SBIFF’s Filmmaker Fund is offered in partnership with The Veraison Fund in celebration of SBIFF’s 41st year to help foster independent filmmakers of Santa Barbara County. Each year SBIFF will accept applications from Santa Barbara based filmmakers. A jury of industry professionals will review all submissions and invite selected finalists to pitch their projects at SBIFF’s Education Center.

Four filmmakers will be selected to receive up to $10,000 each to help fund their film. 2026 winners will be announced during the 41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival, taking place February 4th through 14th, 2026.

To apply, Santa Barbara based filmmakers have the deadline of Monday, September 29th.

2025 Testimonials:
Support from SBIFF’s Filmmaker Fund had a powerful ripple effect for our film, THE FIGHT TO FIGHT. The timely cash award from SBIFF/Veraison Fund enabled us to push forward with production while we awaited the release of a critical grant—one that provided both a gift as well as matching funds. Because of that match, the financial impact of the SBIFF award was instantly doubled. Just as important, we shared news of the award with our grassroots supporters, and it helped generate a wave of additional donations. The support came at exactly the right time—true to the spirit and meaning of “veraison,” when the right conditions help push something toward fruition. Having the backing of a respected organization like SBIFF also gave our project an incredible boost in visibility and credibility. Even while still in production, our filmmaking team has been invited to Capitol Hill for a panel discussion with other filmmakers who are documenting women’s military history to share our message with lawmakers—a direct result of the recognition this award helped provide. SBIFF’s support didn’t just help fund our film; it is expanding our momentum, reach, and impact.
— Joy Bronson, THE FIGHT TO FIGHT

“Winning a grant from the SBIFF’s Filmmaker Fund and The Veraison Fund was pivotal for THE CONCEPTION, an independent investigative documentary about the 2019 tragedy aboard the MV Conception in which 34 people lost their lives. While this was an event that took place off the coast of Santa Barbara, and this film is being made by a local team, this is an ongoing international story that has been underreported and has far-reaching implications. The grant from SBIFF not only helped get the word out about our project, it provided crucial funding to help us conduct more reporting and on-camera interviews. As funding for documentary films and investigative journalism continues to dry up, we are incredibly grateful for the support to continue making this film that will share the truth about this tragedy and honor those who lost their lives.”
– Nicole Noren, THE CONCEPTION

“The funds from SBIFF’s film fund made this entire adventure possible. I can say with certainty that without the aid of the Film Fund we wouldn’t have been able to tell this story the way we wanted to. Stipends from the grant made it possible for our cast and crew of busy professionals to take the week off from their regular jobs and focus attention on creating the best version of this film. We made this film with a micro crew of extremely talented people, and that restraint allowed us to put almost our entire budget right up on the screen, covering the expansive deserts, bars, restaurants, and motel locations you see in the film–and the gas to get us up there. The Film Fund’s support went beyond the grant, also providing important mentorship and guidance from the grant panelists as we planned our production. The amount of trust that the Film Fund granted us was inspiring, truly believing in our vision for this story and allowing us full creative freedom. Thank you SBIFF and the board of the 2025 Film Fund!”
– Santiago Bailey-Musacchio, IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO LOOK

2026 Winners:
A War on Childhood – Martin Papazian
Nayemea’s Garden – Sarah Fretwell
The Thomas Jefferson – Soraya Simi
Push Project – Motoki Otsuka

2025 Winners:
Santiago Bailey-Musacchio – IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO LOOK
Joy Bronson – THE FIGHT TO FIGHT: THE BATTLE FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN THE U.S. MILITARY
Julia Kupiec – ONLY CHILD
Nicole Noren – THE CONCEPTION