Are you struggling to get funding for you Documentary?

You’ve got the vision. You’ve got the story. What you might not have (yet) is the funding to get your documentary made.

The truth is, even the most powerful stories struggle to see the light of day without the right financial support. And while funding is out there - grants, broadcasters, co-productions, donors and community support - finding and securing it is a complex and often discouraging process.

That’s where the Doc Funding Hub comes in.

We’re here to help you bridge that gap, whether you’re in development, production, or post. With monthly guidance from award-winning documentary filmmakers who've successfully raised over $2million for their projects, you’ll learn what actually works.

We'll help you build your fundraising IQ and gain a supportive community to help you stay on track. 

It can be rough out there, so let’s do this together!

There are potentially thousands, if not millions of $$ dollars available for your documentary...

You just have to know where to look. 👀

What Doc Funding Hub membership gets you:

  • Monthly live webinars and Q&A with seasoned filmmakers who have raised over $2million in funding for their films

  • Immediate access to the full Funding Essentials For Your Documentary online course (worth $49 alone)

  • Twice-monthly Funding Alerts emails spotlighting selected grants and funding opportunities with upcoming deadlines

  • Replay library of recent Funding Essentials webinars

  • Priority access to new tools and resources we develop in this area

Example Webinar Topics

The webinars will cover the detailed nuts and bolts of a wide range of fundraising methods, and will include generous Q&A time to provide tailored answers to your specific situations.

Next live webinar is scheduled for April 30th.

  • Fundraising Infrastructure and Mindset

    Funders, family and friends will all take you more seriously and be more willing to support your project when you’ve got your fundraising infrastructure in place. Join us for the must-do’s and the definitely-don’ts of setting up your fundraising mechanisms. Also, let’s check in with your mindset and make sure you’re ready to receive that funding!

  • Grantwriting and Navigating the Core Application 3.0

    Grantwriting is where the big money is and we’ll walk through what it takes to win competitive film funds and also to find success with smaller family foundations.

  • Running A Successful Crowd-funding Campaign

    Crowdfunding is an exciting and empowering way to raise money for your projects and to also get a jump on distribution. There are many ways to super charge the success of your campaign and we’ll take a deep dive into this immediate funding source and the different platforms that exist.

'Funding Essentials For Your Documentary'

What's inside the course

  • 18 Interactive Modules

    An engaging mix of videos, quizzes, interactive elements; 18 learning modules take you step-by-step through dozens of exciting options to generate funding for your film.

  • Video Tutorials

    A series of animated explainer videos that walk you through the essential concepts of fundraising. You'll get to learn visually and understand the big ideas quickly.

  • Templates + Downloads

    Fundraising (LOI) letter template, Fundraising Checklist (PDF), 25-Fundraising Ideas (PDF) - real-world examples to help you generate your first $1,000, $5,000, $10,000 and beyond!

"The structured approach, checklists and "downloadables" are all extremely valuable. At the end of the course, you come out with, essentially, a complete marketing plan." - Diane B.

Choose Your Plan

Select the plan that works best for you. All plans have full membership access.

BI-ANNUAL
$16.67/mo
$100 billed every 6 months
Get 6 months for the price of 5.
Get Started Now
ANNUAL
$15/mo
$180 billed every 12 months
Get 12 months for the price of just 9!
Get Started Now

The Doc Funding Hub membership is designed for:

The Emerging Filmmaker

The Emerging Filmmaker

You’ve got a powerful concept, maybe even some early research or footage, but you're not sure where to begin with funding. You need clear guidance, templates, and real-world strategies to help you take those first steps with confidence.

The Mid-Project Filmmaker

The Mid-Project Filmmaker

You’ve shot your film - or most of it - and now you’re stuck in post with no funds to finish. You’re looking for support to complete the story, polish it, and get it into the world with the right distribution and impact strategy.

The Seasoned Storyteller

The Seasoned Storyteller

You’ve made films before, but funding has always felt like a grind. You want to deepen your network, learn new approaches to funding, and stay up to date on what’s working now in this rapidly changing landscape.

Membership Benefits

Why filmmakers love this

  • Learn exactly how to approach grants, donors, and community funding regardless of what stage you are at.

