In order to apply for funding, the main creative personnel must live in one of the six New England states: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, or Maine. LEF will occasionally consider films made by filmmakers outside New England if the project has a particularly strong connection / relevance specific to New England.
You are not eligible to apply, as New York is not considered part of New England. LEF will occasionally consider films made by filmmakers outside New England if the project has a particularly strong connection / relevance specific to New England.
No. The spirit of our fund is to support filmmakers who are living and working in the New England region. LEF’s approach is to support the overall ecology of regional filmmaking in New England. LEF will occasionally consider films made by filmmakers outside New England if the project has a particularly strong connection / relevance specific to New England.
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 graduate students pursuing a degree (even in a non-film related field). If you are a professional taking a class (not pursuing a degree), then you are eligible to apply.
No. You need to have a confirmed fiscal sponsor when you apply for a LEF grant.
A fiscal sponsor is a non-profit (tax exempt) organization. They have a 501c3 status from the federal government and act as a fiscal manager of your grant. If you are awarded a LEF grant, the check is made out to the fiscal sponsor. They then pass those funds along to you, minus a small administrative fee (usually between 5 – 7% of the grant).
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 sponsor, but you need to contact them directly. Some places to start include
The Center for Independent Documentary,
Filmmakers Collaborative, and
Documentary Educational Resources.
Absolutely. There is not a limit as to how many times you may submit a letter of inquiry. If you are re-submitting a project, we do recommend that you contact
Sara Archambault, Program Manager ahead of time to discuss the project and assess its fit with LEF’s funding priorities.
LEF will accept only one Letter of Inquiry from each filmmaker per year. If you are not sure which film might fit better within the Moving Image Fund guidelines, please contact
Sara Archambault, Program Manager as she is happy to speak with you about which might be most appropriate.
Unfortunately, no. LEF does not fund retroactively – any expenses LEF funds cover must be anticipated and not already incurred.
This is intended to convey the budget size for films LEF is most likely to consider for funding. This budget cap is intended as a reference point. It indicates that LEF is interested in smaller scale films where its funding can have a more substantial impact.
Grantees who have received previous LEF funding for their project (when a budget range was not specified in our guidelines) will be given equal consideration to new projects with budgets of $350,000 and under. Reviewing the budgets of previously funded work, the majority fell within the range of 350,000, so it’s not a departure from what LEF has been supporting. Again, this budget range serves as a guideline.
We encourage both first time filmmakers and more experienced filmmakers to apply for LEF funding.