» Dodge College Grants and Awards

Eligible: Undergraduate Filmmakers
Funds applied to: Senior thesis production
Applications open: TBD

The Senior Thesis Producer Initiated Award provides funds for senior thesis projects originated by a producer. Producers must be Creative Producing majors with junior standing who are eligible to enroll in Senior Thesis the following fall. The final story idea submitted must have originated from the producer, whether it be an original concept/script or an underlying property discovered by/originated with the producer. The script cannot be written by the director. The producer maintains creative control of the project, has final cut, and is financially responsible for the project. At the time of submission the producer must have a senior thesis eligible director attached to the project in order to be considered. Directors attached to a producer initiated project will not be permitted to direct a second senior thesis project. This award submission process is administrated by Production Management as part of the yearly spring semester senior thesis script submission process for the following academic year. Award funds are tied to the specific project submitted, and should the project be abandoned, access to the funds will be surrendered. In the past awards of up to $7,500 were awarded to projects.

Eligible: All student filmmakers
Funds applied to: Thesis production
Applications open: 8:00 am on May 31st, 2021
Applications close: 10:00 am on June 30th, 2021
Application Form

Awarded by way of selection committee to a female student who has demonstrated the skills and qualifications to excel in the film industry with additional consideration given to a student whose film project helps to raise awareness of women’s issues. Awarded during the annual Women in Focus Conference.

Eligible: Graduate  Producing Program
Funds applied to: Thesis production
Application open: 8:00 am on May 31st, 2021
Application close: 10:00 am on June 30th, 2021
Award submissions should be sent to ftvawards@chapman.edu

The Katie Weinstein Memorial Award is awarded to a graduate student in the producing program during the spring semester who has demonstrated excellence as a producer to assist with the production costs of their thesis film project. Grant amount varies slightly every year.  

Eligible: Undergraduate Narrative filmmakers
Funds applied to: Thesis production
Application open: 8:00 am on May 31st, 2021
Application close: 10:00 am on June 30th, 2021
Application Form

The Women of Chapman Endowed Student Filmmaker Award is a need and merit-based award available to undergraduate students to be used towards production costs related to their upcoming senior thesis project. This award provides the valuable resources necessary for productions that have a unique concept and/or distinctive opportunity intrinsic to the development of the story. Selection process requires an application, an in-person pitch to the donors, and attendance to their summer luncheon.  

Eligible: Graduate & Undergraduate filmmakers (Narrative and Documentary)
Funds applied to: Thesis production
Applications open: Rolling

Given the unique challenges of this year, submissions for the Leo Freedman Foundation Fellowship in Film grant will be solicited on a rolling basis for 2020-2021 thesis projects. Applications are currently open and will be gathered per the deadlines listed below in order to better serve the eligible pool of projects. 

Additionally we are expanding the eligible costs for submissions. Typically, this grant has covered special expenses, defined as an expense that is out of the ordinary in relation to usual production costs. In the past, grants have been awarded to offset the cost of a process trailer, an unusual location, accommodations and per diem for a distant location shoot, cast airfare, and stunt coordinator among others. Beyond special production-specific expenses as defined above, projects are welcome to submit proposals to cover costs secondarily related to COVID-19, that cannot be covered by the additional $2500 per production weekend COVID-19 Funds provided by the University. All submissions will be evaluated on merit and need.

Though the deadlines below list a specific cycle number, this is just a recommendation for each cycle. Projects can also submit retroactively for funds, but will be considered alongside all project submissions at that time.  

Groups of submissions will be considered after each of the below respective deadlines.

Rolling Submissions Deadlines:
Cycle 2 - Monday February 8th
Cycle 3 - Friday February 19th
Cycle 4 & 5 - Friday March 19th
Cycle 6 - Friday April 16th
Cycle 7 & 8 - Friday May 14th

Click here to apply

Eligible: Graduate & Undergraduate filmmakers
Funds applied to: Thesis production
Applications open: TBD
Deadline: TBD

Students preparing any Dodge project (Narrative, Documentary, TV, VR, VFX, Animation) that focuses on a theme from the following topics:  Individual Rights, Economic Liberty, Capitalism, Free Markets without interference, the right to property, and the determents of governmental condemnation and civil forfeiture, are eligible for consideration for grants of $10,000 provided by an anonymous sponsor.  

Eligible: Undergraduate/Graduate Documentary students
Funds applied to: Thesis production
Applications open: TBD
Deadline: TBD

This award is open to applications for undergraduate and graduate thesis documentaries that focus on social and political injustice. Applications will be evaluated for quality of story as well as production need and/or merit. One student production will receive $1,500 that can be used to offset production costs, including, but not limited to travel costs, equipment rental, location costs, and post-production fees.