Pre-Production Grants
Eligible applicants (see guidelines) may submit a proposal for a grant of up to $5,000 for pre-production activities. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the LEF/New England office to determine level of interest prior to submitting a proposal.
Proposal Deadline
- Friday, 7 June 2013 - 5pm
- Please note that this is an in-house deadlines and not a postmark date.
- Awards will be announced approximately 30 days after the deadline date.
Proposal Format/Content
Interested applicants should submit the LEF Application Cover Sheet and a short proposal. Please limit your proposal to (3) typewritten pages and use clear formatting that will allow reviewers to read the narrative easily. To be competitive, address the following topics in your proposal:
- Project concept: What will the film explore?
- Aesthetic treatment and artistic voice: What will the film look like?
- Project timeline: Estimated schedule for development, production, and distribution.
- Key project personnel: Highlight unique qualifications of key creative personnel involved in this film.
- Relevance and timeliness of project.
- Intended audience and distribution strategies.
Proposal Attachments
In addition to the proposal, please submit the following as attachments:
- The résumés, filmographies, or short bios of key creative project personnel
- A two-page summary budget for your project that indicates total costs for pre-production, production, and post-production. Within the pre-production category, highlight how LEF’s $5,000 will be spent. Click here for the LEF Budget Template.
- Please submit sample footage from the current project for review. The sample can include research footage, character sketches, or rough scenes. Sample work should be no longer than 10 minutes, submitted on DVD, clearly labeled with the applicant’s name, the date, and the title of the work. You may also submit a completed past work for review. An annotation sheet should be included for each sample with all the following information:
- title of work
- date of work
- length of work
- shooting format
- contextual information on the relevance of the sample to the current project
Proposals should be submitted to:
Sara Archambault
LEF New England
PO Box 382066
Cambridge, MA 02238-2066
Please note:
- We do not accept letters via fax or email.
- In order to apply for a LEF grant, you must have a fiscal sponsor.
Production & Post-Production Grants
The Moving Image Fund’s Production and Post-Production Grants have a two-part application process. Filmmakers interested in applying for project support must first submit a letter of inquiry. From these initial inquiries, a smaller pool of applicants is invited to submit a full application (instructions regarding the full application will be given at that time). Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the LEF New England office to determine level of interest prior to submitting a letter of inquiry.
Eligible applicants may submit a Letter of Inquiry for production grants of up to $15,000 for production activities and up to $25,000 for post-production activities. Please check LEF’s guidelines for eligibility status and appropriate use of funds for each phase of production.
Letter of Inquiry Deadline
- Friday, 25 January 2013 - 5:00pm
- Please note this is an in-house deadline and not a postmark date
Letter of Inquiry Format
Interested applicants should submit a letter of inquiry not to exceed 2 pages. Information in the letter should include:
- Name, mailing address, e-mail address and phone number of applicant.
- Start and completion date of the proposed film project.
- The legal name of your fiscal sponsor as recognized by the IRS.
- Brief description of the overall film project including the basic story, visual treatment, and key personnel.
- Statement addressing the significance of the proposed film project.
Additional Materials to Submit
In addition to the letter of inquiry, please submit the following attachments:
- A two-page summary budget for your project that indicates total costs for pre-production, production, and post production. For production applicants, please highlight how LEF’s $15,000 will be spent in the production category. For post-production applicants, please highlight how LEF’s $25,000 will be spent in the post-production category. Click here for the LEF Budge Template.
- In the summary budget, note to date anticipated expenses and sources of income as follows:
- Contributions
- Earned Income
- In-kind donations
- Please submit sample footage from the current project. Sample work should be 10 minutes of footage and can be comprised of the following: trailer, rough edited scenes, and/or assemblies. All should be submitted on DVD, and be clearly labeled with the applicant’s name, the date and the title of the work. You may also submit a completed-previous work for review if relevant to the style or execution of the current project. An annotation sheet should be included with the following:
- title of work
- date of work
- length of work
- how work was shot
- any contextual information helpful in understanding why the sample is included.
- Note for Post-Production Applicants (only applies to Post-Production): If you are invited to submit a full proposal, you will be asked to submit a 20 minute sample at that time.
Letter of Inquiry materials should be submitted to:
Sara Archambault
LEF New England
PO Box 382066
Cambridge, MA 02238-2066
Please note:
- We do not accept letters via fax or email
- In order to apply for a LEF grant, you must have a fiscal sponsor.