You do not have to be an impact expert to become a grantee but we do need you to be open and engaged with the possibility of the change your project can help ignite in society. Starting with a one-day Impact Lab we will explore key impact strategies which complement mainstream distribution and the priorities within civil society.

We can support:

• Feature length visual and cinematic documentary journalism (by this we mean documentary filmmakers committing acts of journalism - revealing something urgent about the world through creative film. Rooted in research, factual accuracy, ethics, and other standards of journalistic tradition in the public interest.)
• European Director led, feature length documentaries (70 minutes and over)
• Films from both new and established directors and producers
• Films that are anywhere from mid-production to rough cut stage
• Films that offer a unique access and centre journalistic principles
• Films that include undercover investigations in the public interest

We cannot support:

• Fiction films
• Shorts or podcasts or series
• Films intended only for gallery exhibition
• Films or filmmakers outside of Europe
• Development
• Early production
• Completion (grade, music etc)
• Current affairs or historical narratives
• Completed films looking for impact funding

Requirements

• At least one director must hold a European passport, a residence permit, OR be a permanent resident of a European country. (When referring to ‘Europe’ we include all 27 European Union member states as well as non-EU countries: Norway, Iceland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Republic of North Macedonia, Republic of Serbia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Kosovo, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Russia)
• Applications must be submitted online here. If you would prefer to share via Signal for security reasons please drop us a note at hello@docsociety.org
• All projects must be centred on European stories with the potential to spark meaningful conversation and impact. We don’t need you to be an impact expert but open to the idea of creating it.
• Ability for at least one person from your team to attend an online one-day Impact Lab (date TBD).

To bear in mind:

• We are happy to receive applications from Producers or Directors where at least one Director is European based
• If you would like to work on the application questions offline, you can download a preview of the application form here.
• The application takes most of its questions from the Non-Fiction Core Application Project, an initiative by international documentary funders to reduce the burden on storytellers/artists/filmmakers by providing the same application form across funders. Guidance can be found at the Non-Fiction Core Application Project website
• Doc Society has created the Safe and Secure protocol as a useful resource for filmmakers working on high-risk projects, we encourage you to check it out.
• Our production grant funding is non-recoupable, we don’t take any rights in the film but do ask for an opening credit and a billing block in end credits

For more information, please check out our FAQs.

Timeline:

2 May 2023	Call for Applications opens
12 June 2023	Application portal closes at 11:59 PM CEST
31 July 2023	Shortlisted applicants will be contacted to supply rough cuts (if available) and extended materials; schedule zoom interviews
5 Sept 2023	Zoom interviews/conversations with shortlisted applicants
29 Sept 2023	Selected grantees will be notified
6 Oct 2023	Unsuccessful candidates will be notified