The Film Collaborative's Fiscal Sponsorship Program

The Film Collaborative's Fiscal Sponsorship Program is sponsored by The Film Collaborative. Offers fiscal sponsorship to independent filmmakers, facilitating access to grants and donations for post-production.

TFC Fiscal Sponorship: How to Apply Thank you for your interest in TFC Fiscal Sponsorship!

If you have a new project in need of fiscal sponsorship and have a confirmed donation or grant that must be received within TWO WEEKS from the day you submit your LOI, please email us with the subject line: CONFIRMED FUNDS - Project Title In your email , provide all relevant details about the confirmed funding, and submit an LOI to add your project to our tracking list.

Our Fiscal Sponsorship Program prioritizes projects with at least $30,000 in confirmed funding that requires fiscal sponsorship. If you don’t yet have confirmed funding, this is a great time to strengthen your fundraising plan by: Contacting potential donors and securing donation pledges . Making a list of grants you plan to apply for.

Identifying which funding sources require fiscal sponsorship. > fiscal sponsorship > how to apply Read the Fiscal Sponsorship homepage and FAQs page . Fill out the LOI Form to tell us a bit about your project.

Keep the information on your Inquiry Form brief; this is not an application. If you are a good candidate for the program, we will contact you within a few days to schedule a consultation, we usually do this over Zoom. *If you have already discussed your project with the fiscal sponsorship department, proceed with step 3; everyone else should complete the LOI form before submitting a full application.

Wait for your consultation Work ahead and create your proposal—scroll down for the guidelines— but do not pay the application fee or submit your application before your consultation (unless explicitly invited to do so). Have the consultation with TFC Fiscal Sponsorship Pay the Fiscal Sponsorhip Application Fee* Film Title or Project Name: Application Fee $60.

00 USD *Application Fee is non-refundable Complete and submit the online application form. Do not submit your application before your consultation unless invited to do so. Your application will not be reviewed until both fees are paid.

What is a Project Proposal? The proposal you submit to The Film Collaborative as a potential fiscal sponsor will also serve as a blueprint proposal you will use to secure funding from individuals, foundations, corporations, or government organizations. Therefore, it is imperative that you direct your application to potential funders as well as to The Film Collaborative.

Our goal is to help you build the best possible proposal in order to go forward and successfully raise the necessary funds to realize your project. Think of your proposal as an ongoing business plan that you will update as your project moves forward. Read the FAQ’s page before beginning.

Proposals should be in portrait mode, plain text, single spacing. Use Times/Times New Roman or Helvetica/Arial at 11pt or 12pt. Use the same font and font size throughout.

A Title Page is the first page of your proposal, similar to a book cover. An image can be included but it is not necessary. The rest of the proposal should begin on page 2 and should flow from one section to the next with clearly marked headings.

Use Bolded section headings, don't repeat/copy the questions (the reviewers know them very well!) Do not submit a deck or one-sheet in place of a proposal. See 8b below if you want to include these items.

Put your project title in the footer on the LEFT side Add page numbers to the footer on the RIGHT side Comply with suggested lengths in the guidelines. Avoid writing in the first person for sections that are not specifically asking about you . Say it clearly and concisely.

Avoid exceeding recommended word count and repeating information. Each proposal element is required unless otherwise stated. Your proposal should be submitted as a single PDF.

(Instructions: Mac • Windows ) To add a table in Microsoft Word or Apple Pages go to Insert→Table . The table should have 5 columns and as many rows as you need. Application Review Process and Timeline Most applications are reviewed within three to four weeks of submitting a complete proposal that aligns with the guidelines below.

If your application requires edits and/or additional information, you will be contacted via email with details. If you have a committed donation or grant and require an expedited application process, this may be accommodated, for a fee, on a case-by-case basis. Inquire using the LOI Form .

Provide details about your committed funding and urgency in the Fundraising section. Proposals are considered submitted once all sections are fully addressed in the proposal document. The funding grid in Section 14.

Financial Information is mandatory for all proposals. Indicate the fiscal sponsorship requirement, Y or N, for all funding sources. A successful application should address every section in the guidelines and clearly explain your plan to utilize the fiscal sponsorship program as part of your fundraising scenario.

