Overview

Now in its fourth year, the Research & Development Grant supports filmmakers from around the world who have directed at least one feature-length documentary and are in the research & development stage of their next feature-length film.

With continued grant-making support by Netflix, the Research & Development Grant supports directors to ideate and plan for their next feature-length film. Many filmmakers invest their personal resources into their films and face funding challenges when entering into the research & development stages of new projects. It is hard to secure funding for a new project without significant sample material, yet producing material without external funding can be almost impossible. To address this challenge, the Research & Development Grant provides financial support to directors during a filmmaking stage that is too often unpaid and unsupported. 

A total of $450,000 USD will be awarded in the following grant amounts:

• $10,000 USD grants for Research

• $20,000 USD grants for Development

The final number of Research Grants vs. Development Grants disbursed will be determined during the selection process, based on the characteristics and strength of the applicant pool for each category.

The purpose of the Research & Development Grant is to support projects at the early stages of their lifecycle. If you have already raised a significant amount of capital (over 35% of your film’s total budget) and have shot and/or edited a substantial amount of footage, you may not be competitive for this grant, unless you can demonstrate very specific needs for the project (such as previously overlooked research activity). 

We have separated the Research Grant from the Development Grant to allow early-stage projects to receive support without the need to submit all the deliverables required for projects in the development phase. 

We recognize that each documentary is unique and that processes for research and development, fundraising, and production can vary widely. The information provided here is not intended as strict eligibility criteria, but rather as general guidelines to help applicants understand the stage at which we aim to provide support for projects. 

The 2026 Chicken & Egg Films Research & Development Grant is generously supported by the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity.

2025 R&D Grant Recipients

Our most recent cohort is listed below. More details can also be found here.

2025 Research Grant Recipients

1. Heather Courtney (US)

2. Inma de Reyes (UK, Spain)

3. Amber Fares (Canada)

4. Rendah Haj (Australia)

5. Shayla Harris (US)

6. Naziha Arebi (Libya, UK)

7. Cássio Kelm (Brazil) and Vulcanica Pokaropa (Brazil)

8. Srishti Lakhera (India) and Amith Surendran (India)

9. Arum Nam (South Korea)

10. Sky Neal (UK)

11. Lina Soualem (France, Palestine, Algeria)

12. Lina Vdovîi (Romania, Moldova)

13. Ainara Vera (Spain)

2025 Development Grant Recipients

1. Giselle Bailey, Stephen Bailey (US) - Untitled

2. Raphaële Benisty (France, Morocco) - Anamiga

3. Nicole Chi Amén (Costa Rica) - A Future of Nostalgias

4. Drew Denny, Chase Joynt (US, Canada) - Inhabit

5. Yasmin Fedda (Palestinian via Kuwait, Lebanon, Canada, UK) - To Make Things Grow

6. Jeanie Finlay (UK) - The Incredible, Unstoppable, Untitled Jeanie Finlay Project

7. Snizhana Gusarevych (Ukraine) - Flowers of Mars

8. Carla Gutiérrez, Kristofer Ríos  (US/Peru, US/Puerto Rico) - The Young Lords

9. Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing (Myanmar) - The River 

10. Tamara Kotevska (Macedonia) - The Mammoths that Escaped the Kingdom of Erlik Khan

11. Jeanne Nouchi (France) - Anatolia

12. Ema Ryan Yamazaki (Japan, UK) - Untitled Japanese Company Film

13. Laurie Townshend (Canada/US) - Tallawah

14. Alejandra Vasquez, Sam Osborn (US) - Crystal City

15. Marlén Viñayo (Spain, El Salvador) - The Hell of the Holy Spirit

16. Miao Wang (China, US) - Notes from the Underground

guiding principles

• Trust: This grant initiative is driven by our trust in filmmakers with an established track record. We trust that applicants will make the best determination about which stage to apply to based on the information presented below.

• Simplicity: We aim to keep the application as simple as possible so that filmmakers are not burdened by the process.

