Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Film Program

Overview

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Film Program funds films that depict science, technology, mathematics, engineering, and the lives of people working in those fields. Since its launch in 1996, the program has awarded grants to over 800 film projects. The program does not accept direct unsolicited applications. All funding flows through institutional partners: six film schools, several film festivals, and development organizations.

The program operates as a development pipeline. A single project can receive support from multiple partners at different stages. For example, a screenplay might win a Sloan screenwriting grant at NYU, receive a development fellowship through the Sundance Institute, earn a commissioning grant through Film Independent, and then win the Sloan Feature Film Prize at Sundance upon completion. The foundation explicitly designed this "farm system" to nurture science-themed projects from student work through theatrical release.

At the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, the Sloan Feature Film Prize ($25,000) was awarded to In The Blink of An Eye, directed by Andrew Stanton and written by Colby Day. Three additional artist grants totaling $59,000 were awarded: a $17,000 Episodic Fellowship, a $17,000 Development Fellowship, and a $25,000 Commissioning Grant.

Notable Sloan-supported films include:

• Michael Almereyda - Tesla (2020) - Development through SFFILM, Feature Film Prize at Sundance. IFC Films release, starring Ethan Hawke. A biographical drama about Nikola Tesla.

• Mark Levinson - Particle Fever (2014) - Feature film grant. Theatrical release, PBS broadcast. Edited by Walter Murch. Documents the launch of the Large Hadron Collider.

• Matthew Brown - The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015) - Producer's grant through Film Independent, TFI Filmmaker Fund. Warner Bros. release, starring Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons. A biographical drama about mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.

• Michael Almereyda - Experimenter (2015) - Multiple grants: Sundance Lab 2008, TFI 2009, Film Independent Distribution 2015. Magnolia Pictures release. A biographical drama about Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments.

The program also maintains the Sloan Science & Film database, the only comprehensive record of all 800+ funded projects.

What It Covers

The Sloan Film Program operates through multiple partner channels, each with its own award structure:

Film School Partners (six institutions):

Festival and Organization Partners:

Student Grand Jury Prize (administered by Museum of the Moving Image):

• $20,000 cash prize plus year-round mentorship from film and science professionals
• Selected from winning screenplays at the six Sloan partner film schools
• Winners receive staged readings at Museum of the Moving Image
• A separate Discovery Prize expands the program to six additional public universities

Eligibility

Eligibility depends entirely on which partner program you are applying through:

For film school grants: You must be an enrolled student at one of the six partner schools (AFI, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, NYU, UCLA, or USC). Each school has its own application process and internal deadlines. At USC, for example, students must attend the annual Sloan Science Seminar in October to be eligible to apply. Production grants require a completed script for a short narrative film (8-15 minutes at USC). Screenwriting grants accept feature scripts, TV movie scripts, or TV pilot scripts.

For festival prizes: You must submit your completed film to the participating festival (Sundance, Tribeca, Hamptons, etc.) through the festival's normal submission process. The festival's jury selects the Sloan prize winner from films that engage with science or technology themes.

For development fellowships: You must apply through the partner organization (Sundance Institute, Film Independent, SFFILM, The Black List, Athena Film Festival). Each organization has its own application process, eligibility criteria, and deadlines.

Universal requirement across all programs: The project must engage meaningfully with science, technology, mathematics, engineering, or the lives of people in these fields. Projects must depict science and scientists accurately and with nuance. The foundation rejects projects that use science as superficial window dressing or that perpetuate stereotypes about scientists.

How to Apply

There is no direct application to the Sloan Foundation. You apply through one of the partner programs:

1. Identify the relevant partner: If you are a student at one of the six film schools, contact your school's Sloan liaison. If you are an independent filmmaker, identify the festival or development organization most relevant to your project stage
2. Follow the partner's application process: Each partner has its own application form, deadline, and requirements. Check the partner's website for current deadlines
3. Attend required events: Some school programs require attendance at a science seminar (USC requires the October Sloan Science Seminar) before applying
4. Submit project materials: Typically a screenplay, treatment, or completed film, plus a statement explaining how the project engages with science or technology

Typical School Deadlines

At USC, production grant deadlines are in early February, and screenwriting/animation grant deadlines are in late April. Other schools have similar spring-cycle deadlines. Check with your institution's Sloan liaison for exact dates.

Sloan Science Seminar

Participating schools host an annual science seminar introducing students to current scientific topics. Past topics include OCD and phobias, evolution, bioterrorism, cloning, memory, earthquakes, autism, virtual reality, the oceans, scientific ethics and misinformation, and space exploration. Panelists include leading scientists and researchers. Attendance is mandatory for grant applicants at most partner schools.

What Sloan Grants Actually Cover

Sloan school grants are designed for student productions, not professional features. Here is what the amounts cover:

A $27,500 production grant at USC is sufficient to produce a high-quality student short film. The USC School of Cinematic Arts provides equipment, facilities, and post-production infrastructure, so the grant primarily covers cast, crew, locations, props, insurance, and festival submission costs. Student short films at USC typically budget between $15,000 and $35,000.

The Sundance Feature Film Prize ($25,000) is an award for a completed film, not production funding. It is typically received by the filmmaker after the film's Sundance premiere and can be used for distribution strategy, festival travel, or next-project development.

