Adan Medrano Legacy Award in Film

Overview

The Adan Medrano Legacy Award in Film is a $10,000 grant administered by the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) through its NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA) program. The award is open to emerging Latinx video and filmmakers in the United States, including Puerto Rico, who demonstrate a compelling body of work that contributes toward cultural understanding and social justice. It is named for Adan Medrano, a Texas Latino filmmaker, author, and culinary arts practitioner who spent decades creating films that explored Latino identity, culture, and community.

NALAC is a San Antonio-based nonprofit founded in 1989 that advocates for and funds Latino arts and cultural organizations and individual artists across the United States. The NALAC Fund for the Arts is the organization's primary grantmaking vehicle, offering multiple grant opportunities for Latinx/e artists, arts administrators, ensembles, and organizations at all stages of the creative process. The Adan Medrano Legacy Award in Film is one of several named awards within the NFA framework.

What It Funds

The Adan Medrano Legacy Award provides a $10,000 cash grant to an emerging Latinx filmmaker. The award recognizes a filmmaker whose body of work contributes to cultural understanding and social justice, rather than funding a specific project at a specific production stage. This makes it more flexible than many production-stage-restricted grants: recipients can apply the funds toward their current project, their overall practice, or career development.

The award is thematically oriented toward films and media work that engage with Latino culture, identity, and community. Adan Medrano's own films examined the cultural dimensions of food, community, and Latino identity with a personal voice, and the award named for him reflects that orientation toward culturally grounded, community-connected storytelling.

Eligibility

The Adan Medrano Legacy Award is open to:

• Emerging Latinx/e video and filmmakers based in the United States, including Puerto Rico
• Filmmakers who demonstrate a compelling body of work contributing to cultural understanding and social justice
• Applicants at various career stages, though the award is oriented toward emerging voices

The award is part of the broader NALAC Fund for the Arts, which requires applicants to be Latinx/e artists, arts administrators, or organizations. The 2026 NFA cycle for Individuals and Ensembles (including the Meet the Moment Grant) has closed. NALAC has not yet announced dates for the next grant application cycle. Filmmakers should subscribe to the NALAC newsletter and follow the organization on social media for updates, or check the NALAC grants page directly.

Past Recipients

The inaugural Adan Medrano Legacy Award in Film was given in 2018 to Andre Perez. In 2020, Cathy Chen-Arriaga received the award for her PBS documentary short "Disrupted Borders," a film about young Latina inclusion in tech. "Disrupted Borders" went on to win additional honors including the Cleveland International Film Festival Jackson Spaulding Audience Choice Award, the San Diego Latino Film Festival Award, and the El Paso Film Festival Reel South Documentary Award.

These recipients illustrate the award's orientation: filmmakers working at the intersection of Latino identity, social justice, and community storytelling, often with a documentary or nonfiction practice grounded in specific cultural experiences.

The NALAC Ecosystem

The Adan Medrano Legacy Award sits within a broader NALAC grantmaking ecosystem. The NALAC Fund for the Arts offers multiple grant opportunities annually, including:

• NFA: Individuals and Ensembles Meet the Moment Grant: For Latinx/e individual artists and ensembles
• NFA: Organizations: For Latinx/e arts and cultural organizations
• Named awards: Including the Adan Medrano Legacy Award in Film, which recognizes a specific artistic lineage and commitment

NALAC also runs the NALAC Leadership Institute, the Advocacy Leadership Program, and other capacity-building initiatives for Latinx arts leaders. Filmmakers who receive NALAC grants join a network of over 500 grantees across the United States.

Application Process

NALAC accepts applications through its online portal during open call periods. The NFA typically runs one annual cycle. Applicants should prepare:

• A body of work samples (completed films, videos, or media projects)
• A statement addressing how their work contributes to cultural understanding and social justice
• Artist statement and resume or CV
• Budget information if the funds will be applied to a specific project

The 2026 NFA cycle has closed. NALAC has not yet announced dates for the next cycle. Filmmakers should monitor the NALAC grants page for updates.

Who Should Apply

Emerging Latinx/e filmmakers in the United States (including Puerto Rico) whose body of work engages with Latino culture, identity, or community and contributes to cultural understanding and social justice. The award is particularly relevant for filmmakers whose practice is grounded in personal, culturally specific storytelling rather than commercial entertainment, and who are at a stage in their career where a $10,000 unrestricted grant would meaningfully advance their work.

Filmmakers who have a single project in progress and are looking for production-stage funding should also consider the NFA's other grant categories, which may have different eligibility criteria and project-stage requirements.

See Also

For the broader Austin Film Society Grant programs open to all Texas filmmakers (up to $20,000 for feature films), see the AFS Grant entry. For Latino Public Broadcasting as a complementary national funding source for Latino filmmakers, see the Latino Public Broadcasting entry. For building a documentary financing strategy that incorporates grants like this one, see Documentary Financing: Building Your Stack. Use the Indie Film Budget Calculator to plan how a $10,000 grant fits into your overall production budget.