The Sundance Documentary Film Program recently announced a Request for Proposals for Stories of Change: Social Entrepreneurship in Focus through Documentary, a project in partnership with the Skoll Foundation that will provide $1.2 million in film project grants to enable the development and/or production of new feature-length independent documentary films that frame, examine and amplify social entrepreneurship as an innovative approach to the central questions of our time. Stories of Change is part of a three-year collobaration between the Sundance Institute and the Skoll Foundation designed to explore the role of film in advancing knowledge about social entrepreneurship. The initiative anticipates funding up to eight films in the range of $30,000 to $150,000 per project, with editorial control being retained by the filmmaker(s). 

"Documentary filmmakers and social entrepreneurs have much to contribute to the challenges we currently face as a global society,” said Cara Mertes, Director, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, in a statement. "This initiative is the first of its kind to bring the two fields together to seek inspiration, innovation, and creative experimentation around our most urgent social concerns."

The deadline for submissions to the Stories for Change project is August 15, 2008, and the awards will be announced: December 2008. Those with proposals for documentary films on topics in social entrepreneurship, including the work of specific social entrepreneurs, are encouraged to apply directly to Sundance online. Projects that demonstrate high potential for co-production and distribution possibilities, including theatrical, broadcast, home and educational video sales, etc. are eligible. Films at any stage of development, production or post-production may apply. Completed films will not be considered.  Interested parties are directed to visit sundance.org/DocSource and sundance.org/skoll or to query dfpskoll@sundance.org.