NFPF: Avant-Garde Masters Grants

NFPF: Avant-Garde Masters Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: National Film Preservation Foundation
Amount: US $5,000 - US $50,000
Last Updated: February 06, 2026

Summary

The Avant-Garde Masters Grants, provided by the National Film Preservation Foundation, support the preservation of significant American avant-garde films. Targeting public and nonprofit archives, these grants facilitate laboratory work to maintain artistic expressions that often defy mainstream distribution. Eligible projects should demonstrate the historical significance of the films, which must not have been preserved commercially. Funding ranges from $5,000 to $50,000, promoting the accessibility of American experimental film heritage.

Overview

NOTE: Registration - E-mail the NFPF regarding your archive's interest in applying. Provide your name, institution, phone number, fax number, mailing address, e-mail address, and a brief description of your project. The NFPF will then contact you to discuss your project. This is represented by the pre-proposal deadline above.Full Proposal -If your project meets the eligibility requirements, you will be invited to submit a letter of application, represented by the full proposal deadline above. Overview The NFPF helps archives, historical societies, libraries, museums, and universities preserve and make available American films that are not likely to survive without public support. Since 1998, we have provided preservation resources to 337 organizations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Films preserved through our programs are used in education and seen widely through screenings, exhibits, DVDs, television broadcasts, and the Internet. The grants are made possible by funds authorized through The Library of Congress Sound Recording and Film Preservation Programs Reauthorization Act of 2016 (P.L. 114-217) and secured through the leadership of the Library of Congress, and the contributions of public-spirited donors. The NFPF offers several types of preservation grants supporting the creation of preservation and access copies of American orphan films of historic and cultural interest. Basic Preservation Grants are the best choice for most institutions. Offered annually, these grants award cash and in some cases services donated by laboratories and post-production houses. The larger Matching Grants enable experienced preservationists to undertake more extensive projects. Matching Grants require that recipients contribute or “match” one-fifth of the total costs. The Avant-Garde Masters Grants, funded through the generous support of The Film Foundation, target the preservation of motion pictures significant to the development of the avant-garde in America. We welcome applications from American public and nonprofit institutions of all sizes and generally award between 30 and 40 preservation grants each year. Avant-Garde Masters Grants The National Film Preservation Foundation invites applications for the Avant-Garde Masters Grants. These cash preservation grants, made possible in partnership with The Film Foundation, support laboratory work to preserve significant examples of America's avant-garde film heritage. The grants are available to nonprofit and public archives. Funding is generously provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. By its very nature avant-garde film is hard to define. Avant-garde film is generally produced and distributed outside mainstream film channels. Often created by a single filmmaker or a small team, these films are intended as artistic expressions. They often experiment with the film medium in unique and personal ways. This grant supports the preservation of a film or films by a single filmmaker or from a cinematic group significant to the development of avant-garde film in America. Works made within the last twenty years are not eligible. Applications should show how the proposed titles have made a significant contribution to American experimental film or, if the works are lesser known today, demonstrate how the films will contribute to a better understanding of avant-garde film history. Proposals must also explain why the proposed films are in need of preservation and include plans detailing how the films will be made available to the public and the scholarly community. Funding This grant will fund several preservation projects ranging between $5,000 and $50,000.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Grants are available to public and 501(c)3 nonprofit archives in the United States, including those that are part of federal, state, or local government. The grants target avant-garde films made in the United States or by American citizens abroad and not physically preserved by commercial interests.The grant must be used to pay for new laboratory work involving the creation of:New film preservation elements (which may include sound tracks) and Two new public access copies, one of which must be a film print.The funds can be applied only to work commissioned after the grant start date. Funds must be used exclusively for preservation expenses and may not be applied to staffing or operational costs.

Ineligibility

Materials originally created for television or video are not eligible, including works produced with funds from broadcast or cable television entities.