What Makes a Competitive Application

1. Realistic science or technology content required - Science-fiction and speculative stories are almost always ineligible. The foundation funds realistic depictions of science, technology, mathematics, and engineering.
2. Challenge scientist stereotypes - Projects must portray scientists and engineers in engaging, innovative ways that go beyond cliches.
3. Science advisor mandatory - Writers must demonstrate intention to work with scientific advisors for accuracy.
4. Apply through partner institutions - There is no direct application to the Sloan Foundation. Must go through Sundance, SFFILM, Film Independent, or film school programs.
5. Narrative features are the focus - Documentaries are generally not accepted, except through specific documentary-focused partnerships.
6. Entertaining first, educational second - Films must be dramatically compelling, not didactic. The foundation funds films that audiences want to watch.

Past Recipients

The Sloan Film Program has funded over 800 projects since 1996. Because funding flows through partners, "past recipients" splits into two groups: produced feature films that came through the festival and development pipeline, and student winners at the partner schools.

Notable produced Sloan-supported films (already listed above with trailers): Tesla (2020, Sundance Sloan Feature Film Prize), Particle Fever (2014), The Man Who Knew Infinity (2015), Experimenter (2015). Other widely seen Sloan-supported titles include Hidden Figures, The Imitation Game, and Love Me (2024 Sloan Feature Film Prize at Sundance). The full database of 800+ funded projects is published at Sloan Science & Film.

Recent NYU Tisch Sloan Feature Film Award winners (the $150,000 award for a graduating student's first feature):

• Benji Santayana Zusman (2024-25)
• Jorge Corona (2023-24)
• Sara Crow and David Rafailedes (2022-23) - who were also named 2025-2026 Nicholl Fellows for their script Satoshi
• Mark Ingber (2020-21)
• Tim Delaney (2019-20)
• Nicholas Ma (2018-19)
• Rezwan Shahriar Sumit (2016-17)
• Frances Bodomo (2013-14)
• Ginny Mohler (2012-13) - whose Sloan-supported short Radium Girls became a feature
• Musa Syeed (2008-09)

Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize (administered by Museum of the Moving Image, $20,000): awarded annually to the best-of-the-best science or technology screenplay from the six partner film schools (AFI, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, NYU, UCLA, USC), plus a separate Student Discovery Prize for screenwriters at six additional public universities (Brooklyn College Feirstein, SUNY Purchase, Florida State, UT Austin, Temple, University of Michigan).

Renewal Requirements

Sloan grants are one-time, non-renewable awards. There is no renewal process for any individual Sloan grant. However, the program is explicitly designed as a pipeline, so a single project can receive sequential, non-overlapping support from multiple partners at different stages. A screenplay that wins a school screenwriting grant can later receive a Sundance development fellowship, then a Film Independent commissioning grant, then the Sundance Feature Film Prize on completion. Each stage is a separate application to a separate partner, judged on its own merits.

At the school level, production award recipients are given 24 months after notification to complete their film (per NYU's published terms), and the $150,000 NYU Feature Film Award winner must go into production within 18 months of announcement. Writing award recipients at NYU who have graduated remain eligible to apply for the $10,000 writing award up to one year after graduation. These are completion deadlines, not renewals. Failure to meet a completion deadline can result in forfeiture of the remaining grant funds.

Who Should Apply

• Film students at the six partner schools who have a project idea engaging with science or technology. This is the most direct pathway to Sloan funding
• Independent filmmakers with science-themed projects who can apply through Sloan's festival and development partners (Sundance, Film Independent, SFFILM, The Black List, Athena)
• Screenwriters developing scripts about scientists, engineers, or scientific concepts who need development funding and industry mentorship
• Filmmakers with completed science-themed films submitting to Sundance, Tribeca, or other partner festivals where Sloan prizes are awarded

The program is not for filmmakers whose projects have only a tangential connection to science. The foundation evaluates whether science is integral to the narrative, not decorative. If your film features a scientist character but the story is a conventional thriller unrelated to their work, it will not qualify.

Common Confusions

You cannot apply directly to the Sloan Foundation. The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. All funding flows through partner institutions. If you are not a student at one of the six partner schools and do not have a project at a partner festival or development organization, you are not eligible for Sloan funding.

The Sloan program is not just for documentaries about science. The foundation funds narrative features, short films, TV pilots, and animation. Hidden Figures is a narrative feature. The Imitation Game is a narrative feature. The program actively seeks dramatic fiction that integrates science into the story.

"Science-themed" means science is central to the narrative, not peripheral. A film about a character who happens to be a doctor but whose story is a romantic comedy unrelated to medicine will not qualify. The scientific content must be integral to the plot, character development, or thematic exploration.

The Student Grand Jury Prize is separate from individual school grants. Winning a school-level Sloan grant makes you eligible for the Grand Jury Prize, but the Grand Jury Prize is a separate competition with its own jury and $20,000 award. You do not automatically receive the Grand Jury Prize by winning at your school.

See Also

For understanding how science and storytelling intersect in film, visit the Filmmaker Glossary. To plan your student film production, use the Production Budget Calculator. For exploring other funding opportunities, browse the full Film Scholarships Directory.