The Berkeley FILM Foundation (BFF) is offering its 2025 Student Grant Program to support emerging filmmakers currently enrolled in full-time film studies programs. The initiative provides financial support of up to $5,000 per student project to help cover production, post-production, or distribution costs for qualifying documentary film projects. This cycle explicitly excludes narrative and animated shorts, with a separate fiction-only cycle scheduled to open in July 2025.
To be eligible, students must reside in one of the following East Bay cities: Berkeley, Emeryville, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond, or Oakland, and must also be enrolled full-time in a film program located in Alameda, Contra Costa, or San Francisco Counties. Applicants must be the primary creator of the submitted project (Director or Producer) and be at least 18 years old. Only one project submission is allowed per grant cycle, and previously funded projects may not be resubmitted unless the prior award was for a different project phase.
The Foundation supports documentaries that demonstrate a strong social consciousness. Eligible films should address topics such as oppression, historical mistreatment, underrepresented communities, climate change, or unique scientific or health subjects. Evaluation criteria include originality, creativity, subject relevance, storytelling technique, and the filmmaking team’s ability to complete the film.
Applications open on April 7, 2025, and must be submitted by May 5, 2025, at 11:59 PM PST via Submittable. Required materials include a resume, a clearly formatted budget, and a film sample (3–10 minutes) uploaded via Vimeo or directly through the portal. The sample should reflect the film’s tone, subject matter, and creative vision. Applications are reviewed competitively by a panel of eight film industry professionals, with funding decisions announced by the end of July 2025.
All funded projects are required to host a community screening in collaboration with BFF following project completion. For accessibility accommodations, students are encouraged to contact Isabella Miller (isabella@berkeleyfilmfoundation.org / 510-705-1481). Technical issues related to Submittable should be directed to support@submittable.com.
