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Applications for the 2025 Krishnan Shah Family Foundation Grant are now open!

Overview

The Krishnan Shah Family Foundation Grant supports and nurtures storytelling that explores the human condition with levity, joy and humor. The aim is to discover and nurture feature films that provide an uplifting experience, and create space for inspiration as a viewer. All film genres are eligible, however we do prioritize comedies, dramedies, and family-friendly projects.

Timeline

• Grant opens Tue, March 4, 2025
• Regular Deadline Fri, May 16, 2025 (Application Fee $30)
• Final Deadline Fri, May 30, 2025 (Application Fee $50)
• Finalists Notified in September 2025
• Recipients Announced in October 2025

Who Can Apply

• Filmmakers must be at least 18 years old.
• Filmmakers may not be an SFFILM or Krishnan Shah Family Foundation employee or member of any SFFILM or Krishnan Shah Family Foundation Boards.
• Applicants must be actively engaged in one of the following phases: screenwriting, development, or post-production and should apply for the phase of production they expect to be in six months after the final submission deadline.
• Primary applicants must be in a key creative role for the film: screenwriter, director or producer.
• Film must feature plot, character, theme and/or setting that explores the human condition with levity, joy and humor.
• Film must be a feature-length fiction film. Short films or documentaries are not accepted. Project may not be work for hire.
• Project budgets shall be $3,000,000 or under including all phases of production.
• Projects may reapply and must include what significant progress has been made since the last submission.

HOW TO APPLY

To begin the application process, navigate to the “Apply Now” page to review the required items for submission. If you have not yet created an account for the SFFILM Grant Platform, please do so (please note: this is separate from your SFFILM member account).

Please select ‘SFFILM Narrative Grants 2025’ from the dropdown menu and complete the core questions. If eligible, you are welcome to submit to more than one of our Narrative grants by answering supplemental questions for each opportunity you’d like to be considered for.

If you are a member of SFFILM, your application fee is waived. If you are not a member of SFFILM, there is an application fee that must be paid in order for your submission to be considered. To pay the application fee, enter your credit card information at the end of the application after you hit “submit.” Email grants@sffilm.org if you have any technical questions.

Application Elements (Subject to change)

• Logline. In a couple of sentences, please describe the crux of your film. (95 words or less)
• Filmmaker Bio (400 words or less)
• Project synopsis. (400 words or less)
• Describe how your film, through plot, character, theme, or setting, explores urgent social issues of our time. (300 words or less)
• What made you want to tell this story and why is now the right time for you to tell it? (300 words or less)
• How does the film contribute to or uplift the Bay Area filmmaking community professionally or economically? For
• Screenwriting or Development Phase (300 words or less)
• Please describe your artistic vision and stylistic approach. How will your film look and feel? (300 words or less)
• List the names and roles and briefly describe the qualifications of the other key (up to 5) individuals involved in the project.
• These individuals could include producers, directors of photography, editors, actors or other key cast and crew. State the date they became attached to the project. (300 words or less)

Work Sample Materials

• Current script sample: Ten consecutive pages of the script you are applying with. The ten pages do not need to be the first ten pages. Please select what you believe to be the best ten pages.
• Script sample explanation: This should introduce the script pages from the project for which you are applying and provide context as well as any other pertinent information that would be helpful for the review panel to consider, such as which draft of the film this is and why you selected this passage.
• Budget Top Sheet (required for development and post-production applicants. Optional but strongly encouraged for screenwriting stage applicants)
• Optional but strongly encouraged: A lookbook or pitch deck for the project.
• Optional but strongly encouraged: A previous work visual sample 5-10 minutes in length.

