The Sloan Stories of Science Development Fund operates every two years and will reopen again in the Spring of 2023.

The Stories of Science Sourcebook compiles compelling reported articles and momentous recent discoveries in the scientific and technological fields. Applicants must choose a story or discovery from the Sourcebook to apply for this grant. Filmmakers who are already working on similar stories may apply, but must still be in the early development stage and must not yet have a script draft.

Articles and discoveries chosen for previous grant cycles will be removed from the sourcebook, and additional articles and discoveries will be added to reflect the ever changing scientific and technological landscape.

Eligible films for Sloan opportunities must portray scientific or technological themes at their center that directly drive the story arc and/or character development forward. Films with peripheral scientific characters or ideas will not be competitive.

All filmmakers selected for the Sloan Fellowship must complete a residency period of eight weeks. The 8 weeks do not need to be contiguous, and can be completed in 2-week trips. The residency does not include living arrangements, but is an open workspace at SFFILM’s FilmHouse office. The residency includes peer-to-peer engagement with SFFILM’s year-round residents and feedback sessions, one-on-one meetings with expert advisors working in various sectors of the film industry, space to work from including a quiet screenwriting room and editing suite, year-round programming including talks, workshops, table reads, and work-in-progress screenings, and support from SFFILM’s Artist Development team.

Science fiction films are defined as projects that incorporate fictional elements that expand beyond today’s scientific capabilities and are not eligible to apply for any of SFFILM’s Sloan opportunities.