Applications submitted around major holidays or film industry events will extend the application timeline after the conclusion of the holiday or event. Industry events we often participate in include Sundance Film Festival in January, Tribeca Festival, Hot Docs, and the Toronto International Film Festival. Holidays include December 23 - 31 and U.S. bank holidays.

When in doubt, ask. Once your application is approved, you will be notified of acceptance and start-up deliverables via email. Fiscal Sponsorship Application Proposal Guidelines The Film Collaborative fiscal sponsorship program uses the Nonfiction Core Application for all projects.

Non-documentary projects should also submit using these guidelines. This application format is applicable for all projects. The Non-Fiction Core Application is a collaborative field-wide effort by funders, producers, fiscal sponsors, artist collectives and artist support organizations to standardize a set of questions that are used in non-fiction funding, fiscal sponsor or artist support opportunities.

The goal of Non-fiction Core Application Proposal Checklist Initiative to alleviate the burden of proposal re-writing on applicants, foster greater access to sources of creative and financial support and build toward a more equitable and transparent nonfiction field. All applications are confidential. The Film Collaborative will not make any part of your application public.

*The word “participants” is used throughout this application, but, depending on the specifics of your project, you may want to refer to your participants as characters/contributors/subjects/protagonists, etc. Proposal Checklist (v. 2022) The Core Application Checklist may vary from funder to funder. Some questions may be omitted; however, the questions should remain the same unless otherwise stated.

Before re-using this application, compare it to the version your prospective funder is using in order to ensure compliance with their requirements. Do not submit a proposal that was obviously prepared for one funder to a different funder—this is a sure-fire way to not get funded. To make the Proposal Checklist fit all project types, TFC has eliminated some questions from the full Core Application Checklist.

The numbering of the questions below may not line up with those of other versions; they are meant merely as a way to order the questions that TFC is using for this application. The proposal you submit to TFC should use these question numbers. Name your proposal filename with this format: 2025-01-20_MyProject_TFCFSAppProposal.

pdf Start your proposal with a TITLE PAGE that contains the following information: (i.e. feature documentary, feature narrative, etc.) Director name(s) and contact information (mailing address, email address, phone) Producer name(s) and contact information (mailing address, email address, phone) * The title page is page 1 and does not need a number on it. Your proposal should start on page 2.

Page numbers should be included from this page forward. Please provide a brief summary of the project that captures the most important elements — setting, participants*, central conflict, or concerns. Topic Summary (up to 500 words) Explain the relevant cultural, historical, political, or social context for the film.

Detail the topics, issues, themes, challenges, stakes, or questions that your project will cover. Story or Concept Summary (up to 1000 words) Give an overview of your story, introducing the main participants and potential plot points. Describe the anticipated story and narrative trajectory or potential character arcs for your film.

If your project is non-narrative or not character-driven, what is your project’s concept, and how is it constructed? Give an overview of the subject matter and your primary questions and ideas to be explored. Please be clear about the elements of your film that remain unknown or unclear and highlight the questions that may steer the direction of your film.

Artistic Approach (up to 500 words) Describe your creative vision for the finished project. What are the visual and audio elements that will bring your film to life? Explain your intended use of artistic devices or any particular creative approach that informs the storytelling (e.g., animations, re-creations, transitions).

Connection and Access (up to 250 words) What is your connection and access to the story (i.e., participants, community, location, archives etc.)? Why are you the best filmmaker(s) to tell this story? Creative Control (up to 50 words) Who has creative control and, if applicable, ownership of the project?

Filmmaker(s) Statement(s) (up to 500 words per statement) to be completed by Director(s) and/or Producer(s) Explain who you are as a filmmaker, and if applicable, how this project is expanding or evolving your creative practice. What does success look like for you as an artist? What are the creative, professional, or holistic barriers and challenges you are facing?

Project Stage and Timeline (up to 500 words) Explain the current status of the project. Outline the projected production timeline from the project’s current state to the anticipated completion date. Your timeline should detail major project activities, production schedules, and anticipated post-production and release dates.

If you have applied to this fund previously, please share how your project has progressed. Audience Consideration (up to 200 words) Describe the audience you’d like your film to reach and why. How do you plan to reach your target audience?

