Center for Asian American Media

• Media Fund
• Funding
• Eligibility Guidelines

Eligibility Guidelines

Eligible Projects

• Independent producers or independent entities producing television, film or video are eligible to apply. The applicant must hold artistic, budgetary and editorial control and must own the copyright of the proposed project.
• Applicants must be 18 years of age, be citizens or legal residents of the United States or its territories.
• Applicants must have previous film or television experience as demonstrated by the sample tape. If this is your first media project, you must provide a video sample of the proposed work that demonstrates your ability to tell a story through a visual medium.
• Only one proposal per applicant will be accepted.
• Depending on the project, the CAAM may require a Fiscal Sponsor, which is a non-profit 501(c)(3) IRS tax-exempt entity. Your sponsor agrees to accept funds from CAAM on your behalf and is responsible for redistributing funds to the project as needed. A fiscal sponsor is not required during the application process but may be required when funds are awarded.

Non-Eligible Projects

• Projects not at standard broadcast length (26:46, 56:46, 1:26:46) or not intended for public television audience.
• Projects for which the exclusive domestic television broadcast rights are not available.
• Projects in the script development stage.
• Projects intended solely for theatrical release or commercial in nature.
• Projects in which applicant is commissioned, employed or hired by a commercial or public television station.
• Projects with funds raised from investors and/or a commercial financing structure. Thesis projects or student films which are co- or solely-owned or copywritten, or otherwise editorially or fiscally controlled by the school.
• Projects or production entites which are foreign-based, owned or controlled.
• Industrial or promotional projects.

Producing for Public Television and Funding Contract Terms

Media Fund is made possible through funds from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Because these are public television monies, projects submitted to CAAM should be intended for public television broadcast. The Media Fund offers between $10,000 and $50,000 per project (although exceptions may be made) and considers most genres including drama, documentary, experimental, animation or mixed genre.

The PBS Red Book offers helpful guidelines for packaging a project for public television.