Secrets to Funding Your Dream Documentary

Here is an except from my interview with Bill Einreinhofer from the CD recording of the  teleseminar “How To Fund Your Dream Documentary.”  Bill is a National Emmy-Award winning producer, writer and director with over 20 years of television production experience.  He shared a lot of useful tips about how to raise money to produce a documentary.  Here he discusses how to approach potential funders.

SYDNYE: Before you introduce yourself and how fabulous you are and how fabulous your idea is, you need to know why and where and how much they give?

BILL: Yes. This is where you start looking at the giving history. This is where these various reference libraries, whether you go to the actual library or whether you view it online line, find out where the money has gone in the past. What are their interests if they are a foundation? Of if they are a corporation, who they are trying to reach? Corporations, I’ve gotten corporation grants to do public television programs, and it’s because those particular corporations wanted to reach the audience that public television gets. You have to figure out what the grant maker wants. And then be able to tell them, “I can deliver what you want to you.” It only makes sense. I mean obviously, it these people are going to be making grants or if they are going to be making advertising buys, they have certain needs. You have to understand what those needs and be able to tell them “this is how I can help you meet those needs.”

SYDNYE : So we’ll talk a little bit more a little bit later about distribution because that is part of it.

BILL: And this is probably the biggest mistake that many people make. In that they’ll put together a wonderful proposal. They’ve got a great theme. They’ve got colorful characters. A really, really good story, they’ve figured out exactly how to shoot it and edit it. They know what the look is and they don’t put anything about how they are going to distribute it. And if no one is ever going to see this program, this film, then why fund it?

You can learn more tips from Bill Einreinhofer about funding documentaries on the 45-minute audio CD “How To Fund Your Dream Documentary.”

Writing Successful Grant Applications

Some of the most successful independent television and film producers are also the most successful at securing grant funding.  There are many types of grants out there including government agencies, non-profit organizations and private funding.  Once you have identified the grants that match your project, it is time to delve into the process of actually applying for the grants.  Here are a few pointers to help you make the most of your submissions.

• Carefully read the instructions and guidelines and then FOLLOW THEM to the letter.  This means filling out every section of the application in entirety.  If you talk to grant readers, one of the biggest mistakes they site is a non-complete application.  During my short stint as a grant reader, I found it helpful when the grant applicants mimicked the grant outline exactly as it was laid out.
• For any narrative answers, write clearly and concisely in jargon-free language.  This is not a time to impress people with your industry speak.  You want to plainly set out your intension so that anyone reading the application has a clear picture of you goals.
• Share your passion.  Just because you are writing clearly, doesn’t mean you have to be boring.  The best way to convince someone that your idea is worthy is to show some excitement about it.
• Give specifics.  A good idea or worthy cause do not speak for themselves.  Grant givers want to know that you have a plan to achieve your goals.  Do some research ahead of time and create an outline for yourself about what you are going to do and how you are going to do it.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions.  Believe it or not, grant givers want complete, competitive applications.  If you don’t know how to answer a question, ask for clarification.  You can even ask about what the grant giver is looking for.  You never know what kind of response you’ll get.  Also ask previous successful grant recipients what they did to create a winning application.  They may have some insight that you never thought of.

Good luck.  For more information about fundraising in general, check out the recording of my teleseminar:  Funding Your Dream Documentary.