The 2026 AFS Grant for Short Films is now closed for submissions and will reopen in the summer of 2027. Applicants will be notified about their status by mid-December.
The AFS Grant for Feature Films and the Harrison McClure Endowed Film Fund for undergraduate students are closed and will reopen in the spring of 2027. Applicants for this cycle will be notified about their status by mid-August, and recipients will be posted by early October.
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 $3 million in cash grants and more than $340,000 in-kind goods and services to 570+ 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.
The AFS Grant is highly competitive. Over the last five years, on average, 12% of applicants received funding per cycle. Each project is reviewed by a different combination of film programmers, filmmakers, and industry professionals, in Texas and across the country.
If you have any questions regarding the grant, please email us at filmmakersupport@austinfilm.org.
Check out past grant recipients here.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2026 AFS GRANT PARTNERS
