Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation Director Awards and Grants

Overview

The Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation supports emerging directors through two primary channels: the Chaz and Roger Ebert Truer Than Fiction Award, a $25,000 unrestricted grant presented at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, and the Ebert Director Awards at the Chicago International Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. Roger Ebert, the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, spent decades championing independent cinema. After his death in 2013, his wife Chaz Ebert expanded the Foundation's filmmaker support through grants, awards, and partnerships with organizations including Film Independent, Sundance Institute, and the University of Illinois.

The Truer Than Fiction Award has been given annually for over 25 years at the Spirit Awards. It targets an emerging director of nonfiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The $25,000 grant is unrestricted, meaning recipients can spend it on any aspect of their career or life. Film Independent administers the award, with funding from the Ebert Foundation. Past recipients have gone on to direct acclaimed features, secure distribution deals, and receive Oscar nominations.

The Ebert Director Awards at the Chicago and Toronto film festivals recognize directors whose work exhibits a compassionate view of humanity. These awards carry the Ebert name but are selected by the respective festival programming teams, not through an open application process.

What It Covers

• $25,000 unrestricted cash grant through the Truer Than Fiction Award at the Spirit Awards
• Ebert Director Awards at the Chicago International Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival
• Foundation support for Film Independent's Project Involve, a nine-month fellowship for emerging filmmakers from underrepresented communities (see the Project Involve listing for details)
• Ebert Humanitarian Award at Ebertfest, given to filmmakers whose work shows an unusually compassionate view of humanity
• Ebert Fellowships at the Sundance Film Festival and the University of Illinois College of Media (these target film critics and journalists, not directors)

Eligibility

Truer Than Fiction Award

The award targets emerging directors of nonfiction feature films who have not yet received significant recognition. There is no open application. Film Independent's nominating committee selects the finalists and winner from films that have screened during the eligibility period. To be considered, a documentary feature must have a theatrical or streaming release within the Spirit Awards eligibility window and meet Film Independent's general submission criteria. Filmmakers do not apply directly for this specific grant. However, submitting your documentary to the Spirit Awards through the standard Film Independent submission process puts it in consideration for all relevant categories, including Truer Than Fiction.

Ebert Director Awards

These awards are given at the discretion of the Chicago International Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival programming teams. Films selected for the respective festival programs are automatically eligible. There is no separate application. If your film is accepted into either festival's official selection, it may be considered for the Ebert Director Award.

Ebert Foundation Support for Project Involve

Filmmakers interested in Ebert Foundation-supported programs can apply to Film Independent's Project Involve directly. That program accepts 30 fellows per year across disciplines including directing, writing, producing, cinematography, editing, and executive tracks. Applications open in May with deadlines in July. See the Project Involve listing for full details.

How to Apply or Be Considered

For the Truer Than Fiction Award

1. Complete your documentary feature film.
2. Submit it to the Film Independent Spirit Awards through their standard submission process during the eligibility window (typically films released in the prior calendar year).
3. The nominating committee reviews all eligible documentary submissions and selects Truer Than Fiction finalists.
4. There is no separate application or fee for the Truer Than Fiction Award beyond the standard Spirit Awards submission.

For the Ebert Director Awards

1. Submit your film to the Chicago International Film Festival or Toronto International Film Festival through their regular submission portals.
2. If your film is selected for the official program, the festival's programming team may choose it for the Ebert Director Award.
3. No separate application is required.

For Ebert Foundation-Supported Programs (Project Involve)

1. Apply directly to Film Independent's Project Involve program through their website.
2. Applications open in May 2026 for the 2027 cohort. Non-member deadline is July 13, 2026. Member deadline is July 27, 2026.
3. See the Project Involve listing for full application requirements.

Notable Recipients and Impact

The Truer Than Fiction Award has been given to directors who went on to build significant careers in documentary filmmaking. The Ebert Foundation's broader support for Film Independent's Project Involve has helped launch the careers of filmmakers including Lulu Wang (The Farewell, Expats), Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, Wicked), Andrew Ahn (Fire Island, The Wedding Banquet), and Justin Simien (Dear White People, Haunted Mansion). The Foundation has also supported the Sundance Ebert Fellowship for film critics, which has nurtured writers including Jomo Fray, who went on to cinematograph the critically acclaimed film Nickel Boys (2024).

Chaz Ebert established the Truer Than Fiction Award in 2010 through a gift from the Ebert family foundation. At the time, she noted that she and Roger had been longtime attendees of the Spirit Awards and supporters of independent film. The award was designed to provide an emerging nonfiction filmmaker with the means to continue making films. The $25,000 grant is one of the larger unrestricted cash awards available to documentary directors at the emerging career stage.

Who Should Pay Attention

Documentary filmmakers in the early stages of their careers should submit their completed features to the Spirit Awards to be considered for the Truer Than Fiction Award. Narrative directors whose work centers on compassion and human dignity should submit to the Chicago and Toronto festivals to be eligible for the Ebert Director Awards. Emerging filmmakers from underrepresented backgrounds who want sustained mentorship and production experience should apply to Project Involve, which the Ebert Foundation helps fund.

The Ebert Foundation does not operate an open-application grant program for individual directors. Its support flows through partner organizations. If you are seeking Ebert Foundation support, your path is through these partner programs: Film Independent, Sundance Institute, the University of Illinois, and the festivals that host Ebert Director Awards.

See Also

For information on the Film Independent program the Ebert Foundation supports, see Film Independent Project Involve. For documentary funding opportunities, see Firelight Media Documentary Lab. To plan your documentary or feature budget, use the Production Budget Calculator. For independent filmmaking strategies, see Independent Filmmaking.