Accessibility (up to 500 words) What are your plans to make your film accessible during production for D/deaf, blind/low vision, disabled, and neurodiverse crew and/or film participants, and also to make your film accessible to D/deaf, blind/low vision, disabled, and neurodiverse audiences? Please ensure that these accessibility costs (captions, audio descriptions, transcripts) are reflected in the submitted budget.

Intended Impact (up to 500 words) Articulate your vision for the influence or impact you hope the film will have on the participants, community, and/or broader society — be these social, cultural, political or otherwise. What is your impact strategy and goals, if you have determined them?

If not, what steps are you taking to develop an impact campaign (i.e., how are you building partnerships with organizations or others leading or influencing change around the issues in the film)? Whose interests will your film serve and who will benefit and how — in both its production and distribution phases? Distribution and Marketing (up to 500 words) Describe the intended distribution of your film.

Specify any plans for festival, theatrical, and/or community screenings, as well as your plans for securing broadcast and/or distribution. How do you envision the relationship between the finished film and the participants and/or community being filmed, if relevant? Who will benefit from the film’s release and how?

Key Creative Personnel (approximately 200 words/bio) Provide brief biographies for the director(s), and if attached, the producer(s), cinematographer, and/or editor. For each key creative team member, include information about relevant expertise and the individual’s role in the project. Bullet-list names and titles of any confirmed advisors who are attached.

Financial Information (200 words for each) [TFC Fiscal Sponsorship application customized question] Describe the overall fundraising strategy for the film. Be specific. Name funders and types of funding you plan to target, i.e. private donations, grants, crowdfunding.

Funding to Date & Prospective Funding Model this section after the sample Funding Grid below. Include all sources and amounts raised to date. Clearly distinguish between potential sources of funding and secured amounts.

List the status of sources of funding currently under consideration, whether to be applied for or pending. As a fiscal sponsorship program, The Film Collaborative needs to understand how you intend to use the program. The sample funding grid below shows the required format.

Please create your own table using the same structure. List grant opportunity titles and links, and indicate which funding sources require fiscal sponsorship. Research your answers carefully.

To add a table in Microsoft Word or Apple Pages: Insert→Table . The table should have five columns and as many rows as you need. The funding grid is required for all applications.

Do not link to an external document—your proposal will be saved in the project file to show you applied with a strong fundraising plan that makes use of the program. The following are examples. Replace example names with actual names.

Remove non-applicable categories. Requires Fiscal Sponsorship (Yes/No) Foundation A Grant Opportunity title www. foundationa.

com/foundationagrantopportunity Foundation B Grant Opportunity title www. foundationb. com/foundationbgrantopportunity Crowdfunding name, i.e. Seed&Spark Foundation C Grant Opportunity title www.

foundationc. com/foundationcgrantopportunity Comprehensive Line-Item Expense Budget Please provide a breakdown of your project's projected expenses, from development through release, in U.S. dollars, including a budget total. Provide budget notes for any areas that may be viewed as out of the ordinary or require further explanation.

Project budget must include a line item for the cost of fiscal sponsorship: 5% of the amount you intend to raise from sources that require fiscal sponsorship. Upload your industry standard formatted budget as a separate file.

Name the file: 2025-01-20_MyProject_TFCFSAppBudget Current Sample or Trailer (up to 200 words) (optional) [TFC Fiscal Sponsorship application customized question] If you have a current sample or trailer, what should reviewers be looking for in your sample? Explain what is present and absent in the sample, and how it will differ as a finished film.

Describe how it is representative of the intended story, style, subject, or other aspect of the project. We encourage applicants not to spend extra resources creating a sample for each individual fund. If your current sample is outside of the suggested length requirements, please provide reviewers with the time codes of the portion of the sample that best reflects your intended style and approach (e.g., 3:15-12:15).

A current sample or trailer is not required; this will not count against the application. Supplemental Questions [TFC application addition] Do you have another fiscal sponsor for this project? (current or previous) Optional extra information [TFC application addition] If you want to submit a deck or any other information not requested above please email it to fiscalsponsorship@thefilmcollaborative.

org separately. Note your project title and application number (issued once you submit your application) in the email subject line.