Frameline Completion Fund

Overview

The Frameline Completion Fund is a post-production grant program for films that represent and reflect LGBTQ+ life. Established in 1991 and administered by Frameline, the San Francisco-based nonprofit behind the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, the fund has awarded over $717,500 to more than 203 projects across its 35-year history. The standard grant ranges from $1,000 to $5,000, though the jury can recommend a higher or lower amount based on project need.

The fund exists because LGBTQ+ films, particularly short-form and experimental work, often struggle to secure finishing funds from mainstream grant programs. A $5,000 completion grant can cover sound mix, color correction, music licensing, closed captioning, or festival deliverables, which are the specific costs that prevent finished films from reaching audiences. Frameline positions this as a targeted intervention: the fund is not about development or production, it is about getting a film that is 90% done across the finish line.

If you are an LGBTQ+ filmmaker (or a filmmaker with a film about LGBTQ+ communities) in post-production on a short, feature, documentary, narrative, experimental, animated, or episodic project, and you need finishing funds, this is one of the most accessible grant programs available. There is no application fee. Visit frameline.org/completionfund to apply.

What It Funds

Completion Fund grants support the finishing phase of production. Specifically, the grant covers post-production costs:

• Final editing and picture lock
• Color grading
• Sound mix and sound design
• Music licensing and scoring
• Closed captioning and accessibility deliverables
• Festival deliverable preparation (DCP, ProRes, etc.)

The grant is intended as a meaningful contribution to completion costs, not a full covering of them. Many recipients use Frameline funding alongside other completion grants, crowdfunding campaigns, and personal funds to assemble the finishing budget. The $1,000 to $5,000 range is modest in the context of a feature post-production budget, but for short films and low-budget features, it can cover a specific deliverable or service outright.

Eligibility Requirements

Project requirements:

• The film must be about LGBTQ+ people and their communities. This is the primary eligibility criterion. The content of the film, not the identity of the filmmaker, determines eligibility.
• 90% of production must be finished. If you are not yet in post-production, you must be ready to begin post-production as soon as funding is in place.
• A full working cut of the film must be submitted with the application. Temporary sound, color, or visual effects are allowed, but the application must note what is still being worked on.
• The film must not yet be distributed.
• Any film/video format, any length, any genre, and any nationality are accepted.

Applicant requirements:

• Grants are given only to individuals with creative and financial control of the project. In the case of a collaboration, a sole project director must be designated as the applicant.
• Members of Frameline staff and the Frameline Board of Directors are ineligible.
• International applicants are welcome. Proposals must be submitted in English, and the rough cut must have the option for English subtitles.

Who Frameline encourages to apply:

• Women, people of color, transgender people, intersex people, asexual people, nonbinary people, disabled people, and other underrepresented people and communities
• Both emerging and established filmmakers

Application Process

The Frameline Completion Fund operates on an annual cycle. The most recent submission window closed on September 26, 2025. The next submission window will open later in 2026. Applicants are notified of their status in early 2026 for the current cycle.

Key application details:

• Cost to apply: Free. There is no application fee.
• Submission platform: Applications are submitted through the Frameline website.
• Required materials: Full working cut of the film, project description, budget, and filmmaker bio
• Notification: Applicants are notified approximately 3 to 4 months after the deadline

2026 Completion Fund Recipients

The 2026 Frameline Completion Fund grantees were announced in early 2026. The six funded projects are:

• *Barbara Forever* (Brydie O'Connor) - documentary feature. An exploration of experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer's films, archive, and ongoing cultural impact, revealing her lifelong artistic effort to create and record lesbian histories.
• *Lady Champagne (D'Arcy Drollinger) - narrative feature. A sequel to Shit & Champagne* (2020), starring the drag artist as erotic dancer Champagne Horowitz Jones Dickerson White.
• *Hunky Jesus* (Jennifer M. Kroot) - documentary feature. A chronicle of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, from the order's founding in the 1970s through the AIDS crisis to their current social justice efforts.
• *Jaripeo* (Efrain Mojica and Rebecca Zweig) - experimental documentary feature. A journey to Michoacan's hypermasculine rodeos exploring memory, queer desire, and longing.
• *Adam's Apple* (Amy Jenkins) - documentary feature. An intimate documentary told through the dual perspectives of Adam, a transgender teen, and his mother, offering a counterpoint to the hostility facing trans youth.
• *But Still, We Move* (Theo Angel) - narrative short. When Tendai's housemate moves out, they face access challenges alone for the first time and confront the image of the "perfect wheelchair user."

