It’s Open Call Time Y’all!

Around this time last year, we were still absorbing the chilling reality of what life without federal funding  would mean for BPM and all our programs. It was a VERY unsettling time. We’re still working hard to secure BPM’s financial future, but thanks to a growing group of individual donors, our philanthropic partners and a generous closing grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Black Public Media is still here. We have had to cut some programs, but I’m happy to report that our 2026 Open Call is not among them. It is now officially open! 

Open Call season is always an exciting time here at BPM. It’s when we get to see the wide variety of Black stories that independent filmmakers are working on. The 2026 submission window is open from today through Thurs., Oct. 1. We welcome nonfiction projects in a range of formats, styles, subject matter, and genres. There is no submission fee.

Five of the submissions will receive a $20,000 grant and be invited to participate in next year’s PitchBLACK competition, where the top award is $150,000 in production funding.

Learn More at Our Webinar

If you plan to submit a project, we invite you to register for our upcoming Open Call webinar. It is scheduled for Wed., Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. ET. The virtual event is designed to help first-time submitters as well as those who’ve submitted proposals to us before. Our programming staff will explain what we’re looking for, how to complete the application and how the review process works. They’ll then open the mic to take questions from attendees. 

Our goal is to make sure everyone who wants to contribute comes away from the webinar clear on what we’re looking for and prepared to enter a strong submission. 

The webinar is free of charge, but registration is required. If you are unable to attend in person, no worries. We’ll record and post a link to the recording on our website so you can review it at your convenience. 

A Unique Opportunity

It is our honor to still be able to offer this unique opportunity to filmmakers who are crafting Black stories for distribution on Public Media. Help us spread the word about the Open Call by sharing this post with your network or reposting our announcement on social media. And if you’re in a position to help BPM help our storytellers, we welcome your donations as well.

Good luck to all who submit!