Digital Media Fund

Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), a nonprofit entity committed to producing and distributing educational and cultural media reflective of the Latino experience, is currently offering its 2024 Digital Media Fund (DMF). LPB operates under the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and serves as a vital outlet for showcasing Latino stories through public media. The Digital Media Fund specifically supports the production and completion of short-form digital media projects intended for online public television distribution. The open call for the 2024 cycle is set to launch in Fall 2025. The Digital Media Fund invites proposals for fiction or nonfiction projects no longer than 15 minutes. Acceptable formats include short films, web series, or other digital mixed-media content. Projects should fall within genres such as the arts, history, science, biography, health, cultural documentaries, or narratives and must offer strong storytelling that highlights the diverse Latino community. All funded projects must be appropriate for a national U.S. audience, and the programs should challenge and complement existing public media offerings. Applicants must be independent filmmakers or production entities unaffiliated with commercial studios or broadcasters, and must be at least 18 years old, U.S. citizens or legal residents. They must have experience producing at least two short films and demonstrate a significant connection to the Latino themes addressed in their project. Only one submission per applicant per year is allowed. Ineligible applicants include public television stations, foreign-based entities, and individuals currently under contract with LPB for other projects that are not yet completed. Funding awards range from $10,000 to $30,000 per project. LPB requires a detailed budget that includes standard production and post-production costs, insurance requirements, closed captioning, licensing rights, and final deliverables. Projects must be completed within 12 to 15 months from the receipt of funds. LPB retains rights for exclusive streaming within the U.S. for one year and non-exclusive rights for an additional two years, and may also claim a share of ancillary revenue for 15 years based on its financial contribution. The application and selection process includes two phases: internal and professional external review, followed by evaluation by LPB staff. Final funding decisions are announced 5-6 months post-deadline, with funding disbursements beginning in the first quarter of the subsequent calendar year. LPB evaluates proposals based on originality, storytelling quality, relevance to Latino experiences, and the production team’s ability to execute the project within budget and timeline constraints. Questions and sample work submissions are encouraged, though not mandatory, and projects using non-professional actors or with overlapping production roles (e.g., Producer/Director/Editor) are discouraged. While LPB may assign mentors or consultants when necessary, it cannot provide pre-deadline feedback. For further inquiries, applicants can contact LPB at info@lpbp.org or by phone at (323) 969-8000.