Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowship

 
Submissions for the 2025 Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowship are now open!

Overview

The Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowship is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation as part of their mission to champion films and projects that explore scientific or technological themes or characters.

Awards are made to two projects once a year, at the screenwriting phase of development. To strengthen the film’s portrayal of science or technology, each fellow will be connected to a science advisor with expertise in the subjects at the center of their screenplays, as well as leaders in the Bay Area’s science and technology communities. In addition to a cash grant of $35,000, recipients secure a residency at FilmHouse and benefit from SFFILM’s comprehensive and dynamic artist development programs.

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

• Applicant must be at least 18 years old
• Applicant may not be an SFFILM or Sloan employee or member of any SFFILM or Sloan boards.
• Primary applicant must be in a key creative role for the film: screenwriter, director, or producer.
• Film must be feature-length fiction film or episodic series. Documentaries or short films are not accepted. Project cannot be a work for hire.
• Project must be consistent with SFFILM’s mission and represent an imaginative contribution to the moving image art form.
• There must be realistic scientific or technological content at the center of the screenplay.
• Writers must have the intention of working with scientific advisors to ensure the accuracy of their stories.
• Science-fiction and speculative stories are, in almost every case, ineligible. In some rare cases, a futuristic story might be eligible if it involves science or technology that is truly on the cusp of being introduced to society.
• 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):

• Applicant Bio (400 words or less)
• Logline. In a couple of sentences, please describe the crux of your film. (95 words or less)
• Project synopsis (500 words or less)
• To date, what support have you received for this project?
• Provide a brief description of the scientific or technological ideas you are exploring through this story.
• What scientific research, if any, have you conducted to date?
• Each Fellowship includes the engagement of one science advisor. What would you want to gain from that advisor during this fellowship? Please be as specific as possible.
• What made you want to tell this story and why is now the right time for you to tell it?
• Describe your artistic vision and stylistic approach. How will your film look and feel and why do you want this particular style?
• List the names, roles, and brief qualifications of the other key individuals involved in the project (up to 5 people). Indicate the date they became attached to the project. (optional)

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.
• 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

If selected as a finalist, the following materials will be required for further consideration before the winners are selected. Finalists will have approximately two weeks to submit these items:

• A one-page writer or writer/director statement. This should provide insight into who you are, why you are the person to tell this story, and your process.
• A 1-3 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.
• Optional but strongly encouraged: Previous Visual Work Sample & Explanation
• Optional: Any updates that you’d like to share since you submitted your application

Click here to download a PDF containing additional details about grantee requirements.

FAQs

Do I need to live in the Bay Area to be eligible for the SFFILM Sloan Fellowship?
No. SFFILM Sloan is open to filmmakers based anywhere in the U.S. or internationally.

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.

What is the difference between the Sloan Fellowship and the Sloan Stories of Science Development Fund?

• The Sloan Fellowship supports narrative features and series centered around scientific and technological themes in the screenwriting stage. Two fellows are selected annually and awarded cash grants of $35,000, a FilmHouse residency, and a science advisor to support the scientific accuracy of the project.
• The Sloan Stories of Science Development Fund awards a $10,000-$20,000 cash grant to 2-4 filmmakers in the earliest stages of writing screenplays inspired by articles and discoveries from the Stories of Science Sourcebook. The Development Fund runs every other year and will resume in 2025.

Are science fiction projects allowed to apply to the Sloan Fellowship or the Sloan Development Fund?
Science fiction projects are defined as projects that incorporate fictional elements that expand beyond today’s scientific capabilities and are not eligible for SFFILM’s Sloan opportunities.

How much science does my film have to include to be eligible?
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.

What is the Stories of Science Sourcebook?
The Stories of Science Sourcebook compiles compelling reported articles and momentous recent discoveries in the scientific and technological fields for filmmakers applying to the SFFILM Sloan Stories of Science Development Fund only.

When will the Sloan Stories of Science Development Fund Reopen?
The Sloan Stories of Science Development Fund operates every two years and will reopen again in the Spring of 2025.

Are there other Sloan opportunities for filmmaking?
Yes! The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation offers many film grants through various organizations and universities across the country. You can find a complete offering through their Grants Database.

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 multiple 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, visit our FAQ page.