LEF funds a variety of nonfiction filmmaking approaches, styles, and topics. LEF is especially committed to supporting artistic risk-taking and projects that engage with or expand the documentary form.
If you have additional questions, please contact us.
LEF focuses its funding on the production of new work; distribution efforts are not eligible for LEF funding.
We do not offer funding to high school, undergraduate or master’s level graduate students pursuing a degree (even in a non-film related field). If you are enrolled in a doctoral program or are a professional taking a class (not pursuing a degree), then you are eligible to apply.
If you are staff or faculty at a school, ask if they might be willing to act as your fiscal sponsor. Are you a member of any filmmaker organizations? Sometimes those organizations offer fiscal sponsorship as a benefit to their members. There are also local film organizations who will act as fiscal sponsors, but you need to contact them directly. Some places to start include The Center for Independent Documentary, Filmmakers Collaborative, and Documentary Educational Resources.
Other common documentary fiscal sponsors outside of New England are International Documentary Association (LA), Fractured Atlas (New York), Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) (New York), and Women Make Movies (WMM) (New York).
You might decide to partner with a 501c3 that is more closely mission-aligned with the subject of your film, if you’d like for the fiscal sponsorship fee to go toward their work. You can choose any 501c3, as long as they can fulfill their fiscal sponsorship responsibilities for your project.
Other Resources:
Absolutely. There is not a limit as to how many times you may apply. If you are re-submitting a project, we do recommend that you contact us ahead of time to discuss the project and assess its fit with LEF’s funding priorities.
LEF will accept only one project submission from a New England-based primary applicant (director or core creative producer) per round. If this person is attached to another project as a producer, but not as the New England-based primary applicant, that project would also be eligible for submission. If you are the primary applicant on multiple projects, and unsure of which one to apply with, please contact us.
Unfortunately, no. LEF does not fund retroactively – any expenses LEF funds cover must be anticipated and not already incurred.
