How To Apply

Types of Support Grants

Grants offered in two categories:

  1. Project Support Grant

  2. Mountain West Regional

Project Support Award of $5000: 

  1. are open to all photographers

  2. can be in progress or simply in the planning stage

  3. in progress: you are still in the field

  4. is offered two times per year

Mountain West Regional Award of $5000:
 

      1. is offered in Autumn of each year
      2. is available to photographers living in the following states:
                 Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming
      
We fund projects that are local to the photographer. If you don't live where your project is based, you must tell us why you consider that place your community.

Application Periods:

Calls-For-Entries occur twice a year and run for one month from beginning to end. Call dates are announced on the website and via social media

Who Can Apply:

Project Support Awards are open to photographers everywhere it is legal to wire funds from the USA. At this time we are sorry to say we cannot wire funds to the following countries: Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Syria
Mountain West Regional Awards available to photographer living and working in that region.

Submission Requirements:

 

How to answer application questions: 

Project Description & Proposal Details
Provide a detailed description of your project.

Include:

  1. A timeline for completion that is realistic

  2. The intended outcomes of the project

  3. Be clear and concise and thorough

If you have already begun the work: 

  1. How far along you are in the process? What actual photography do you still have to do?

  2. If your project is NOT where you live, why is this your community?

Community Benefits and Getting it out there
How specifically will the project benefit your community?
Describe your plans to show the work. Where/when/to whom?
Discuss the ways the work could have relevance outside your community (nationally? globally?)

Budget:
Include all projected expenses, including a profit if possible. Give us as much detail as you can. Note the $300 maximum travel figure. For projects in your community, this should be enough.

Images: 
10 - 15 image portfolio required

  1. Send .jpg images, titled in this way: lastname_firstname_number ie: smith_john_1

  2. Image Size: 1024 pixels in width for horizontal images; 768 pixels in height for vertical images

  3. If you have begun the project, send images showing the progress of the work.
    Be sure the portfolio is be a cohesive set of photographs.

  4. Make the portfolio strong from start to finish. It is the most important part of the submission.

Submitting the Completed Application:
Put the entire application (form + CV + images) in a file titled in this way:
Established Artist: Lastname_firstname_EA
Mountain West Regional: Lastname_firstname_MW

Send via an online service such as Dropbox to info@thedocumentaryprojectfund.org
Do not send as an email. The file size will be too large and will slow us down.

Notification of Award

Award announcements will be made by email. Expect notification approximately one month after the Call’s closing date.

Upon Award

Upon acceptance of the award and your signing of our contract, half of the funds will be dispersed. The second half of the funds will be dispersed at the completion of the project. This half of the support is contingent upon successful execution of the project. 

Reporting Requirements During the Awarded Project

The awarded photographer should expect to report to TheDPF Board on the progress of the work every three months, or four times while in progress and again at the project’s completion. Be aware that failure to complete the work in a reasonable amount of time or failure to report progress may result in forfeit of the remaining grant funds. 

Upon Completion

Once the project is completed, the photographer will notify us about release or exhibition dates and complete a written evaluation of the work.

Copyright and Ownership Agreement

The photographer retains full ownership of all work completed. The DPF will have non–exclusive rights to use images from the project on our website, or in promotional materials. We ask that each awarded photographer be willing to donate 2 image files from the project for use as donor gifts and for fundraising activities.  The printed images will include the photographer’s copyright. 
Any use outside of these parameters will be subject to the awardee's consent.

Financials

Full accounting of all expenses shall be the responsibility of the photographer. A final budget should be included in the project evaluation submitted upon the project’s completion.