WAVE grant

The WAVE Grant is devoted to helping emerging women and non-binary BIPOC filmmakers tell their own “great f**king story.” Each year, Wavelength selects five recipients to a $5,000 seed grant for the production of their first short film. Recipients also receive extensive mentorship from Wavelength’s award-winning team, guiding them through all aspects of development, production, post-production, festival strategy, publicity, and more.

Applications now closed.

    • All applicants to the grant will be invited to participate in a free 5-part workshop series from Seed&Spark covering crowdfunding, pitching, budgeting, and distribution.

    • Top 20 finalists will receive a one-on-one consultation with a Seed&Spark crowdfunding expert

    • Recipients will receive a $5,000 seed grant for the production of their short film.

    • Recipients will receive a year-long mentorship program. The Wavelength team will assist with development, production, post-production, and distribution strategies.

    • Recipients will have the opportunity to screen their film during a special showcase at the Yellow Springs Film Festival

    • Wavelength’s WAVE Grant is for a short narrative film of approximately 10 minutes. Shorts already in production or post-production will not be considered.

    • Production of the short must be completed within 2025. Production cannot begin before Feb. 2025.

    • This project must be the applicant’s scripted directorial debut. Student films do not count as prior work. Applicants may have prior experience in the film industry but cannot have directed a scripted short or feature film before.

    • Applicants must own the copyright of their production and have budgetary and editorial control.

    • Applicants must identify as a member of the BIPOC community and identify as a woman or on the gender-nonconforming spectrum

    • Applicants must be based in the United States and will be required to provide proof of residency.

    • Student films, feature films, series and engagement/outreach campaigns will not be considered. Documentary concepts or films in need of finishing funds will not be considered.

    • Treatment – a brief overview of your film including synopsis, style and tone

    • Script (optional) – a script is not required but preferred if you have it.

    • Budget & Schedule – a first draft of the full budget and schedule through end of 2025. (We know this exercise may be daunting for first-time filmmakers. Do your best and have fun with it! We will use it as a baseline for determining what budgeting mentorship you may need.)

    • Resume/CV

    • Video pitch – 1-3 minute video introducing yourself and the project 


    • Applications open: August 30, 2024

    • Applications close: November 1, 2024 at 11:59pm PT

    • Interviews with finalists: January 2025

    • All applicants will be notified by January 31, 2025 of the status of their submission

    • WAVE Grant program begins: February 2025

PODCAST

In its commitment to providing resources for first time filmmakers, Wavelength officially launched REEL TALK: A WAVE Grant Podcast in November 2023, which takes the listener through the process of directing their first short film, from the earliest ideation stage to screening at film festivals and beyond. Hosted by 2022 WAVE Grant alums and filmmakers Ana Verde and Amy Omar, the 10-episode podcast explores a different phase of the filmmaking process each episode and serves as a resource for emerging filmmakers, featuring interviews with prominent writers, directors, producers, editors, and more.