Calendar – Past Event

With support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is able to offer funding to independent producers for documentary projects intended for public television broadcast. All projects must conform to standard public broadcasting lengths. Offered once a year, this round of funding is for applicants with documentary projects at the production and/or post-production stage intended for public television broadcast. Projects in research and development are not eligible to apply. All projects must conform to standard public broadcasting lengths (26:46, 56:46 or 86:46).

CAAM convenes an independent panel of media professionals including producers, directors, and programmers who evaluate Open Call proposals and make recommendations to the CAAM staff and Board of Directors. The Board makes final approval. The review process for Open Call takes approximately 4 months.

Applicants may apply to one of three funding pools:

Production Funding

For documentary public television projects seeking production funding. Awards average from $20,000 to $50,000. Projects must have a key personnel member with prior public television credit. Projects seeking production funding must have a work-in-progress sample of no more than 10 minutes in length.

Completion Funding

For documentary public television projects seeking post-production funding. Awards average $20,000 and should be the last monies needed to finish the project and deliver the broadcast master. Projects must have a key personnel member with prior public television credit. Applicants must submit a work-in-progress sample of no more than 10 minutes length and be prepared to submit a full length rough cut upon request.

James T. Yee Fellowship

For documentary public television projects seeking production or post-production funding, this award offers funding coupled with a mentorship for emerging filmmakers with broadcast half-hour projects (26:46). No prior public television credit is needed. Applicants must submit a work-in-progress sample of no more than 10 minutes in length.

ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES

Eligible Projects

• ‐U.S. or international documentary projects intended for public television broadcast.
• ‐For Production and Completion funding, at least one key personnel on the project must have had a prior U.S. public television credit as an Executive Producer, Producer, Director or Editor of a project. For those projects without, applicants are encouraged to apply to our James T. Yee Fellowship Program, which couples mentorship with production funding for broadcast half-hour projects (e.g. 26:46).
• ‐Independent producers or independent entities producing television, film or video are eligible to apply. The applicant must hold artistic, budgetary and editorial control and must own the copyright of the proposed project.
• ‐Applicants must be 18 years of age, be citizens or legal residents of the United States or its territories.
• ‐Applicants must have previous film or television experience as demonstrated by the sample tape. If this is your first media project, you must provide a video sample of the proposed work that demonstrates your ability to tell a story through a visual medium.
• ‐Only one proposal per applicant will be accepted.
• ‐Depending on the project, CAAM may require a Fiscal Sponsor, which is a non-profit 501(c)(3) IRS tax-exempt entity. Your sponsor agrees to accept funds from CAAM on your behalf and is responsible for redistributing funds to the project as needed. A fiscal sponsor is not required during the application process but may be required when funds are awarded.

Non-Eligible Projects

‐Projects not intended for public television audience
-‐Projects not at standard broadcast length (e.g. 26:46, 56:46, 1:26:46)
‐-Projects for which the exclusive domestic television broadcast rights are not available.
‐-Projects in the script development stage.
‐-Projects intended solely for theatrical release or commercial in nature.
‐-Projects in which applicant is commissioned, employed or hired by a commercial or public television station.
-‐Projects with funds raised from investors and/or a commercial financing structure. Thesis projects or student films which are co- or solely-owned or copywritten, or otherwise editorially or fiscally controlled by the school.
-‐Projects or production entities which are foreign-based, owned or controlled.
--Industrial or promotional projects.

Review Criteria

Our funding panel will use the following guidelines in awarding funds:
-‐Is the story idea compelling, engaging, original and well-conceived?
-‐Is the visual/stylistic treatment effective and distinctive?
‐-Can the project be completed within a realistic timeline based on the applicant's production and fundraising plans, personnel and budget?
‐-Will the project appeal not only to Asian American viewers, but also to a broader television audience?
-‐Does the sample tape show the skills and/or potential of the applicant to complete the proposed project?
‐-CAAM attempts to support diversity in projects. Has CAAM recently funded a similar topic, issue or treatment?

To see what CAAM has funded in the past, check out some of our Recently Awarded Projects.