Finalist Materials

Approximately 25 applicants will be chosen as finalists. The following materials will be required for further consideration before the winners are selected. Finalists will have approximately two weeks to submit these items:

Screenwriting

• A one-page writer/director’s statement. This should provide insight into who you are and your process.
• A two to three page treatment. This should give us a clear sense of the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
• A minimum of 25 pages of the script you are applying for. The 25 pages do not need to be the first ten pages. Please select what you believe to be the best ten pages.
• A script explanation that gives context in terms of where we are in the script as well as orientates us as to where we are in the story (500 words max)
• Proof of rights to story (if applicable)
• Optional: A minimum of ten pages of a previous script. The ten pages do not need to be the first ten pages. Please select what you believe to be the best ten pages. If you don’t have a previous screenplay, you can submit a visual sample, with an online link in an attached document alongside an explanation of the visual sample.

Development

• A one-page director’s statement. This should provide insight into who you are and your process.
• A one-page producer’s statement. This should provide insight into who you are and your process.
• A two to three page treatment. This should give us a clear sense of the beginning, middle and end of the story.
• Full Script: Please submit the latest draft of the script you are applying for.
• Full Script Explanation: Provide any relevant context for your script submission. Please note that some members of the review committee may be unable to read the full script. Make sure to include page numbers for an excerpt of at least 25 pages you’d like the committee to read if they’re unable to read the script in its entirety.
• A full budget that includes actual funds raised to date, in-kind donations with associated market value and any outstanding or pending funds.
• Optional but encouraged: Previous Work Sample. A ten-minute sample of a previous work of the writer/director (short or feature). We will only accept online links.

Post-production

• A one-page writer/director’s statement. This should provide insight into who you are and your process.A one-page producer’s statement. This should provide insight into who you are and your process.
• A two- to three-page treatment. This should give us a clear sense of the beginning, middle, and end of the story.Full Script: Please submit the latest draft of the script you are applying for.
• A full budget that includes actual funds raised to date, in-kind donations with associated market value and any outstanding or pending funds.
• Work sample one: A ten-minute sample of the work in progress. We also invite you to submit a full copy of the film but we can’t guarantee we will watch more than ten minutes. Should you choose to submit the entire project please include a timestamp of the 10 minutes you would like the committee to watch if they are unable to view the full cut. k.
• Optional but encouraged work sample two: A ten-minute sample of a previous work of the writer/director (short or feature). We only accept online links.

FAQs

Do I need to live in the Bay Area to be eligible for the SFFILM Krishnan Shah Family Foundation grant?
The Krishnan Shah Family Foundation grant is open to applicants who live anywhere in the U.S. or internationally. The stories can be set anywhere in the world.

What stages does the Krishnan Shah Family Foundation support?
Krishnan Shah Family Foundation supports films in the screenwriting stage, development, and post-production.

What is the difference between the regular deadline and the final deadline? Will my project be more competitive if I submit earlier?
The regular deadline fee is $30 and the final deadline fee is $50. We encourage filmmakers to submit as early as possible but it does not make the application more competitive.

How much funding can I request?
Applicants can request up to $22,500.

Is there a budget cap?
Yes, the film’s budget must be below $3 million.

What are acceptable uses of the funds?
For the screenwriting stage, the funds are awarded to the writer or writer/director and can be used for cost of living expenses and childcare while the filmmaker works on the project. Filmmakers have also used the funds for research trips, consultants, and table reads. For the development stage, the funds are awarded to the producer and should be spent on parts of the development process such as casting agents, location scouts, and/or lookbooks. up to 40% of the awarded funds can be used to create a proof-of-concept, mood reel, or a closely related short film if the producer feels that this is the best use of those funds to unlock additional support for the film. For post-production, you should clarify which elements of post-production you would like to put the grant towards.

Is there a limit to the number of times I can apply?
No, there is no limit. Projects may reapply and state what significant progress has been made since the last submission.

Is there an additional stipend for travel and accommodations to the Bay Area?
No. Filmmakers are welcome to apply the grant toward cost of travel but no additional stipends are provided.

I would like to submit my project to more than one SFFILM narrative grant. Are there additional fees?
You are welcome to submit your application for consideration for more than one narrative grant opportunities. Please be sure to review the eligibility for each grant and answer the supplemental questions each grant requires. There is only one submission fee per application.

For more information about our grants and fellowships, please contact grants@sffilm.org.