The 2026 jurors included filmmaker Elena Oxman, San Francisco Film Critics Circle president Randy Myers, and filmmaker LaTajh Weaver.

Past Recipients and Notable Films

The Frameline Completion Fund has supported LGBTQ+ films that have gone on to major festival premieres and distribution. Specific recipients and the films they made with grant money:

• Dee Rees - Pariah (2007 short) - Completion Fund recipient. The short was expanded into the 2011 feature Pariah, which premiered at Sundance and was distributed by Focus Features. A coming-of-age story about a Black lesbian teenager in Brooklyn.

• Sam Feder - Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen (2020) - Completion Fund recipient. Distributed on Netflix. Documents the history of transgender representation in film and television.

• PJ Raval - Call Her Ganda (2018) - Completion Fund recipient. Premiered at Tribeca 2018. Documents the murder of a transgender woman in the Philippines and the fight for justice.

• Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson - Kumu Hina (2014) - Completion Fund recipient. Premiered at PBS. Documents a Native Hawaiian transgender teacher and cultural practitioner.

• Natalie Jasmine Harris - Grace (2024) - Completion Fund recipient. A short documentary currently in the festival circuit.

What Makes a Competitive Application

1. 90% completion requirement - Only applications with a full working cut (at least 90% of production finished) will be considered. Clips, samples, or demos are not accepted.
2. LGBTQ+ community focus - Projects must be about LGBTQ+ people and their communities. The content of the film, not the identity of the filmmaker, determines eligibility.
3. Underrepresented filmmakers encouraged - Specifically encourages applications from women, people of color, transgender, intersex, asexual, non-binary, disabled people, and other underrepresented communities.
4. Creative and financial control - The applicant must be an individual with creative and financial control of the project. For collaborations, a sole project director must be designated.
5. Completion-only funding - Grants are given only for completion. Projects in development, pre-production, or production will not be considered.

Track Record and Context

Since 1991, the Frameline Completion Fund has awarded over $717,500 to more than 203 projects. The fund has operated continuously for 35 years, making it one of the longest-running LGBTQ+ film grant programs in the world.

Frameline itself is the organization behind the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, which celebrated its 50th edition in 2026. The Completion Fund is part of Frameline's broader artist development programming, which also includes filmmaker grants and exhibition opportunities. Completion Fund grantees are featured at the Frameline film festival, providing public exhibition alongside the financial support.

In 2026, Frameline's Executive Director Allegra Madsen noted that as federal funding for arts organizations continues to disappear, the Completion Fund's role in supporting LGBTQ+ storytellers has become more urgent. The organization has positioned itself as one of the institutions still standing despite ongoing cuts to arts funding at the federal level.

Who Should Apply

LGBTQ+ filmmakers in post-production who need finishing funds to complete a film in any format. The fund is open to:

• Short film filmmakers working in documentary, narrative, experimental, or animation who need $1,000 to $5,000 to cover a specific post-production deliverable
• Feature filmmakers who have 90% of production complete and need gap funding for sound, color, or festival deliverables
• International filmmakers whose film centers LGBTQ+ subject matter and who can submit a working cut with English subtitles
• First-time filmmakers with a strong working cut and a clear path to completion
• Established filmmakers who need targeted finishing support outside mainstream financing structures

The fund is not for projects still in development, production, or pre-production. If you have not shot 90% of your film, you are not eligible. If you have a completed film that is already distributed, you are not eligible. The fund is specifically for the gap between "almost done" and "done."

See Also

For calculating post-production costs and storage requirements for your finishing phase, use the Storage and Footage Calculator. For an overview of how completion funds fit into a broader financing strategy, see Documentary Financing: Building Your Stack. For understanding festival deliverable requirements after completion, see Film Festival Strategy: Getting Your Film Seen.