Overview
The ITVS Diversity Development Fund (DDF) provides research and development funding of up to $35,000 to producers of color in the United States who are developing single nonfiction documentary programs intended for public media broadcast. The fund is administered by the Independent Television Service (ITVS), a nonprofit organization established by Congress in 1988 and funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to support independent voices for US public television audiences.
Current status (as of July 2026): ITVS is not currently accepting applications for the DDF or any of its funding initiatives. CPB, ITVS's principal funder, ceased operations in January 2026. ITVS has stated that it is working through the close-out provisions of its final CPB funding agreement and can no longer offer new funding cycles. Filmmakers should monitor the ITVS website for updates on future grantmaking or alternative funding pathways.
The DDF was designed as a dedicated development pathway for producers from communities underrepresented in public media. The earliest stage of a documentary project - before any production footage exists - is when financial barriers are highest and when institutional gatekeeping most often excludes first-time and emerging producers of color. The DDF addressed this gap by providing development funds at a stage when most other funders require a work sample that does not yet exist.
What It Funds
The DDF provides up to $35,000 in research and development funding per project. Eligible uses include:
- Story research and travel
- Community access and relationship-building
- Prototype or sample footage production
- Pitch material development
- The producer's own time during the development phase
The fund is strictly for the development stage. It is not a production or post-production grant. Projects must be single nonfiction documentary programs, not series, and must be intended for public media broadcast in the United States. Eligible program lengths are standard public television broadcast lengths: half-hour (26:40), one-hour (56:40), or feature length (86:40).
Approximately 5 percent of applicants receive funding in any given cycle. There is no submission fee.
Important: Not a Grant
The DDF is structured as a development agreement, not a traditional grant. ITVS retains certain rights over the project during the term of the contract, including rights related to the public media version of the documentary. Producers must review the full DDF agreement terms before applying. The applicant must be the principal of the business entity, must maintain at least 50 percent of the copyright, and must have majority business and artistic control of the project throughout production.
Eligibility
- Identity: Applicants must identify as a person of color
- Citizenship: US citizens or legal residents, or residents of US external territories
- Age: Over 18 years of age
- Project stage: Nonfiction documentary in development or pre-production. Projects that have already entered principal photography are not eligible
- Project type: Single nonfiction documentary program (not a series) intended for public media broadcast
- Program length: Half-hour (26:40), one-hour (56:40), or feature length (86:40)
- Prior funding: Prior funding commitments are not required. All proposals should include a fundraising strategy
- Exclusion: Producers who have previously received ITVS Open Call co-production funding for the same project are not eligible for DDF support on that project
- Exclusion: Applicants cannot be employed as a producer or director at a broadcast company or film studio
- Exclusion: Only one application per person per round. Only one project can be under consideration for ITVS funding at any time
Legal Challenge to Eligibility Criteria
In February 2024, the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation sent a letter to ITVS asserting that the DDF's race-based eligibility criteria violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The committee requested that ITVS remove race as an eligibility criterion and demanded detailed records of all DDF applications since 2014. This legal pressure, combined with CPB's cessation of operations in January 2026, has created significant uncertainty about the fund's future structure and availability. Filmmakers should consult the ITVS website for the current status of eligibility requirements.
Application Requirements
When the fund is accepting applications, the following materials are typically required:
- A three-page treatment
- A link to a previously exhibited or distributed film
- A resume including filmography
- A development budget
- A fundraising strategy detailing how additional funds will be raised
Decisions on DDF funding take approximately three months after the application deadline. Applicants are notified in writing.
The ITVS Pathway
The DDF was designed as a stepping stone toward ITVS Open Call, which provides co-production funding of up to $400,000 for documentaries entering production or post-production. DDF-funded projects gain familiarity with the ITVS ecosystem and development standards, positioning them more competitively for Open Call in subsequent cycles. However, with CPB's closure and ITVS programs on pause, the future of this pathway is uncertain.
