilities Grants At the core of the Rainin Foundation’s partnership with SFFILM is ensuring that historically excluded communities have access to financial and artistic support to create a more inclusive film landscape.

The SFFILM Rainin Filmmakers with Disabilities Grant , introduced in 2020, supports filmmakers who identify as having a disability with films that specifically address stories within the disability community. Awards are made to up to four projects per year in the fall for feature and short films, both narratives and documentaries, in all stages of production (screenwriting, development or post-production).

Projects supported through this initiative include Julie Forrest Wyman’s The Tallest Dwarf (2025 SXSW World Premiere), Vivien Hillgrove’s Vivien’s Wild Ride (2025 San Francisco International Film Festival World Premiere), Alison O’Daniel’s The Tuba Thieves (2023 Sundance premiere) and Reid Davenport’s I Didn’t See You There (2022 Sundance premiere).

SFFILM FilmHouse Residency SFFILM’s FilmHouse Residency is the only year-round, mentor-driven residency program in the United States. It supports emerging Bay Area-based documentary and narrative filmmakers with artistic guidance, office space, a vibrant creative community and support from established film industry professionals. A still image from Reid Davenport’s film on disability and perception, “I Didn’t See You There.

” Photo by Reid Davenport, courtesy of SFFILM. The Kenneth Rainin Foundation enhances quality of life by championing the arts, promoting early childhood literacy, and supporting research to cure chronic disease. Annual Reports & Governance The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes.

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