» Dodge College Grants and Awards

Eligible: Undergraduate Filmmakers
Funds applied to: Senior thesis production
Applications open: 2022-23 Applications are now closed. Applications open yearly during the Spring semester as part of the Senior Thesis Script Submission Process. Prospective Seniors should monitor their student email accounts for detailed notices of submission deadlines in Spring.

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: TBA
Applications close: TBA
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: 2022-23 Applications window TBA
Application close: 2022-23 Applications window TBA
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: Applications are currently open
Application close: 8:00 am on Wed. August 17th, 2022
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: Applications for the 2022-23 Academic Year will Open Monday, September 26th, 2022

This grant provides funding for unusual or special production-specific expenses incurred in the making of a Graduate Thesis or Senior Thesis (Narrative and Documentary) production. A special expense is 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.

Grants range from $500-$3000 and will be awarded to a limited number of projects. Projects can submit retroactively for funds, but will be considered alongside all project submissions at that time. 

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.  

Awarded funds will be disbursed in the first week of Spring Semester 2023.

Rolling Submissions Deadlines:
Cycle 1-5 - Sunday, October 16th -- Any project that has already filmed prior to the submission deadline can submit retroactively for funds.
Cycle 6-8 - Sunday, November 27th

Submit your application using the Leo Freedman Application Form.

Eligible: Producer-Initiated Undergrad Thesis Projects
Funds applied to: Thesis production
Applications open: Application for the 2022-23 Academic Year TBA

The Jim Deck Memorial Award is a need and merit-based award available to undergraduate students to be used towards production costs related to their producer-initiated narrative senior thesis project. The purpose of this grant is to provide the valuable resources needed for production in the amount of $3,000.

Eligible: Undergraduate/Graduate Documentary students
Funds applied to: Thesis production
Applications open: Application for the 2022-23 Academic Year TBA

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.