• Deep listening: This grant emerged from listening to a wide range of stakeholders including filmmakers and field representatives during our 2023-2025 Strategic Planning process. Filmmakers shared a desire for financial support to be allocated where they see the greatest need, as well as time and space to think, research, and develop new ideas.

ELIGIBILITY

You may only submit one application per cycle. If you have more than one eligible project, you must submit only one for consideration. You may apply for either the Research Grant or Development Grant, but not both.

Applicant Eligibility Filmmakers must meet the following criteria:

• Identify as a woman or gender-expansive filmmaker. 

  • Our working definition of gender-expansive is that it is an umbrella term that includes any person whose gender identity or gender expression does not comply with the socially defined gender norms and roles of their culture. This includes, but is not limited to, non-binary, trans, third gender/two-spirit, and agender individuals). Please refer please refer to our gender expansion page for more information.

• Have directed at least one feature-length documentary, which is defined as an independently produced film that is at least 48 minutes in length.

  • Films must be completed to be considered for this requirement. If you are currently directing your first feature-length film, you would not be eligible to apply until that film is completed and has premiered or is completed and at the time of applying has a confirmed world premiere at a festival taking place before the end of May - in short the film must have premiered before final selections are made.

  • The film must be independently produced. However, commissioned documentaries and television documentaries, including those produced for news/journalism outlets, are eligible to be considered as prior work if the director had creative control.

  • Feature-length narrative work is not eligible to be considered as prior work for this application.

• Be based anywhere in the world, except for countries which are under comprehensive US sanctions. Further information about US sanctions can be found here.

Project Eligibility Projects must meet the following criteria:

• Must be a documentary or nonfiction film (including hybrid docs)

  • Our evolving definition of a hybrid documentary is a film that incorporates fictional or scripted elements as a formal device in which it is clear to the viewer which elements are fiction and which are not. The incorporation of fictionalized elements is used as a way to further explore the main themes of the film or even question the nature of ‘fact’ and ‘reality’. Externally the finished film should be intended to be programmed and characterized in the press as documentary or hybrid documentary film, and not as a narrative/fiction film. We do not consider narrative memoir, speculative fiction, or docudramas (dramas that are based on a true story) as hybrid documentaries. 

• Must be feature-length (48 minutes or more). (Short / medium-length films or series are not eligible.)

• Must be in the research or development stage. (Refer to the section Project Stage: Research vs. Development in the Program and Application Guide for more information on what we consider each stage to be.)

• Must be independently produced. Works-for-hire are not eligible, and student films produced in an undergraduate or graduate program are also not eligible.

You cannot apply for an R&D grant and our (Egg)celerator Lab program with the same project in the same year. You may, however, apply to the (Egg)celerator Lab with the same film project if you applied for R&D in the previous year, as long as the project and applicant meet all other eligibility requirements. See the FAQs for guidance filmmakers who have received prior support from Chicken & Egg Films.

You do not need a fiscal sponsor to apply for the Research & Development Grant. However, if you are awarded, you must have a US fiscal sponsor, or be a 501(c)(3), to receive the funds. If granted, we can help advise on this. We require prompt response upon communication of results. If granted, there is a 12-week period following notification in which you must secure a fiscal sponsor, and the grant must be disbursed within 2026.

For more information on eligibility, please download this Program & Application Guide and review the FAQs.

APPLICATION

The majority of the questions are based on the Nonfiction Core Application 3.1, with a few additional questions included. The applications for the Research Grant and Development Grant are not the same. The Development Grant application asks an additional set of questions to collect more detailed information about the project.

To begin an application:

1. Review program guide and application checklist: 2026 Research & Development Grant - Program Guide

2. Create new or log in to existing SurveyMonkey Apply Account: https://chickeneggfilms.smapply.us/ 

3. Confirm Eligibility: After you click-into the R&D program, click on the ‘Apply’ button. The first step of the application process is an eligibility check. Complete the questionnaire to confirm you meet all requirements to apply. If you are eligible, you will be able to move forward with filling out the rest of the application.

