NYC-based non-profit Firelight Media has opened the call for submissions for this year’s William Greaves Research & Development Fund, a program designed to support mid-career non-fiction filmmakers of color.

Now in its fourth year, the fund will distribute grants of up to US$40,000 each, to support research and development on a feature-length non-fiction film from creators in the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Colombia, with a particular emphasis on filmmakers who are of Indigenous and/or African descent. The grants can be used for such activities as developing film treatments, presentation decks, sizzle reels and other materials necessary for fundraising, and also include a basic care stipend that can be used for healthcare, child care and any other essential needs that Firelight Media deems must be addressed in order for the filmmakers to complete their project.

“This program provides crucial and all-too-rare unrestricted funding for filmmakers — especially those of African and/or Indigenous descent — to take imaginative risks in service of their creative visions,” said Firelight Media SVP Leticia Peguero.

Applications for the fund will be accepted from May 2 to June 6, 2023. More information can be found at the Firelight Media website.

The 2022 cohort of the fund, which was announced earlier this year, included 10 filmmakers overall, with four hailing from the U.S., three from Mexico, two from Brazil and one from Colombia.

Read at Realscreen.