About American Documentary
A national nonprofit media arts organization, American Documentary (AmDoc) strives to make essential documentaries accessible as a catalyst for public discourse; we collaborate with filmmakers to amplify voices and nurture the nonfiction community through presentation, fellowships, impact programming, networking, and educational resources.
Focus Areas
documentary filmpublic mediaarts & cultureeducationcommunity engagementfilm impact & outreach
Who They Fund
local community-based organizationsgeneral community members / public audiencesgrassroots civic groups
Funding Style
subgranting / regrantproject-specific engagement funding
About American Documentary
American Documentary Inc. centers its grantmaking on documentary film as a tool for public dialogue. The organization supports PBS stations and community partners through its Our America initiative, while also funding engagement and outreach projects tied to documentary and non-fiction storytelling. Across the recent grants list, its support ranges from $6,000 to $12,500, with awards going to public media outlets, universities, and community-based organizations. The foundation’s work connects screen-based storytelling with civic conversation and local participation. In 2024, it awarded $12,500 to Urban Gateways in Chicago for an Engagement and Outreach Grant, and $10,000 to Maui County Community TV in Kahului for the same type of support. In 2023, it made Our America subgrants to groups including New Filmmakers Los Angeles, Prairie Public Broadcasting, and Found Sound Nation. The pattern shows a funder that uses documentary programming to support presentation, outreach, and dialogue rather than general operating support.
What American Documentary Funds
American Documentary Inc. funds documentary film and public media through project-specific grants. Its support for engagement and outreach appears in awards to Urban Gateways in Chicago, the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, each tied to outreach-oriented work. The Our America initiative extends that approach through subgrants for civic conversation around POV films. Recent recipients include New Filmmakers Los Angeles for an Our America subgrant and Prairie Public Broadcasting for the same program. The foundation also supports community-facing public media partners, as shown by grants to Maui County Community TV in Kahului and Virgin Islands PBS in St Croix. Its portfolio also includes arts and culture and education-adjacent work, with grants connected to documentary access, nonprofit film presentation, and local engagement.
How American Documentary Gives
Typical awards cluster tightly around $10,000: the median grant is $10,000, with p25 at $7,500 and p75 also at $10,000. Recent grants range from $6,000 to $12,500, suggesting a relatively standardized grant size with a few larger awards. The recent list shows both 2023 and 2024 activity, with Our America subgrants in one year and Engagement and Outreach Grants in the next. That indicates recurring programmatic grantmaking rather than a one-off distribution. The organization is a nonprofit media arts organization, not a fund that makes program-related investments or grants to individuals.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$55K
Total Assets
$3.6M
Total Revenue
$4.5M
Total Expenses
$5.3M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $8K and $10K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$10K
Geographic Reach
National11 states funded
About 8% of grants go to recipients in GA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Erika Dilday
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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