How to Write a Grant Proposal for a Film

Grant writing is a process that can take years to perfect. Even for the professional writer that’s engaged in the activity on a regular basis. Although a particularly arduous process, for a filmmaker learning how to write a grant proposal for a film can also be quite rewarding in the end. Especially if the grant is provided. In fact, learning how to write a grant proposal for a film could literally be the doorway to getting your production off the ground.

And, with so many film grants available through the government, through private film financiers, and through various other entities. Developing grant writing skills is a must for the independent filmmaker.

Qualifying for a Grant

The first step in learning how to write a grant proposal for a film is qualifying for the grant. If you’re applying for a particular grant, the entity offering the grant is going to have a list of qualifications that a filmmaker must follow in order to be approved.

You should familiarize yourself with the qualifications and expectations first. Then, if you find that you do qualify for the grant, prepare to answer all of the questions included in the application fully and thoroughly. Be specific and make sure that you include as much detail as possible. 

Know Your Audience 

Writing a grant proposal is all about knowing your audience. You need to know exactly who your intended audience is for your film and who the audience is for the proposal.

Pinpointing the correct audience for your film is absolutely vital not only to drafting your grant proposal but to establishing the right balance, tone, and style for your script and for the production of your film.

So this should be at the forefront of your planning, as you cannot possibly create a film proposal without first knowing who your film will be for.

Establish a Connection

The same goes for the proposal itself. You need to know who you’re pitching the proposal to. Learning how to write a grant proposal for a film is really about learning how to pitch the film to your audience.

Not only should you be able to help the grantor see the value in your film, but they should feel a connection to your story. This can be accomplished by injecting core values that relate both to your film and to the grantor into the pitch.

Know Your Script & Characters

The essence of your grant proposal will be in knowing exactly what your story is about and who your characters are. Writing a grant proposal is kind of like writing a resume for a job you’re applying for.

Before you submit the resume, you would need to know all about yourself and you would also look at the job description to ensure that you include key details in your resume about yourself that directly apply to the job.

The same is true when writing a grant proposal. First you need to know your script and your characters by heart (sort of like you know who you are quite personally and deeply) and then you need to know who you’re pitching to (just like you would know a job description).

Drafting the Grant Proposal Synopsis

The synopsis is the core of your film grant proposal. In fact, every great grant proposal begins with the synopsis. This should be just a few paragraphs that delivers some core information about your story without giving away too much.

You want to create a sense of intrigue that has the reader interested in your story but you don’t want to give away too much because they might not read your script if you do.

The idea is to create a sense of imagination among the reader that has them deeply concerned with what happens next – their only way for them to find out would be to read the script!

Crafting the Logline

The logline is going to be another major sticking point for your grant proposal. A perfectly planned logline is like gold to a new film! The logline should directly relate to the synopsis that you wrote acting as the sales pitch for your film.

Loglines can take some time to think about and are generally not winged! This is something that you should carefully consider well before you begin drafting your first grant proposal. In fact, the logline is likely to have come up well before this point.

Generally speaking, the logline is a 1-2 sentence summary of the film, but it’s so much more too!

A logline generally has the following parts:

• Protagonist
•  
• Inciting incident
•  
• Protagonist’s goal
•  
• Central conflict

Various Orders

They’re often in that order, but not always. In fact, we’ve seen many loglines that are more in the order of protagonist, inciting incident, central conflict and protagonist’s goal. It’s really all about wording.

And what makes most sense with the ultimate goal of drawing the attention of the audience. Don’t be surprised if the grantor reads only your logline! This is often the starting point and if they love it, they move onto the synopsis. If they hate it…you just lost your opportunity.

Character Arcs

Remember we said you have to know your script by heart? Well, this includes knowing your characters deeply. As you’re navigating how to write a grant proposal for film, you’re going to need to focus some of your proposal on the characters.

Character arcs and the deeply personal just a few very detailed sentences about each of your main characters within the grant proposal.

You want to paint a picture for the grantor so that they now have a good idea of who the protagonist, antagonist, and potentially supporting roles are within the story. 

Cast and Crew List

Let’s talk about your crew list first. You should include top crew members, particularly those who either already have a reputation in the industry or those who have a noteworthy background.

Include a short, 1-2 sentence introduction of your Producers, Directors, and other key department heads if they have a strong reputation in the industry and may be recognized.

The same for cast members. If they are known actors, include them in your list. If they may be lesser known but have strong credentials, include those details.

The goal here is to show that you have a cast, and crew, that are positively represented in the industry and who have interest in taking part in your production. This will draw interest from an investor or grantor that might be reading your proposal.

Budget & Resource Needs

Finally, you’re going to finish learning how to write a grant proposal for a film. By including your budget and resource requirements for review. If you don’t have a full budget prepared, do your best to estimate needs and to make those estimates clear.

Do not over-exaggerate or under-value your production! An investor can see right through these types of mistakes and it will make your project appear less than important to you. 

The Takeaway

Determining the exact resources that you’ll require can be particularly challenging. But this process is required in order to establish need for funding. Asking for too much, be it too much funding required or too many requests for actor assistance.

It could leave you in rough waters with your application being denied right away. Likewise, if you don’t include the resource needs that directly apply to your production you might not get the funding that you really need.

As you can see, learning how to write a grant proposal for a film is a potentially challenging process that is bound to require your utmost attention.