Deadline: 09-Sep-2025
Voices with Impact has announced its Mental Health Short Film Grant, inviting filmmakers to submit proposals exploring the theme of Coping, Connection, and Community through the lens of mental health. The interpretation of this theme is open-ended, and filmmakers are encouraged to express their vision in personal, poetic, surprising, or subtle ways.
The grant welcomes all genres and formats, including drama, comedy, horror, documentary, animation, experimental, sci-fi, or even westerns. The only requirement is that the proposal must center on mental health. The organization is seeking authentic, emotional stories that create space for dialogue, reflection, and connection.
To inspire applicants, examples of thematic engagement include small survival rituals, intergenerational coping patterns, art as a lifeline, rebuilding trust, mutual aid, and empathy in polarized settings. The aim is to highlight how people connect and cope in diverse, often challenging, situations.
Selected filmmakers will each receive a $7,500 production grant to create a five-minute film. Proposals should present fresh narratives, underrepresented voices, and striking visuals, with a focus on accuracy and cultural sensitivity. Stories with unresolved endings and long-term relevance are also encouraged.
Applications are open to anyone worldwide. Selected filmmakers will receive mentorship and production support. Their completed films will be distributed through educational programming in collaboration with postsecondary institutions across North America.
Ineligible applicants include AAUW board members, employees, consultants, interns, and their immediate families, as well as past AAUW fellowship or grant recipients (excluding Community Action Grants or local awards).
The jury will assess submissions based on artistic originality, accurate mental health representation, storytelling skill, cultural awareness, stigma-reducing potential, feasibility within five minutes, and the filmmaker’s professional capacity to complete the project.
Applicants must provide their contact information, links to three previous works (including non-film samples if needed), and ensure all content is easily viewable online—preferably via Vimeo. Each link will be reviewed for up to five minutes, totaling 15 minutes of viewed content.
For more information, visit Voices with Impact.
