ITVS Diversity Development Fund

Overview

The ITVS Diversity Development Fund (DDF) provides research and development funding of up to $15,000 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), which is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and mandated by Congress to support independent voices for US public television audiences.

The DDF operates as a dedicated development pathway for producers from communities that are underrepresented in public media, recognizing that the earliest stage of a documentary project -- before any production footage exists -- is the moment when financial barriers are highest and when institutional gatekeeping most often excludes first-time and emerging producers of color. By providing unrestricted development funds at this stage, the DDF enables producers to build toward a competitive Open Call application.

What It Funds

The DDF provides up to $15,000 in research and development funding. Eligible uses include story research and travel, community access and relationship-building, prototype or sample footage production, pitch material development, and 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. Approximately five percent of applicants receive funding in any given cycle.

Importantly, the DDF is structured as a funding agreement rather than a traditional grant, meaning that ITVS retains certain rights and relationships with funded projects. Producers should review the full DDF agreement terms before applying.

Eligibility

Applicants must be producers of color who are US citizens or legal residents, or residents of US external territories. Applicants must be over 18 years of age. The project must be a nonfiction documentary in development or pre-production -- projects that have already entered principal photography are not eligible. Producers who have previously received ITVS Open Call co-production funding for the same project are not eligible for DDF support on that project.

The DDF accepts applications on an annual cycle. Filmmakers should consult the ITVS website for current deadlines and any updates to eligibility criteria.

The ITVS Pathway

The DDF is 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.

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 their pitch materials. The DDF is particularly valuable for first-time producers of color who lack the track record required by larger development programs.

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.