Open nowRolling / open intakeAward: Up to $20K
Breakthrough Development Lab
Filmmakers
Who can apply: Founder Focus: All Founders; Business Stage/Types: All
Deadline: 2025-10-26
About Doc Society
We bring people together to unleash the transformational power of documentary film, supporting independent filmmakers and building the global ecosystem for public-interest media.
Focus Areas
Documentary filmMedia & journalismNarrative strategyClimate changeDemocracyField building / capacity buildingImpact producingSafety & security for filmmakersEducation (Doc Academy / resources)
Who They Fund
independent filmmakersfilm production teams/crewsmedia artistsnational convening organizers and participants
About Doc Society
Doc Society Inc. centers documentary film as a funding vehicle for public-interest media, and its recent grants show that emphasis in practice: a $55,000 award to Philadelphia Public Access Corporation and a $50,000 award to Asociacion De Documentalistas De Puerto Rico both supported film production. The foundation’s work extends beyond individual productions into field-building and convening, including a $25,000 grant to Common Counsel Foundation for support for Color Congress national convening. Recent awards also reach filmmakers and production teams in Brooklyn, Miami, New York, Panorama City, and other U.S. cities, with one recipient in San Juan. The organization’s stated focus areas include documentary film, media and journalism, narrative strategy, climate change, democracy, field building and capacity building, impact producing, safety and security for filmmakers, and education through Doc Academy resources. Its grantmaking pattern points to project-specific support for documentary and narrative filmmaking, often tied to production phase work, convenings, and related ecosystem support. Across the recent list, the foundation supports both individual projects and collective infrastructure for documentary practice.
What Doc Society Funds
Film production is the clearest throughline in the recent grants. Doc Society Inc. gave $30,000 to River of Grass LLC in Brooklyn for film production, $30,000 to Third Horizon in Miami for film production, and $30,000 to Foammentary LLC in New York for film production. It also funded Unseen Documentary LLC in Panorama City with $30,000 for film production. Beyond production, the foundation supports convening and field infrastructure: Common Counsel Foundation received $25,000 for support for Color Congress national convening. The portfolio also includes $25,000 to Allied Media Projects in Detroit and $25,000 to Trinity Films Entertainment Group in Inkster, both for film production, showing that documentary support is not limited to one region or one kind of organization.
How Doc Society Gives
Typical awards cluster in the low five figures, with a p25 of $7,750, a median of $12,000, and a p75 of $25,000. The recent list includes both larger project grants and smaller production awards, suggesting a mix of lead support and targeted follow-on funding. Grantmaking appears project-based and restricted, with many awards tied directly to film production or convening support. Recipients recur across years in the recent data: Unseen Documentary LLC, Foammentary LLC, and River of Grass LLC each received awards in both 2023 and 2024, indicating repeat support for some projects or teams.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$313K
Total Assets
$3.5M
Total Revenue
$2.4M
Total Expenses
$2M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $8K and $25K, with a median of $12K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$12K
75th Percentile
$25K
Geographic Reach
National8 states funded
About 23% of grants go to recipients in PA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
MAXYNE FRANKLIN
Accepts unsolicited proposals
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Doc Society Funds
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Doc Society.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 33 | $1.1M | 97.1% |
| 2 | Puerto Rico | 1 |
Unlock Deep Analysis
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeSee Similar Funders
Free Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeExplore related grant guides
Want a Personalized Pitch for Doc Society?
Sign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Free plan available
No contracts
Cancel anytime