Chicago Digital Media Production Fund | Emerging, Youth, Social Impact

Chicago Digital Media Production Fund

Emerging Filmmakers, Youth, Social Impact

Chicago Digital Media Production Fund

The Chicago Digital Media Production Fund is a grant designed to support digital media artists whose works encourages social change. Independent digital media and film makers based in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs are invited to apply for the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund. Innovative media projects intended for online distribution by established, emerging, and young artists may qualify for cash grants of up to $20,000 toward the project's production and completion.

All genres will be accepted, but content must be aimed at advancing progressive social change and should be appropriate for youth, though not necessarily intended specifically for youth. An important stipulation of the grant is that all funded projects must be made available for free online by the completion deadline, which is usually April.

Short productions, interactive apps, and games are preferred, but features and other media will also be considered. Individual applicants must reside in Cook County and production and/or post-production must take place in Chicago. Individuals are also eligible to apply in partnership with a non-profit organization, as long as the organization is based in Cook County.

Since 2012, Chicago Filmmakers has (through the support of Voqal) awarded a total of $750,000 to 75 Chicago-area artists through the CDMPF. The only program of its kind in the area, the CDMPF provides critical funding, up to $20,000, for the production or completion of projects intended for online exhibition and distribution. Productions funded by CDMPF include award-winning web series, groundbreaking short documentaries, interactive media projects, and more.

Open to Youth!

Don't forget that there is no minimum age requirement for applying. We are hoping to get some more great proposals from individual youth applicants and youth organizations.

Help Us Spread the Word!

Although the Production Fund is now in its eighth year of funding, we still need your help getting the word out to as many people as possible. YOU can help by sharing information on the Fund with film and other digital media makers you know via Facebook, Twitter, word-of-mouth, e-mail, newsletters, websites, etc. This is particularly helpful if you are a group or organization.

More Info: https://chicagofilmmakers.org

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NEW! Documentary Business Plan & Documentary Pitch Deck

FilmProposals is thrilled to offer help to documentary producers looking for investors, by enhancing our Film Fundraising toolkits to address the specific needs of documentarians. The highlight is a unique Documentary Business Plan Template included in all of our Film Financing Toolkits and Bundles. Much of the Documentary Business Plan is just like that of our narrative Film Business Plan Template, however, we've also done some major custom work to specifically highlight why documentaries are a great investment and how to best showcase your documentary to investors:

Documentary Business Plan Template
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NETFLIX 2024: Selling Your Documentary To Netflix

Selling Your Documentary To Netflix

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Desktop Documentaries offers the Documentary Fundraising Toolkit, which includes a 190-page full-color documentary fundraising guide, a 25-page documentary proposal template with instructions, two budget templates with budgeting guide, list of the top 100 documentary film grants, e-book with 25 specific fundraising ideas to start raising your first $10,000 and a fundraising check-list. All the best fundraising tools, templates and resources, including 20+ years of experience, combined into one comprehensive packet.

List of Film Grants

Do you have a Film Grant to share with our readers? Please post your Film Grant here.

Documentary Film Grants

Short Film Grants

Women in Film Grants

Feature Film Grants

Emerging Filmmaker Grants

Screenwriting Film Grants

Television Grants

Canada Film Grants

More Film Grants

See All: Full List of Film Grants

Film Grant Deadlines Rolling/Various Application Deadlines

Film Grant Deadlines Spring

Film Grant Deadlines Summer

Film Grant Deadlines Fall

Film Grant Deadlines Winter

While our FilmProposals Bundles & Toolkits will save you hundreds of hours with prewritten text and templates and speed up your learning curve by showing you how to complete complicated financial projections, there is still a lot of information to process. We designed this FREE Film Business Plan Course to be sent once per week to break the process of writing your business plan into manageable pieces, and to keep you accountable and focused. In case you can't see the sign up form, try here.

FilmProposals - 2024 Financing Toolkits & Bundles

DIY Toolkits, Legal & Finance Service Bundles
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Coming Through the Rye

Just want to thank you for your materials and help over the past year. I could not have raised the $1.5 million or made this film without the materials you provided. The bargain of my career!
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FilmProposals Tools and Templates

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