Center for Asian American Media
Documentary production and completion grants of $10,000 to $50,000 from CAAM for Asian American films and media projects intended for public television broadcast.
Overview
The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is one of five minority public broadcasting consortia designated by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to provide programming to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Since 1980, CAAM has funded, produced, distributed, and exhibited film, television, and digital media by and about Asian Americans, advancing public understanding of the Asian American experience across generations and communities.
CAAM's funding programs for independent filmmakers operate through two distinct grant tracks: the CAAM Documentary Fund and the CAAM Documentaries for Social Change Fund. Together they have channelled over $3 million into the Asian American media ecosystem since 1990.
What It Funds
CAAM Documentary Fund provides production and completion grants to independent documentary films that explore the Asian American experience and are intended for broadcast on public television. Awards range from $10,000 to $50,000 per project depending on the project's stage and production scope. Both production-stage and completion-stage projects are eligible. The fund is open by application cycle, and projects must demonstrate a clear path to public television broadcast.
CAAM Documentaries for Social Change Fund provides grant agreements of up to $15,000 for documentary projects that tackle subject matters resonating with Asian American communities and that have the potential to drive social change. This track has a tighter thematic focus than the main Documentary Fund, prioritising films that connect to advocacy, policy, or community organising alongside their documentary storytelling.
Eligibility
Both funds support films by and about the Asian American experience intended for public television broadcast. Filmmakers must be independent producers -- projects with primary funding from a major network are not eligible. CAAM prioritises projects where the creative team has a genuine connection to the Asian American communities the film depicts.
The Documentary Fund is for projects in production or approaching completion. The Social Change Fund has a more specific thematic requirement around social impact and community resonance.
CAAM's Broader Role
CAAM does more than grant-making. It distributes Asian American films through public television, presents the CAAMFest documentary festival in San Francisco, and maintains a distribution library of Asian American film and media. Grant recipients benefit from CAAM's distribution relationships and the possibility of broadcast through its public television partnerships.
Who Should Apply
Independent documentary filmmakers working on films about the Asian American experience with a clear path to public television broadcast. Filmmakers with projects that address social change themes relevant to Asian American communities should look at both the Documentary Fund and the Social Change Fund to identify the best fit.
See Also
For understanding public television as a distribution channel, see Distribution Deals: What Filmmakers Need to Know. For modeling revenue across broadcast and streaming windows, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator.
