AFS Grants

The 2025 AFS Grant for Short Films is now open for submissions via Submittable and will close on September 4, 2025, at 6 PM CT.

The 2026 AFS Grant for Feature Films will open in the spring of 2026 along with the Harrison McClure Endowed Film Fund, our annual grant for undergraduates at Texas universities.

The AFS Grant awards funds annually to Texas-based filmmakers working in any style or genre. The AFS Grant aims to ensure that promising Texas artists have access to funding opportunities right here in their home state. AFS is committed to providing equitable funding opportunities for artists, and filmmakers of all identities and backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Since its inception in 1996, the AFS Grant has awarded more than $2.8 million in cash grants and more than $340,000 in-kind goods and services to 550+ Texas filmmakers to date, creating life-changing opportunities for artists, many from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in the film industry and working outside large industry centers. In addition to grants for development, production, and post-production, we provide cash stipends to Texas filmmakers traveling to prestigious film festivals through our AFS Travel Grant program.

2025 APPLICATION UPDATES

• Submittable: This year, applications to the AFS Grant will be sent through Submittable. If you don’t already have a Submittable account, please create one before beginning your application.
• Smaller Essay Modules: In the application, instead of submitting a two-page project description, we’ve broken apart this section into smaller essay modules. It is the same amount of overall content, it’s just organized in a way that we hope is more approachable.
• Accepting More Materials: We are now accepting pitch decks and lookbooks as optional materials in your grant application.
• Previously-supported films: Short films that were previously funded by the AFS Grant for Short Films are not eligible to reapply for another round of funding.
• New In-Kind Award: A new in-kind award sponsored by TBD Post is available for the AFS Grant for Short Films. For more information, check out our AFS Grant Instructions.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Before you begin your application, it is very important that you review all eligibility and required materials in our 2025 AFS Grant for Short Films Application Instructions.

Please note: We have added an eligibility quiz to the application form that will help ensure you meet the grant qualifications before applying. We recommend you create an account on Submittable and take the eligibility quiz for your specific application before you start assembling your materials. You are still expected to familiarize yourself with the application requirements.

If you have any questions regarding the grant, please email us at filmmakersupport@austinfilm.org.

Check out past grant recipients here.

The AFS Grant for Short Films closes on Thursday, September 4, 2025, at 6 PM CT.

ONLINE INFO SESSIONS

Austin Film Society’s Filmmaker Support team will host free webinars on Zoom to inform and answer questions about the 2025 AFS Grant for Short Films. Click the links below to register.

2025 AFS Grant for Short Films Webinar #1 | July 31 at 6 PM

2025 AFS Grant for Short Films Webinar #2 | August 21 at 6 PM