Deadline Date: June 30, 2026
Submissions are open for the Grierson-Percy Documentary Grant, providing UK-based documentary filmmakers funding to complete projects exploring political or international crises.
The program supports documentary films that tell stories offering new and surprising insights on global issues. Key themes include political and international crises, editorial originality, and high-quality storytelling. Eligible projects include single documentaries and series over 25 minutes in duration, with a substantial amount of principal photography completed and an offline edit underway.
Eligible applicants are UK-based independent filmmakers or UK-registered production companies with the right to work in the UK. Only nonfiction documentary projects are considered; fictional or experimental works are excluded. Applicants must demonstrate a funding gap that this grant will cover and disclose their secured project financing. Projects must comply with UK legal and regulatory requirements, including rights clearance for archive footage, interviews, and music.
Applications require a completed online form, project synopsis, rough cut of the documentary, statement outlining the grant’s contribution, director gender, professional profiles and CVs for key creatives, team bios, equity and inclusion statement, compliance and accountability statement, duty of care statement, detailed budget and funding plan, and a completion timeline with distribution strategy.
Funding is provided as a non-recoupable grant ranging from £10,000 to £25,000, depending on project needs. Funds must be used for additional shooting or post-production expenses, including editing, sound design, colour correction, archive, music and legal clearances, and post-production staffing. Recipients are required to submit a final report on fund usage, provide a fine cut upon completion, and acknowledge the grant’s support in the film credits.
The selection process involves an initial assessment and longlisting by experienced industry assessors, followed by final decisions from a dedicated committee including Grierson Trust trustees and Norma Percy. The process is designed to ensure fair and expert evaluation of all applications.
For more information, visit The Grierson Trust.
