The Redford Center

Calling all climate fiction writers (and anyone else interested in environmental storytelling)!

We’re excited to invite you to join us on May 27 for Tales from Our World: Inspiring Climate Narratives, a free virtual workshop we’re co-hosting with NRDC’s Rewrite the Future and The Black List designed to inspire writers and storytellers engaging with climate and environmental themes.

Not a fiction writer? That’s ok! We’d love to see anyone interested in environmental storytelling, fictional narrative development, or community-centered climate stories in attendance. If that sounds like someone you know, pass this opportunity along.

Together, we’ll explore how real-world nonfiction and community-driven solutions can inspire rich fictional narratives, hear directly from the filmmakers of the Emmy-nominated documentary Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya, and more.

Can’t make the live event? Fear not. Everyone who signs up will receive the full recording and additional workshop resources afterward.

Reserve your spot here: https://ow.ly/TP4t50Z1gzF

If you couldn’t quite find the time to finish your application for a Redford Center grant, we’ve got some great news: we’re extending our application deadline to 11:59pm PST, May 17!

Our cohort-based grant program follows a 12-month fellowship model that combines funding with community, mentorship, and long-term support to give your film the resources it needs. We’re giving out $40,000 to each selected project.

Selected grantee filmmakers will receive:

• $40,000 in funding
• A cohort of peers working across the field
• Direct access to advisors, industry experts, and mentorship
• Travel support to attend our Fellowship Summit
• A pathway to additional funding in 2027

Learn more and apply at https://www.redfordcenter.org/work/redford-center-grants/

Here they are! The 2026 Nature Connection Pitch Finalists!

These filmmakers will take the stage at DC/DOX on June 13 to pitch their short documentary films that explore powerful, solutions-driven ways people and communities are reconnecting with nature.

Meet the finalists:

• Sing Peak | Kristy Hyunsoo Choi (Director)

• Te Mana o Teao (The Strength of the World) | Mahai Soler (Co-Director), Martín Kingman (Co-Director), María José Calderón(Producer)

• Companion of the Setting Sun | Isabela Zawistowska (Director), Chamberlain Staub (Producer)

• El Oso y Volcán | Micah Dudash (Co-Director), Javier Pineda (Protagonist)

• Croom Corridor | Jamaica Kalika (Director, Producer)

In addition to in-person training and workshops, travel, accommodations, and festival passes, and the opportunity to present to a panel of industry leaders, four teams will receive a $5,000 grant, and our grand prize winners will receive a $30,000 grant to continue working on their film!!

We can’t wait to see their pitches at DC/DOX this June in the nation’s capital! Read more about the films at redfordcenter.org/work/nature-connection.

Nature Connection - The Redford Center Restoring humanity’s connection to nature one story at a time

Only two weeks left to apply for a grant from The Redford Center! If this has been something you’ve been wanting to do, now’s the time to wrap up that application.

Selected filmmakers will receive a $40,000 grant towards their project in the first year of the grants cycle, an invitation to apply for a second year of funding, a cohort of peers, attendance at the 2027 filmmaker summit, and more. We’re excited to see what you’ve been pouring your heart and soul into!

Learn more and apply today at redfordcenter.org/grants

Interested in a grant from The Redford Center, but not sure if your project is the right fit? Here are the types of projects we’re looking for:

Redford Center Grants support documentary filmmakers working on environmental stories that are grounded in real-world impact—whether that’s highlighting solutions, shifting narratives, or supporting communities on the frontlines of environmental change.

Qualifying projects include new and ongoing nonfiction feature length films or docuseries.

We welcome applications for projects at any stage of production. To be eligible, projects must have some sample footage and must not yet be picture locked. Applying team members must include the director and at least one U.S.-based filmmaker.

This year’s cohort will receive $40,000 in funding, along with ongoing support through our fellowship model, including virtual learning sessions, in-person Summit, fiscal sponsorship acceptance things like mentorship, industry connections, and a community of peers working on their own film projects.

To learn more, click the link below.

Redford Center Grants - The Redford Center Supporting environmental filmmakers and frontline stories that drive solutions for people and the planet

The 2026 Redford Center Grants Open Call is here!

We’re inviting environmental documentary filmmakers to apply for our cohort-based grant program, which is a 12-month fellowship model that combines funding with community, mentorship, and long-term support to help you realize your filmmaking vision. This year, we’re raising our grant to $40,000 per project!

In addition to the grant, the selected projects will get the benefits of:
• A cohort of peers working across the field
• Support from advisors, industry experts, and mentorship
• Travel support to attend our Fellowship Summit in 2027
• A pathway to additional funding in 2027

This is your opportunity to join a community of passionate filmmakers applying their storytelling craft to shift culture, influence power, and change systems for good.

If you’re working on a documentary project that’s exploring solutions to intersectional environmental issues, we’d love for you to apply by May 14, 2026.

Learn more at redfordcenter.org/grants.

Know a filmmaker who should apply? Share this with them!