TRAINING & FUNDING
FUNDING PROGRAMS
Black Public Media offers funding, distribution & professional development support for independent producers at all stages of their career.
To receive announcements about any of our programs, sign up to receive the Black Public Media Newsletter.
FUNDING & DISTRIBUTION RESOURCES
360 INCUBATOR+
UP TO 10 PROJECTS
$150,000 FUNDING
An intensive 3-month incubator, the program provides filmmakers with creative and business management workshops, network building, tools for a successful pitch, and one-on-one mentoring from talented media makers.
CALL FOR SHORTS
DISTRIBUTION SUPPORT
Black Public Media's new Call for Shorts invites completed short films — scripted and documentary — that highlight the diversity and complexity of the Black experience across the globe for national public media distribution.
A few of these films will be submitted for consideration at this summer's PBS Short Film Festival. Others will be considered for distribution on our various social channels and website.
Eligible shorts should meet the following criteria:
- *Completed short films only (no more than 3 years old)
- *Run time of 3 to 30 minutes
- *All types and subject areas (scripted, docs, animated, etc.)
- *May have been premiered at a festival.
Submission Deadline: Feb 2, 2021
DISCRETIONARY FUND
UP TO $50,000 FUNDING
Discretionary funding is only for projects at R&D or completion stage. Applicants must be previous grantees or emerging producers with a public media distribution deal.
Nonso Christian Ugbode Fellowship
$10,000 FUNDING
BPM founded the Nonso Christian Ugbode Digital Media Fellowship in 2016 in memory of our first director of digital initiatives. The NCU Digital Media Fellowship is designed specifically for young artists (30 and under) who are producing their first independent digital media project.
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Intro to 360 Cameras
ONLINE
Launch Date: Winter 2021
Cost: Free
We are developing an online version of our popular class about immersive cameras. BPM always wanted to figure out a way to bring our NYC seminar to other cities, and, now, we're going to bring the course to the entire world. Filmmaker Philip Sanchez is adapting his three-hour seminar into a three-episode video course. The mission of Black Public Media's BPMplus program is to lower and eliminate barriers to entry for Black filmmakers, educators, and makers who want to learn about extended reality (XR) technology and create XR content. This free, online class delivers on that mission.
Intro to 360 Editing
ONLINE
Launch Date: Winter 2021
Cost: Free
This brand new virtual reality course is being developed by VR editor and developer Jonathan Williams, of Virtual Reality Xperience. The mission of Black Public Media's BPMplus Program is to lower and eliminate barriers to entry for Black filmmakers, educators, and makers who want to learn about extended reality (XR) technology and create XR content. This free, introductory, editing course will help us accomplish that mission.
If your would like to become a sponsor or distribution partner of this course, contact info@blackpublicmedia.org.
Not sure if you qualify?
External Opportunities
Kartemquin Films and Hulu
Accelerator Program for Filmmakers of Color
Kartemquin Films and Hulu announced a two-year partnership that will offer an unprecedented opportunity for alumni of Kartemquin’s acclaimed Filmmaker Development Programs.
Firelight's New Funding Opportunity
The William Greaves Fund
Firelight Media is inviting mid-career nonfiction filmmakers from racially and ethnically underrepresented communities with a particular interest in those who identify as indigenous and/or of African descent, to apply for the inaugural William Greaves Fund.
2020 Southern Producers Lab
A program designed to bring together 10 emerging, diverse producers for an intensive series of workshops, panels, one-on-one mentoring sessions, and community-building opportunities over the course of three convenings throughout the year.
Not a Filmmaker, but want to get involved?
PRODUCER WEBINAR SERIES
Want to improve your treatment writing? What is the difference between finding a target audience and determining the impact of your project?
Check out these interesting online seminars targeted at emerging producers!
