Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Film Program

Overview

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Film Program, launched in 1996, is the largest dedicated funding stream for films centered on science, mathematics, and technology in American independent cinema. The program has awarded grants to over 800 film projects and has helped develop more than 30 feature films. Rather than operating a single grant program, the Foundation funds institutional partners who each administer their own Sloan-branded fellowships, development grants, commissioning awards, and production grants.

The Sloan Foundation does not accept unsolicited scripts, treatments, or pitch letters. Filmmakers apply through the relevant partner organization. The Foundation is not currently seeking new film school or film festival partners.

What It Funds

The Film Program funds narrative and documentary features at development, production, post-production, and distribution stages through its network of partner organizations. Grant amounts vary significantly by partner:

Festival and Lab Partners

Sundance Institute (annual Sloan grant: $900,000 in 2025):

• Sloan Commissioning Grant: $25,000 for narrative feature screenplay development
• Sloan Episodic Fellowship: $17,000 for episodic projects with science themes
• Sloan Development Fellowship: $17,000 for early-stage narrative feature development
• Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize: $25,000 juried prize for a completed feature screening at Sundance

Film Independent:

• $20,000 Episodic Lab Grant for Sloan-eligible projects in the Episodic Lab
• $30,000 Producing Lab Grant for Sloan-eligible projects in the Fiction Producing Lab
• $20,000 Fast Track Grant for Sloan-eligible projects in the Fast Track finance market
• $50,000 Sloan Distribution Grant for Sloan-eligible projects entering distribution

SFFILM: Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowship and Stories of Science Development Fund (amounts vary)

Athena Film Festival: $20,000 Sloan Athena List Award for women screenwriters with STEM-related scripts, plus two Sloan Fellowships for the Athena Screenwriting Labs

The Black List: Sloan-supported screenplay development program

Toronto International Film Festival: Sloan screenplay development program

Film School Partners

Six long-term film school partners administer annual Sloan grants in screenwriting, production, and animation:

Each school runs its own application process. USC, for example, requires students to attend an annual Sloan Science Seminar in October to be eligible to apply, and applications are submitted in the spring with deadlines in early February (Production) and late April (Writing and Games).

Student Grand Jury Prize and Discovery Award

The Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize awards $20,000 to the best screenplay from the six long-term film school partners, selected by a jury of film and science professionals. The winner also receives industry exposure, feedback, and year-round science and film industry mentorship.

The Student Discovery Award selects screenplays from six additional schools: Brooklyn College Feirstein School of Cinema, SUNY Purchase School of Film and Media Studies, Florida State University, University of Texas at Austin, Temple University, and the University of Michigan.

Coolidge Corner Theater Science on Screen

To gain distribution for Sloan-supported films, the Foundation has expanded the Coolidge Corner Theater's Science on Screen program into a nationwide initiative. The program has awarded 274 grants to 96 independent cinemas, each of which shows at least one Sloan-supported film per year.

Notable Sloan-Supported Films

The Sloan Film Program has given early recognition to films including Oppenheimer, BlackBerry, Don't Look Up, The Martian, First Man, Hidden Figures, The Imitation Game, and The Man Who Knew Infinity. Sloan-supported feature documentaries include Werner Herzog's Theater of Thought, David France's How to Survive a Pandemic, Picture a Scientist, Coded Bias, Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, and Particle Fever.

Past Recipients and What They Made with the Money

• Cristina Costantini - SALLY (2025): Received the $25,000 Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The documentary profiles Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. It premiered at Sundance and received distribution through National Geographic.

• Sam and Andy Zuchero - Love Me (2024): Received the $25,000 Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The film explores human identity through artificial intelligence. It premiered at Sundance and received theatrical distribution.

• Michael Almereyda - Tesla (2020): Received the $25,000 Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. The biographical film about inventor Nikola Tesla also received a 2016 SFFILM Sloan fellowship and 2019 SFFILM production support.

• Mark Levinson - Particle Fever (2014): Sloan-supported documentary following 6 scientists during the launch of the Large Hadron Collider. Edited by Walter Murch. The film received theatrical distribution and critical acclaim after festival premieres.

• Shalini Kantayya - Coded Bias (2020): Sloan-supported documentary about racial bias in facial recognition algorithms. Premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Aired on PBS Independent Lens and reached a broad US television audience.

• Alexandra Dean - Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017): Sloan-supported documentary about Hollywood actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr. Premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Aired on PBS American Masters and received international distribution through Dogwoof.

Eligibility

Eligibility varies by partner program. Common requirements across most Sloan film programs:

• The project must be a scripted narrative or documentary film (not a commercial, educational video, or purely informational content)
• Science, technology, mathematics, or scientists must play a central role in the story, not merely serve as background context
• The portrayal must be substantively accurate and dramatically engaging
• Historical, biographical, and fictional approaches to scientific subjects are all eligible
• Most festival and lab partner programs are open to US-based filmmakers; some partner programs accept international applicants
• Film school programs are restricted to enrolled students at the partner institutions
• Applicants apply through the partner organization, not directly to the Sloan Foundation

How to Apply

Filmmakers should identify which partner program matches their project's format, stage, and eligibility. Each partner has its own application cycle, deadlines, and requirements. Visit the partner organization's website for current application information. The Sloan Foundation's website lists all current active partnerships and links to each partner's program page.

For the Sundance Institute Sloan programs specifically, see the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship and Commissioning Grant entry for detailed award amounts and recent winners.

What Makes an Application Competitive

1. Science is central, not decorative - The jury rejects projects where science is merely background context. A scientist protagonist, a technology-driven plot, or a scientific investigation must drive the narrative forward.

1. Accuracy meets drama - The portrayal of science must be substantively accurate while remaining dramatically engaging. The jury looks for projects that would benefit from access to science advisors alongside funding.

1. Right partner, right stage - Each partner organization targets specific formats and stages. Match your project to the correct partner: Sundance for narrative features and episodic, Film Independent for labs and distribution, SFFILM for fellowships, film schools for student work.

1. Track record and craft - The jury evaluates the filmmaker's previous work and the project's creative package. For development grants, the screenplay or treatment must demonstrate both scientific literacy and storytelling skill.

1. Sloan-specific framing - Applications should articulate how the project advances the Foundation's mission of public understanding of science. Historical, biographical, and fictional approaches all qualify if science remains central.

Who Should Apply

Fiction and documentary filmmakers developing or producing feature-length projects in which science, mathematics, or technology is central to the story. This includes projects with a scientist protagonist, a technology-driven plot, or a documentary investigation of a scientific subject. The program is particularly relevant for filmmakers whose work requires scientific accuracy and who would benefit from access to science advisors alongside production funding. Film students at the six partner schools should apply through their institution's annual Sloan grant cycle.

Watch

See Also

For the Sundance-specific Sloan awards, see the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship and Commissioning Grant entry. For the Sloan New Media Program supporting interactive and digital projects, see the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation New Media Program entry. For modeling revenue projections for a science-themed independent feature, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For understanding how Sloan funding fits into a broader financing strategy, see Film Grants and Funding.