Historical Context
ITVS was established by Congress in 1988 as an independent production service backed by CPB. For over three decades, ITVS has entered into licensing and development agreements with independent filmmakers in exchange for financial support. The DDF specifically targeted producers of color who were developing nonfiction work for public media, addressing a structural gap in public broadcasting where independent documentaries from underrepresented communities struggled to secure early-stage development funding. The fund has supported hundreds of projects over its history, though the exact total dollar amount distributed annually has not been publicly disclosed.
Who Should Apply
US-based producers of color who are in the early development stage of a nonfiction documentary intended for public television broadcast and who need funding to conduct research, build community access, and develop pitch materials. The DDF is particularly valuable for first-time producers of color who lack the track record required by larger development programs. However, as of July 2026, the fund is not accepting applications. Filmmakers should check the ITVS website for updates and explore alternative development funds such as the Catapult Film Fund or the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund in the meantime.
Past Recipients and What They Made with the Money
The DDF has supported 156 films over its history. Several DDF-funded projects went on to significant broadcast, festival, and awards recognition.
- Belly of the Beast (Erika Cohn) - DDF-funded, then commissioned through ITVS's Series and Special Projects initiative. The film aired on PBS Independent Lens and won the 2021 News and Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary. The original song "See What You've Done" by Mary J. Blige was shortlisted for an Academy Award. The film exposed illegal sterilizations in California women's prisons.
- Ovarian Psycos (Kate Trumbull-LaValle and Joanna Ibarra) - DDF-funded. The documentary about a feminist bicycle crew in East Los Angeles premiered at SXSW and aired on PBS Independent Lens in March 2017. The film screened at festivals nationwide and became a reference point for community activism documentaries.
- Burqa Boxers (Alka Raghuram) - DDF-funded. The documentary about Muslim women boxers in Kolkata was co-produced with 24images and Junoon Pictures. It screened at the Locarno Film Festival co-production market and received the top honor there.
- My Tiger Mom (Debbie Lum) - DDF-funded. Lum later received ITVS Open Call funding for Try Harder!, which premiered at Sundance and aired on Independent Lens. The DDF was the entry point to the ITVS ecosystem for Lum's subsequent projects.
What Makes an Application Competitive
Approximately 5 percent of applicants receive funding. ITVS selects projects that take creative risks, inspire dialogue, and are rarely seen on public media. The specific signals the review panel uses are enforceable through the application requirements.
The treatment must demonstrate a clear public media vision. The three-page treatment is the primary document. It must articulate why the story belongs on public television, not just why it is interesting. Treatments that read like magazine pitches without a broadcast strategy are declined. The treatment should show how the film will engage public media audiences specifically.
Prior work sample is required. Applicants must submit a link to a previously exhibited or distributed film. This signals that the producer has completed work before. First-time filmmakers without any prior exhibited work face a significant disadvantage. The sample does not need to be a feature, but it must show storytelling competence.
The fundraising strategy must be realistic. The application requires a development budget and a fundraising strategy detailing how additional funds will be raised. ITVS wants to see that the producer can build a financing stack beyond the DDF. Strategies that list only vague plans without specific funders, deadlines, or amounts signal a lack of development experience.
Copyright and control must be documented. The applicant must be the principal of the business entity, maintain at least 50 percent of the copyright, and have majority business and artistic control. Applications that do not clearly establish the producer's ownership position are ineligible. This requirement exists because the DDF is a development agreement, not a grant.
The project must be at the right stage. Projects in development or pre-production are eligible. Projects that have entered principal photography are not. The DDF funds the earliest stage, before production footage exists. Applicants who have already started shooting should apply to ITVS Open Call instead.
Watch
See Also
For understanding how public broadcasting fits into a documentary distribution strategy, see Distribution Deals: What Filmmakers Need to Know. For building a documentary financing plan that starts with development grants and builds toward production, see Documentary Financing: Building Your Stack. For an alternative development fund that is currently accepting applications, see the Catapult Film Fund entry.