4. Submit application: Fill out and submit your application via the platform either by the early-bird deadline (January 7, 11:59pm EST), or by the regular deadline (Wednesday, February 4, 11:59pm EST). Late applications will not be accepted for any reason. You must submit your application via the platform by the deadline, otherwise you must wait until the 2027 application process.

Accessibility Request: If you require technical assistance to navigate the application platform due to a disability, please contact research-development@chickeneggfilms.org. We kindly ask that you make your request for assistance as soon as possible, and no later than one week before the deadline(s), to allow adequate time for staff to provide support.

evaluation criteria

Priority will be given to films committed to creating social change and/or uplifting underrepresented stories that challenge mainstream narratives. We support a broad range of issues from the personal to the political that explore a variety of artistic approaches, such as personal, experimental, animated, essayistic, archival, and beyond.

Research Grant Evaluation Criteria

• Proposed Research Idea: The proposal outlines clear and compelling topics, themes, and questions that align with Chicken & Egg Films’ mission. They challenge mainstream narratives, conversations, or perceptions.

• Prior Work: You are confident in the execution of the current project based on the artistry and competence of the director’s prior work (even if the project is a departure from their aesthetic/practice). 

• Grant Impact: The planned activities are well-developed and specific, the next steps are clear, and if awarded the grant will have a big impact on advancing the project.

• Access & Accountability: The director is thinking critically about their own role in the story, and they articulate why they are the filmmaker best-suited to tell this story. The director has a connection and access to the story, film participants, and community involved. They reflect on their own perspective and biases regarding the subject matter and storytelling approach. They consider the potential impacts and consequences of the filmmaking process on participants, audiences, crew, and other stakeholders.

Development Grant Evaluation Criteria 

• Story, Concept, Theme: The proposal outlines clear and compelling topics, themes, and questions that align with Chicken & Egg Films’ mission. The proposed narrative trajectory or concept (including potential character arcs if applicable) are clear and compelling. The story challenges mainstream narratives, conversations, or perceptions.

• Artistic Approach: The project has a clear and compelling creative vision and a distinct artistic approach. The approach supports the story/concept. If a current sample is provided for the current project, it shows the potential of the intended approach.

• Prior Work: You are confident in the execution of the current project based on the artistry and competence of the director’s prior work (even if the project is a departure from their aesthetic/practice).

• Grant Impact: The planned activities, development budget, and fundraising strategy are well-developed and specific. If awarded, the next steps are clear and the grant will have a big impact on advancing the project.

• Access and Positionality: The director is thinking critically about their own role in the story, and they articulate why they are the filmmaker best-suited to tell this story. The director has a connection and access to the story, film participants, and community involved. They reflect on their own perspective and biases regarding the subject matter and storytelling approach. They consider the potential impacts and consequences of the filmmaking process on participants, audiences, crew, and other stakeholders.

REPORTING & DELIVERABLES

We hope that during the grant period running from July 2026 until January 2027, each grantee will have the resources to make significant progress and/or take their project to the next stage, enabling them to seek and secure additional funding for their project. In January 2027, at the end of the grant period, Chicken & Egg Films will schedule a 6-month check-in with grantees to discuss the status of their projects.

Research Grant recipients will be asked to submit:

• (Required) A narrative report detailing how the funds were utilized and the impact they had on the project and the your career. Grantees will also be asked to report back on the status of the Planned Activities outlined in their application. No expense receipts will be required.

• (optional) A completed Nonfiction Core Application 3.1 

Development Grant recipients will be asked to submit:

• (Required) A narrative report detailing how the funds were utilized and the impact they had on the project and the your career. Grantees will also be asked to report back on the status of the Planned Activities outlined in their application. No expense receipts will be required.

• (Required) A teaser and/or trailer 

• (optional) An updated Nonfiction Core Application 3.1 

Please note: Grantees will need to submit the required deliverables before applying to another Chicken & Egg Films grant or program.