Spark
$500
First films and students
For a first short, a phone-shot doc, a music video with something to say.
- Gear rental, travel, food for your crew
- Perfect for student projects
Micro-grants
$500 to $3,000 for local films by students and storytellers the industry overlooks. Short application. No reel required.
The grants
Pick your level
Story
$1,500
Short films with a small crew
For a finished short with a real crew behind it.
- Pay your crew and cast
- Locations, sound, edit and color
Impact
$3,000
Films made with a local campaign
For a film made with a community group that will use it to move an issue.
- Must have a community partner
- Includes a funded screening tour
Who can apply
You don’t need a reel
- You live, study or work in Southern California
- Your story is rooted in a SoCal community
- Students are welcome. Under 18? Apply with a parent’s or teacher’s okay
- Any form: doc, fiction, experimental, music video, under 20 minutes
We give priority to first-time filmmakers and to storytellers from communities underrepresented in film: Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian American and Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, disabled, immigrant and working-class.
First films welcomeThe process
From idea to premiere
Apply
One form, about 20 minutes. Short answers are fine.
Panel
A community panel of past grantees, students and neighbors reads every application. Answers within six weeks.
Make it
Money up front, check-ins along the way, and gear or mentor connections when we have them.
Premiere
Your film opens at a Reel Commons screening at home, with your community in the seats.
What we ask
Our side of the deal
- Premiere your film at a Reel Commons screening. We handle the night.
- Join a short talk after the film.
- Let us show your film at community screenings for two years. You keep all your rights.
- Send a one-page report-back: what you made, what it cost, what happened.
Apply
Tell us your story
Applications are read by real people. Write like you talk.