Documentary Fund Supporting Stories That Recalibrate Our Relationship With Animals - NOW OPEN (Up to $50,000 USD)

Published on October 18, 2026 2:33 PM GMT Apply now   Who Let the Docs Out funds documentary shorts, features and series, which recalibrate our relationship with animals and food systems.  We want stories that invite audiences to see animals and our planet’s resources differently. Our goal is to foster greater respect for and connection to the natural world, and imagine a future less dependent on the consumption and exploitation of animals.  We are looking for original stories with compelling characters (animal or human!), that entertain, inspire and inform. Your project should engage broad, mainstream audiences through the strength of its storytelling, and leave them with a new perspective, a question they can’t shake or something that inspires them to think or act differently. We’re excited by projects that find humor, hope and possibility, and that can attract viewers through wonder and joy as much as through urgency. Research: $8,000 ($4,000 for shorts) Development: $15,000 ($7,500 for shorts) Production: $50,000 ($25,000 for shorts) Post-Production: $30,000 ($15,000 for shorts) You can take a look at our past projects here to get a sense of the types of stories we’ve supported. Other films we love and capture the kind of storytelling we’re excited by include:  THE GRAB (dir. Gabriella Copperthwaite); BIG CHICKEN (dir. Liana Stewart); LIVE TO 100: SECRETS OF THE BLUE ZONES (dir. Clay Jeter); NUISANCE BEAR (dir. Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman); POISONED (dir. Stephanie Soechtig); MY OCTOPUS TEACHER (dir. Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed); SENTIENT (dir. Tony Jones). The timeline for this cycle’s application process: Friday 16th October: Expressions of Interest (EOI) window opens Friday 13th November: Deadline for Expressions of Interest EOIs will be assessed on a rolling basis. All invitations for Full Applications will be sent by Friday 4th December. Friday 1st January: Full Application deadline Early February: All applicants are notified of final decisions.  Successful grantees will be invited to a group call to meet their cohort, and individual project check-in meetings will be scheduled. Late February: Grantees announced and grant money disbursed. Funding Stages & Deliverables Research (Features $8,000; Shorts $4,000) In the Research stage we can award up to $8,000 for features and series, and up to $4,000 for shorts. These funds are intended to help you find your story - funding travel for casting, archival research, or preliminary shooting to test a hypothesis. Deliverable: A treatment or deck that proves the story's viability.   Development (Features $15,000; Shorts $7,500) In the Development stage we can award up to $15,000 for features and series, and up to $7,500 for shorts. These funds are intended to help create the proof-of-concept materials needed to raise production funding. Deliverable: A sizzle reel or equivalent sales tool for fundraising. Production (Features $50,000; Shorts $25,000) In the Production stage we can award up to $50,000 for features and series, and up to $25,000 for shorts. These funds are intended to facilitate shooting and the execution of your creative vision, and to build on materials which can be used for further fundraising. Deliverable: Sample scenes showcasing character, tone and story.   Post-Production (Features $30,000; Shorts $15,000) In the Post-Production stage we can award up to $30,000 for features and series, and up to $15,000 for shorts. These funds are intended to facilitate post-production of all stages - from early offline editing to color grading, sound mixing and licensing. Deliverable: Anything from 20 minutes of edited material to a finished cut!   Apply now Discuss