Grants to USA and territories film producers and production companies for projects addressing issues relevant to Latinos and Latino Americans. Special consideration is given to projects that focus on Latino arts and culture. Funding is intended to support limited series and documentaries appropriate for national public television. Applicants are strongly recommended to have a Latino/a in a director or producer role. LPB is looking for stories that have resonance with a national audience that reflect the diverse Latino experience primarily in the United States.
Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) is the leader in the development, production, acquisition, and distribution of non-commercial educational and cultural media that is representative of Latino people or addresses issues of particular interest to Latino Americans.
Projects applying to the PMCF can be in the genres of the arts, history, science, biography, health, personal storytelling, and mixed genre. For this fund, LPB is particularly interested in arts and cultural documentaries. Projects should present a range of subjects, issues, and viewpoints that complement and challenge existing public media offerings. Projects should integrate strong story-telling techniques that give voice and provide a lens to the diverse Latino community. While projects can take creative risks and reflect personal or individual experience, they must ultimately appeal to a national U.S. audience.
Funding Categories:
LPB is primarily interested in funding projects at the production and post-production stage. LPB funding ranges for each category as follows LPB is primarily interested in funding projects at the production and post-production stage. Requests for research and development (R&D) are not a priority. LPB funding ranges for each category as follows:
Research and Development: Funding to fully develop storylines, identify engaging characters, and talent and complete a production proposal and budget. Eligible activities include (i) research; (ii) clearance of life story rights or other rights necessary to initiate production; (iii) development of a script or treatment, including the hiring of writers; (iv) preliminary filming, if necessary, prior to the commencement of principle photography; (v) completion of a production proposal, budget, and sample reel.
Production: Funding to film and produce a program. Eligible activities include (i) principle photography (including all production activities, hiring of crew, talent, clearance of rights for public media use; (ii) post-production.
Post-Production: Funding to complete a program already in progress. Eligible activities include (i) post-production (including editing and completion); (ii) clearance of rights required for public media distribution.
For more information about LPB's content priorities, see the FAQs page.
The following are eligible:
- An independent filmmaker or a production entity (i.e. a partnership or organization owned by the individual filmmaker or filmmakers), creating programs on the Latino experience operating independently from a film studio, commercial broadcast or cable entity.
- Applicants must be at least 18 years of age, be citizens or legal residents of the United States or its territories, and have previous film or television experience demonstrated by detailed personnel bios or resumes.
Ineligible
Not Eligible:
- Programs/films previously submitted and declined by LPB with no substantial change to the proposal
- Thesis projects or student films
- Public television stations
- Filmmakers or production entities that are foreign based, owned or controlled
- Industrial, promotional or advocacy projects
- Projects for which the exclusive domestic television broadcast rights are not available
- Projects with a primarily commercial interest
- Projects whose content or ideas are substantially similar to previously LPB funded programs currently in production or distribution
- Current signatories of LPB contracts who have not completed delivery
- Current signatories re-applying for the same type of funding originally awarded
- Employees of CPB, PBS, APT,NETA, ITVS and the NMCA
- Requests for research and development (R&D) are not a priority at this time.
Pre-Application Information
Applications must be submitted through the online application process by June 21, 2023, 5 PM PST.
- Applicants must retain copyright, artistic, budgetary, and editorial control over the proposed project.
- Applicants applying to the PMCF are not eligible to apply to the CIF with the same or different project.
- Applicants must agree to create only one version of the documentary. A re-edited version of the LPB-funded program cannot be re-packaged for another network.
- Applicants are only allowed to submit one application for a project per review period.
- All funding requests must be submitted in accordance with LPB’s guidelines.
Proposals submitted to the PMCF go through a two-phase review process:
1. In phase one, each submission is reviewed internally and sent out to professionals in the field for initial evaluation and recommendations.
2. In phase two, projects recommended to move forward are reviewed by a panel comprised of journalists, programmers, independent filmmakers, academics, and representatives from national organizations. If a project is selected for phase two, the applicant will be allowed to submit any updates to the project before it goes to the final evaluation committee.
Final selections should be announced by January. Do not expect to see the initial disbursement of funds until the end of the first quarter of the calendar year.
It is not necessary to have raised a certain level of funding to submit. However, if the project is selected for funding, LPB may require the applicant to raise at least fifty percent of the total project cost before issuing a production contract. Also, applicants will have to provide a specific plan for raising additional funds needed to complete the project.
- Research and Development: $10,000 – $20,000
- Production: $40,000 – $100,000
- Post-Production: $25,000 – $100,000
Term of Contract
Filmmakers funding will be subject to reduction in LPB funding if the LPB funding has not been expended within four (4) years from the end of the fiscal year in which the Production Agreement is entered into with Filmmaker.
For complete funding contract terms, see the link to the Guidelines page in the Pre-Application Information section below.
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