As a fiscal sponsor, SDF is obligated to keep up-to-date information for all our projects. With 100+ active documentaries on the roster, receiving timely and complete reports is critical. This online system should make filing your progress reports easy and efficient. ALL current projects must file, in all stages of production, regardless whether any funds have been raised. Please answer each section completely and be sure to provide the most current information about your project, including a current budget and expense detail.
Thank you for your interest in Southern Documentary Fund's Fiscal Sponsorship Program. Please be sure to review eligibility requirements and review criteria prior to submitting your application.
A non-refundable application fee of $45 is required at time of submission. We will be unable to review your application if the fee has not been received.
We will review your application and contact you with a decision within 14 days of receiving your proposal. Please note, due to our annual Convening, application processing time will be longer in May and June.
Eligibility requirements:
- Project Director is based in the American South and/or telling stories about or related to the American South. SDF currently serves the following Southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
- Proposal is for a documentary media project. This includes: short & feature film, television, docu-series, web-series, podcast, photography, experimental and immersive media.
- Project falls within the scope of SDF's mission and values. The Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) is a nonprofit that supports documentary media made in or about the South and prioritizes underrepresented voices, particularly those with long connections to the region, in order to empower Southern creators to tell their own stories. Through our sponsored projects, we aim to bring injustice to light and reveal truths, large and small, about the world around us. To learn more about our mission and values, please visit our website.
NOTE: If your project has special circumstances regarding eligibility, please feel free to reach out to our Artistic Director: chris@southerndocumentaryfund.org
Review Criteria:
- Subject matter of project is relevant to the mission of SDF.
- Primary team members have a strong connection to the story.
- Proposal is well-researched and clearly presented.
- Project has a feasible budget and fundraising plan.
- Project Director and collaborators posses the skills necessary to successfully complete the project.
- The applicant shows an understanding of their intended audience and how to reach them.
For more information regarding Fiscal Sponsorship, please visit: southerndocumentaryfund.org/programs/fiscal-sponsorship
As a fiscally sponsored project of SDF you are entitled to make one disbursement request per month. Those funds will be disbursed electronically to your account within 14 days of this request. In order to disburse funds, you must have submitted a W9 and completed your bill.com account.
Please prepare a report of anticipated expenses and/or expenses paid.
Anticipated Expenses – submit an outline of what disbursed funds will be used for.
Expenses Paid – submit documentation for funds spent for which you are requesting a disbursement for.
NOTE:
- We do not pay vendors directly.
- You are responsible for maintaining good bookkeeping for all project expenses. You must retain all invoices, receipts, and other financial records for auditing purposes and make those items available to SDF upon request.
If you have any questions, please email: fiscal@southerndocumentaryfund.org