  • Hear directly from filmmakers who’ve built multiple successful campaigns - and learn how to do it yourself, while discussing with others on a similar journey.

  • Stay on track with monthly webinars, expert guidance, and biweekly emails packed with grant deadlines and funding opportunities.

What Students Are Saying

Testimonials for the Funding Essentials course

"Blew Me Away"

by Cat Russell / Documentary Producer (USA)

"You blew me away with the concept that fundraising is not asking people for money, you are getting them to sign on to something they want to be a part of. Wow! If I only new that the last time I fundraised on Kickstarter!"

"Treasure trove"

by Alexandra K.

"As a successful producer and fundraiser I felt I knew a lot - until I took this course. Wow! What a treasure trove of knowledge! Thank you Faith and all the great folks at Desktop Documentaries- I cannot believe how much information is in this course!"

"Most helpful tool"

by Amber Talarico (USA)

"I am currently going through everything. And oh my Lanta, this course is the most helpful tool I have EVER come by! I am SO happy I came across it. Thank you for putting all the time and effort in creating this. You are helping hundreds if not thousands of people. I will be sure to promote this to all my other film friends!"

"Valuable Resources"

by Tess Howie (USA)

"So many valuable resources. I appreciated the encouraging tone of the course." (Producer, Feek's Vision Documentary)

"Very Helpful"

by Duncan Sill/Producer-Director

"Even with significant industry and development background, I gained valuable resources by taking this course."

"Many, many take-aways"

by David Williams / Documentary Producer (USA)

"As a former nonprofit executive director many of the points covered within the course were familiar to me. However, filtered through the lens of raising funds for a documentary (my first!) the ground covered was a comforting reminder of how to do this sort of thing. There were many, many take-aways."

"Dead on"

by Murv Seymour/Documentary Director (Killer B3)

"I wish I had discovered this course before I produced my first flick. Your information on who donates and why is dead on. The goal for my next film is $100,000. When I'm done with your lessons, hopefully I will have more tools at my finger tips to get there."

"Extremely valuable"

by Diane Boulanger/Documentary Producer (USA)

"The structured approach, checklists and "downloadables" are all extremely valuable. At the end of the course, you come out with, essentially, a complete marketing plan."

We want to demystify the film funding process and provides a step by step guide on finding real-world cash-winning opportunities for YOUR film

Join now

Your Guides

Jilann Spitzmiller and Hank Rogerson

Jilann Spitzmiller and Hank Rogerson are award-winning, seasoned filmmaking partners and educators who have premiered films at Sundance, SXSW, DOCNYC and Edinburgh. They are 2-time recipients of Sundance funding, 3-time recipients of ITVS funding, and have won grants and awards from a wide array of foundations and institutions, including the Soros Open Society Foundations. They are both past Sundance fellows and have been guest lecturers at places such as MIT Media Lab, NALIP, Doc Camp, USC, Dartmouth College and AFI DOCS. They are long-time instructors at Desktop Documentaries.

Questions? We've got answers...

  • Do you actually provide funding?

    The course, webinars and email alerts are all designed to enable you to find and secure you own funding. Sadly, we are unable to provide funding ourselves.

  • What will be covered in the webinars?

    We provide guidance on building your own funding campaigns - including how to approach donors, craft compelling messaging, set up crowdfunding pages, applying for grants, and much more. We'll take feedback from you, the members, to help determine what we cover each month.

  • What if I can’t attend the live webinars?

    You’ll get access to a replay library which will contain recordings of our most recent webinar sessions.

  • How do the fortnightly emails work?

    Every two weeks, you’ll receive a curated list of upcoming deadlines, new grant programs, and alerts about funding opportunities you may not have heard of yet.

  • Is this just for U.S.-based filmmakers?

    No. While we will inevitably discuss a lot of U.S. specific elements, the underlying strategies for fund raising can work globally. Also, the fortnightly email alerts will feature a variety of international funding opportunities, not just U.S. ones.

  • How long do I have access to the materials?

    As long as you're a member! And you can cancel anytime.

  • Any other questions? Get in touch!

    If you have any other questions, please contact us at [email protected]

"I wanted to say you saved my filmmaking life..... Thank you!" -- Carla S.