Welcome to Firelight Media

This is Firelight Media

Firelight Media is a nonprofit organization that supports, resources, and advocates on behalf of documentary filmmakers of color.

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A Black woman sitting, waving to others sitting around her in a black-and-white photo

Firelight Media supports the creation, distribution, and impact of documentary media by and about communities of color.

By providing filmmakers mentorship, funding, and creative development, we seek to advance the art of nonfiction storytelling to realize a more just and beautiful world.

About us

Firelight Fund

As Firelight Media celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025, we launch the Firelight Fund to meet this urgent moment. The Fund supports Black, Brown, and Indigenous stories from development through distribution, with a focus on those who are telling urgent stories and using their craft to advance social justice.

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Four diverse filmmakers sitting on a porch talking in a black and white style

A diverse group of filmmaker sitting outdoors in front of a wall filled with decorative script

Documentary Lab

This 12-month fellowship is designed to nurture filmmakers of color working on their first or second nonfiction feature film. The Documentary Lab provides holistic support for fellows’ projects and careers through professional development, customized mentorship, and a $25K project grant.

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An image from 'Death Is Our Business' of a Black woman wearing all black in front of a hearse.

Groundwork Regional Lab

The Groundwork Regional Lab is an initiative to support diverse, early-career documentary filmmakers living and working in under-represented regions of the U.S. and its territories. The Lab provides an introduction to the opportunities that exist for early-career makers in the documentary landscape. The goal of the Lab is to help position filmmakers for national opportunities as well as increase public television stations' capacity to leverage the talent and content of local diverse creators.

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A black and white image of William Greaves with a camera over his shoulder pointing at the camera.

FRONTLINE/Firelight Fellowship

The FRONTLINE/Firelight Fellowship supports diverse, independent producers interested in investigative documentary filmmaking and audio storytelling. The Fellowship is offered in partnership with FRONTLINE, PBS’s award-winning investigative documentary series.

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An image of William Greaves directing a group of crew members on a city street.

William Greaves Research and Development Fund

The William Greaves Research and Development Fund resources talented, mid-career nonfiction storytellers from racially and ethnically underrepresented communities in the United States, as well as filmmakers from Mexico, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Colombia with a particular interest in those who identify as being Indigenous and/or of African descent.

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PBS/Firelight William Greaves Production Fund

The PBS/Firelight William Greaves Production Fund resources documentary productions by mid-career filmmakers from underrepresented communities in the United States that are intended for distribution on PBS through finishing funds or co-production funding.

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Impact Campaign Fund

The Impact Campaign Fund addresses a resource gap in the nonfiction space for impact and audience engagement-related projects by and for communities of color in the U.S. The Impact Campaign Fund supports the creation of audience engagement and impact campaigns by Firelight-supported filmmakers.

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A diverse group of documentary editors at the event Beyond Resilience: Editing While BIPOC

Hulu/Firelight Kindling Fund

The Hulu/Firelight Kindling Fund will resource three Firelight-supported filmmakers to develop an original non-fiction documentary feature film for a first look by Firelight Films and the Hulu streaming service.

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Beyond Resilience

Beyond Resilience is a series of screenings, essays, and curated conversations that explore the challenges, strategies, and experiences of creating and distributing work during periods of social transformation.

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