All projects must be climate themed with an intention to implement an impact campaign. We also require all grantees to attend our virtual Impact Lab during the week of 17 May, 2021.

We Can Support:

• Projects from all over the world - these can be localised stories serving local communities, or projects suited to a global audience
• Projects from both new and established artists
• Creative nonfiction projects, including long form, shorts, and episodic documentaries, as well as podcasts and AR/VR, looking for funding to complete production in 2021
• Creative nonfiction and fiction projects of any medium looking to pilot an impact campaign in 2021
• Project teams who are able to attend our virtual Impact Lab during the week of 17 May 2021

We Cannot Support:

• Stories in the pre-production stage
• Fiction stories looking for production funding

To Bear In Mind:

• We are happy to receive applications from producers, directors, or impact producers on the project.
• If you would like to work on the application questions offline, you can download a preview of the application. To be considered for funding, you must submit an application online.
• The Climate Story Fund application form is part of the Common Application Project, an initiative by international documentary funders to reduce the burden on filmmakers by providing the same application form across funders. Guidance can be found at https://www.documentary.org/core-application.
• If you have any additional needs in relation to filling out the application questions, or any general questions regarding the fund that cannot be found in our FAQs, please email climate@docsociety.org and somebody will get back to you as soon as possible. Due to the high volume of enquiries we receive, it may take up to 5 days for you to receive a response, and we thank you in advance for your patience.

About the new Climate Story Fund:

Doc Society is a global non-profit committed to enabling great documentary films and connecting them to audiences globally. We bring people together to unleash the transformational power of independent documentary film. We serve individual filmmakers and the growing network of partners who support them globally. We help build new models, aiming to innovate, share freely and innovate again. A commitment to anti-racism, economic & climate justice is embedded in and informs all we do.

The purpose of the Climate Story Unit is to support transformative storytelling to advance a climate just and biodiverse future. As an initiative of the Climate Story Unit, this Fund is committed to uplifting the perspectives of black, brown and indigenous lives, many of whom are on the frontlines of the climate emergency, and also to represent those who feel excluded from the climate movement and whose voices have not been included in past climate narratives. Our commitment to anti-racism, economic equity and climate justice will be reflected not only in the range of diverse and global narratives supported by the Climate Story Fund, but also in the profile of the media makers and impact producers behind each project. This will also be reflected in the makeup of the team at Doc Society who is administering the fund, and the panel of global experts who will contribute to the decision making process.

An Emphasis on Impact:

Storytelling as a creative practice is at the heart of this fund and while no previous experience with impact campaigns is required, we need you to be open and willing to embrace this way of working.

All successful applicants will be required to join our Impact Lab the week of 17 May 2021. Doc Society has created the Impact Field Guide as a useful resource for building impact campaigns. We encourage you to check it out. Other resources to consider are Doc Society’s Green Protocol, the report outs from the Climate Story Labs, the COVID-19 Protocol, and the Safe and Secure Protocol.

In the application, you will be asked to demonstrate a clear idea, production, delivery and impact distribution plans or possibilities.

The Timeline:

There will be two calls for applications in 2021. The first open call operates the following timeline:

• 8th February 2021 - Call for applications open
• 4th March 2021 - Call for applications closes at 11:59 PM PST
• Week of 5th April 2021 - Shortlisted applicants will be contacted to supply rough cuts (if ready) or extended materials (further footage not submitted in the initial application)
• Week of 19th April 2021 - Zoom interviews (30 mins) for final round applicants
• Week of 3rd May 2021 - Selected grantees will be notified
• Week of 10th May 2021 - Unsuccessful candidates will be notified
• Week of 17th May 2021 - Virtual Impact Lab for all new grantees

The second round of the fund will open in Fall 2021.

The Climate Story Fund is made possible through the generous support of a donor network including the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, CrossCurrents Foundation and Beth Braun. Interested organizations should email climate@docsociety.org for partnership opportunities.

To Note:

• Editorial input - as a funding partner, Doc Society will come on board as collaborators, partners and your biggest champion. We see our role as “friend of the artist” and the team here being at your service whether you need help crafting your outreach strategy, negotiating with other funders, or working out the best place for your premiere. All of this is included as part of our investment, as well as first class creative input and editorial feedback.
• Our production grant funding is recoupable on a pro-rata pari passu basis. Where funding is recouped, it is to be recycled to go directly toward the project's impact campaign. This means that any profit the project makes after costs is to be put directly back in to the impact campaign for the project. This does not apply to impact campaign funding.