Overview
The SFFILM Rainin Filmmakers with Disability Grant supports filmmakers who identify as having a disability with films that specifically address stories within the disability community. Notable projects supported through this program include The Tallest Dwarf (2025 SXSW World Premiere, 2025 San Francisco International Film Festival), Vivien’s Wild Ride (2025 San Francisco International Film Festival World Premiere), The Tuba Thieves (2023 Sundance Premiere, 2025 Festival) and I Didn’t See You There (2022 Sundance Premiere, 2022 San Francisco International Film Festival).
Awards are made for up to 4 projects once a year in the fall, for screenwriting, development, or post-production. This grant is eligible for feature and short films, narratives and documentaries – with at least one for a San Francisco Bay Area filmmaker.
In addition to a cash grant between $5,000- $25,000, recipients receive access to the FilmHouse (located in San Francisco) and benefit from SFFILM’s comprehensive and dynamic artist development programs.
Thanks to the generous support from The Kenneth Rainin Foundation, there is no application fee for the Rainin Filmmakers with Disabilities grant this year.
Timeline
- Grant opens March 3, 2026
- Regular Deadline June 9, 2026 (No Application Fee)
- Final Deadline July 7th, 2026 (No Application Fee)
- Recipients Announced in late October 2026
Who Can Apply
- Filmmakers must be at least 18 years old.
- Filmmakers may not be an SFFILM or Kenneth Rainin Foundation employee or member of any SFFILM or Kenneth Rainin 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. At last one of the key creative roles must identify as having a disability.
- Film must feature plot, character, theme and/or setting that explores stories from the disability community.
- Project can be features, shorts, documentaries and fiction films. Episodic projects 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). Once you have created a user profile, please select ‘SFFILM Rainin Filmmakers with Disability Grant’ from the dropdown menu and complete the core questions.
Thanks to the generous support from The Kenneth Rainin Foundation, there is no application fee for the Rainin Filmmakers with Disabilities grant this year.
Email grants@sffilm.org if you have any technical questions or would like an alternative method of submitting your application.
FAQs
Do I need to live in the Bay Area to be eligible for the SFFILM Rainin Filmmakers with Disability Grant?
The SFFILM Rainin Filmmakers with Disability Grant is open to applicants who live anywhere in the U.S. or internationally.
What stages does the SFFILM Rainin Filmmakers with Disability Grant Grant support?
Rainin supports feature and short films in the screenwriting stage, development/packaging, and post-production. Films can be non-fiction or fiction.
What is the difference between the regular deadline and the final deadline? Will my project be more competitive if I submit earlier?
Thanks to the generous support from The Kenneth Rainin Foundation, there is no application fee for the Rainin Filmmakers with Disability grant this year. We encourage filmmakers to submit as early as possible, but it does not make the application more competitive.
How much funding can I expect?
Applicants will receive between $5,000 – $25,000 depending on the amount of projects awarded.
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.
The application asks how my project uplifts the Bay Area filmmaking community. I do not live there and my film is not set there. What are the expectations?
Projects and filmmakers do not have to be rooted in the Bay Area in order to apply. However, we ask applicants to consider how they can best both learn from and give back to the Bay Area filmmaking community to reach their goals. This can be done by shooting in the Bay Area, participating and hosting talks and events at Filmhouse during the residency, or connecting with local communities or resources within the Bay Area, among other contributions. Engagement with the Bay Area community can also be done virtually.
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 don’t live in the Bay Area and am not shooting there. Can I still apply for the development/packaging grant?
Yes, all stages of production are welcome to apply even if you do not reside in the Bay Area.
I would like to submit my project to more than one SFFILM grant. Are there additional fees?
You are welcome to submit your application for consideration for multiple SFFILM grant opportunities. Please be sure to review the eligibility for each grant and answer the supplemental questions each grant requires. There is an additional submission fee for the SFFILM Documentary Film Fund and one additional submission fee per application for SFFILM Narrative Grants.