Funding Sources in USA for Independent Filmmakers  and Other Artists

1. Start looking for fund at the local level -- County or city arts and humanities council or commission.

2. Next step of funding is the state arts council and state humanities commission.

3. Your state belongs to one of the following regional arts organizations: 

Arts Midwest Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Southern Arts Federation
Mid-America Arts Alliance New England Foundation for the Arts Western States Arts Federation

4 There are two powerful endowments at the national level: National Endowment for the Arts  and National Endowment for the Humanities.   

5. There are hundreds of organizations and foundations around the country that fund independent filmmakers and other artists.  Visit Council on Foundations.  and Foundations Center.   Also check with your local library.

Private Foundations           Corporate Foundations

The following is a comprehensive list of city, county, state, and regional arts and humanities councils and Commissions.

 

State Arts Councils & jurisdictional Art Agencies

Alabama
Alabama State Council on the Arts

Alaska
Alaska State Council on the Arts

American Samoa
American Samoa Council on Culture, Arts, and Humanities

Arizona
 Arizona Commission on the Arts

Arkansas
Arkansas Arts Council

California
California Assembly of Local Arts Agencies
California Arts Council

Colorado
Colorado Council on the Arts

Connecticut
 Connecticut Commission on the Arts

Delaware
Delaware Division of the Arts

District of Columbia
The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Florida
 Division of Cultural Affairs

Georgia
Georgia Council for the Arts

Guam
 Guam Council on the Arts & Humanities

Hawaii
 State Foundation on Culture & the Arts

Idaho
Idaho Commission on the Arts

Illinois
Illinois Arts Council

Indiana
Indiana Arts Commission

Iowa
Iowa Arts Council

Kansas
Kansas Arts Commission

Kentucky
 Kentucky Arts Council

Louisiana
 Division of the Arts

Maine
Maine Arts Commission   

Maryland
Maryland State Arts Council

County Arts Council

Maryland Grants: Searchable Database Maryland Humanties Council Queen Anne's County Arts Council
Allegany Arts Council Charles County Arts Alliance Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council
Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County Cultural Arts Foundation of Anne Arundel County Talbot County Arts Council
Baltimore City - Mayor's Committee on Arts & Culture Frederick Arts Council Washington County Arts Council
Carroll County Arts Council Howard County Arts Council Worcester County Arts Council
Cecil County Arts Council Kent County Arts Council  

 

Massachusetts
 Massachusetts Cultural Council

Michigan
Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs

Minnesota
 Minnesota State Arts Board

Mississippi
Mississippi Arts Commission

Missouri
Missouri Arts Council

Montana
 Montana Arts Council

Nebraska
 Nebraska Arts Council

Nevada
 Nevada Arts Council

New Hampshire
 New Hampshire State Council on the Arts

New Jersey
 New Jersey State Council on the Arts

New Mexico
New Mexico Arts Division

New York
New York State Council on the  Arts

North Carolina
North Carolina Arts Council

North Dakota
North Dakota Council on the Arts

North Mariana Islands
Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture

Ohio
 Ohio Arts Council

Oklahoma
 Oklahoma Arts Council

Oregon
Oregon Arts Commission

Pennsylvania
 Pennsylvania Council on the Arts

Other Pennsylvania Grant organizations

Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance The Leeway Foundation Window of Opportunity Grants


Institute of Puerto Rican Culture

Rhode Island
Rhode Island State Council on the Arts

South Carolina
South Carolina Arts Commission

South Dakota
 South Dakota Arts Council

Tennessee
Tennessee Arts Commission

Texas
Texas Commission on the Arts

Utah
Utah Arts Council

Vermont
 Vermont Arts Council

Virginia
Virginia Commission for the Arts

County Arts Council
Arts Council of Fairfax County

Virgin islands
 Virgin Islands Council on the Arts

Washington
Washington State Arts Commission

West Virginia
West Virginia Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Wisconsin
Wisconsin Arts Board

Wyoming
Wyoming Arts Council

 

Private Foundations

Andy Warhol Foundation National  Foundation for Jewish Culture The J. Paul Getty Trust
ArtsWire Money Tour New York Foundation for the  Arts The National Black Programming Consortium
Creative Capital Rockefeller Brothers Fund The Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Rockefeller Foundation The Pew Charitable Trusts
Film Arts Foundation The American Music Center Aaron Copland Fund for Music Performing Ensembles The Pollack Krasner Foundation
Grant Makers to the  Arts and Culture - by NASAA The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation The Puffin Foundation Ltd.
Headlands Center for the Arts The Ford Foundation The Richard Florsheim Art Fund Projects Involving Senior American Artists
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation The Fund for US Artists The Soros Documentary Fund
John Simon Guggenheim Foundation The Heinz Endowments Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund
Maryland Grants: Searchable Database The Independent Television Service Women's Studio Workshop Artists' Book Residency Grants
Nathan Cummings Foundation The Jerome Foundation Asia Foundation.org
Funding for Writing and the Arts Independent Television Service (ITVS) Kaiser Family Foundation
Argonaut Foundation Artists Rights Foundation Boston Film Video Foundation

 

Venture Capital

FilmVenture.com  

 

Corporate Foundations

American Express Company IBM Corporation
Apple Computer Metropolitan Life Foundation
AT&T Foundation SBC Foundation
BellSouth Foundation Target
GE Fund Verizon Foundation

 

General Information on Foundations

Grantsmart Center Philanthropy News Network Online
INDEPENDENT SECTOR The Chronicle of Philanthropy

 

Fund Sources in United Kingdom

Scottish Screen  BritFilms.com