Catapult Film Fund
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Catapult Film Fund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Catapult Film Fund
- Legal name
- Catapult Film Fund
- Website
- https://catapultfilmfund.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Catapult Film Fund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Catapult Film Fund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Grant Programs: Catapult Film Fund operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises funds from foundations, corporations, and individuals to provide grants to documentary filmmakers. Revenue comes from institutional donors, government arts agencies (NEA), and private foundations. Funds are distributed as grants to filmmakers at various stages of documentary production.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Research Grant: $10,000 grant with 6 months mentorship |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Development Grant: up to $25,000 per grant |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Catapult Film Fund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Catapult Film Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides early-stage grant funding and mentorship to independent documentary filmmakers. Its core offerings include the Research Grant ($10,000 plus six months of mentorship for filmmakers in the research/conception phase), the Development Grant (up to $25,000 for filmmakers in development on a documentary feature or short), the annual Rough Cut Retreat (post-production mentorship in collaboration with True/False Film Fest), and the Project Accelerator initiative supporting stories at the intersection of technology and society.
Product overview
Catapult Film Fund is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of grant programs for documentary filmmakers. The core offerings include the Research Grant ($10,000 with mentorship for early concept development), the Development Grant (up to $25,000 for filmmakers with access who need production funding), the Rough Cut Retreat (an annual mentorship retreat in collaboration with True/False Film Fest), and the Project Accelerator initiative (focused on technology and society stories). The organization operates on a rolling application basis through Submittable, providing critical early-stage funding when documentary financing is hardest to secure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Catapult Development Grant: Flagship program providing early-stage support to documentary filmmakers when funding is riskiest and hardest to find. Offers grants of up to $25,000 USD.
- Catapult Research Grant
- Rough Cut Retreat
- Project Accelerator
Products and services
- Catapult Research Grant Grant program providing $10,000 plus six months of mentorship and professional development to documentary filmmakers in the research/conception phase of developing new film ideas. Each cohort includes five filmmakers, and the 2025 program specifically focuses on mid-career filmmakers committed to deepening their craft and the art of nonfiction storytelling.
- Catapult Development Grant Flagship grant program offering up to $25,000 per filmmaker to documentary filmmakers in development on a documentary feature or short. In 2025, fifteen grants of up to $25,000 USD are awarded to filmmakers with secured access who need support to create a fundraising piece. Funds can be used for various development needs and must result in a fundraising piece.
- Catapult & True/False Rough Cut Retreat Annual immersive mentorship retreat uniting five nonfiction filmmaking teams with experienced industry mentors for an intensive editing workshop. Held at Hilltown Commons in Rensselaerville, New York, the program targets documentary filmmakers who lack strong feedback networks during the rough cut stage. National Geographic Documentary Films serves as presenting sponsor for the 2025 cohort.
- Project Accelerator Initiative supporting documentary stories at the intersection of technology and society, funded by Luminate and building upon the Development Grant program. Includes the CPH:CONFERENCE TECH +/- SOCIETY conversation event.
Quantifiable outcome
- 15+ films have received Academy Award nominations/wins
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Catapult Film Fund
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Catapult Film Fund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Catapult Film Fund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.
- National Geographic Documentary FilmsmajorNational Geographic Documentary Films acquired SUGARCANE and serves as presenting sponsor for the 2025 Rough Cut Retreat cohort.
- True/False Film FestcoreLong-standing partnership with True/False Film Fest for the annual Rough Cut Retreat program. Now in its 10th year (2025), the retreat brings together five filmmaking teams with industry mentors for an immersive editing workshop. The retreat takes place at Hilltown Commons in Rensselaerville, New York.
- Sundance InstitutecoreSundance Institute has selected multiple Catapult-supported filmmakers for various labs and funds, including Gold House Filmmakers Fund, Sandbox Fund, Documentary Lab, and various awards. Strong ecosystem relationship with Sundance Film Festival premieres.
- Firelight MediamajorFirelight Media selected Catapult grantees for their Impact Campaign Fund and William Greaves Research & Development Fund. Includes filmmakers Stephen Maing, Mars Verrone, Nailah Jefferson, Rita Baghdadi.
- Chicken & Egg FilmsmajorChicken & Egg Films selected Catapult-supported films for Project: Hatched including BLACK SNOW, THERE WAS THERE WAS NOT, and UNION.
- PBS/POVmajorPOV (PBS) has acquired multiple Catapult-supported films for broadcast. Season 38 features three Catapult films. Previous seasons also featured numerous supported films including KING COAL, DRIVER, BLACK SNOW.
- SFFILMcoreSFFILM partnership includes the SFFILM Catapult Film Fellowships program (granting awards to three filmmaking teams annually) and Documentary Film Fund that has supported Catapult filmmakers.
- Film IndependentmajorFilm Independent selected Catapult filmmakers including Suzannah Herbert for Documentary Story Lab. Various fellowship and development opportunities.
- IDA Documentary MagazinemajorExclusive announcements for Development Grant cohorts made through IDA Documentary Magazine, with editorial coverage of Catapult programs and filmmakers.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Catapult Film Fund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sundance Institute Documentary Fund: Sundance's Documentary Fund provides grants and lab support to independent documentary filmmakers at the development and production stages. It is the most direct peer to Catapult, operating a similar grant-and-mentorship model and targeting the same early-stage documentary film pool.
- Chicken & Egg Pictures: Chicken & Egg Pictures supports emerging and established women and nonbinary documentary filmmakers through grants, mentorship, and creative programs. Operates a similar fellowship-style funding model and is an active Catapult partner that selects Catapult grantees for Project: Hatched.
- ITVS (Independent Television Service): ITVS funds, co-produces, and distributes independent documentary films for public television, with a focus on diversity and underrepresented voices. Comparable as a funder and amplifier of independent documentaries, with explicit partnership and COVID-19 relief collaboration with Catapult.
- Firelight Media: Firelight Media supports and produces documentary films by and about people of color and historically marginalized communities, operating funds like the William Greaves R&D Fund and Impact Campaign Fund. Direct peer in early-stage documentary funding with active grantee crossover.
- SFFILM (San Francisco Film Society): SFFILM operates the SFFILM Catapult Film Fellowships and Documentary Film Fund, directly funding and developing documentary filmmakers. Active Catapult partner with shared fellowship programs and overlapping filmmaker grantees.
- Cinereach: Cinereach is a nonprofit that supports independent narrative and documentary films through grants and a fellowship program, targeting emerging and mid-career filmmakers. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and filmmaker development focus.
- Field of Vision: Field of Vision supports short-form and feature documentary filmmakers through commissions and development funding, focused on visual storytelling. A direct peer in providing early-stage documentary funding and filmmaker development support.
Broad incumbents
- International Documentary Association (IDA) Pare Lorentz Fund: The IDA's Pare Lorentz Fund provides grants for documentary films with social relevance, operating within a larger industry association. Comparable as a documentary grantmaker with broader industry scope (advocacy, awards, education) beyond film funding.
- MacArthur Foundation Documentary Fund: The MacArthur Foundation has historically been a major funder of independent documentary film through its Media, Culture, and Special Initiatives programs. A broad incumbent funder in the same documentary film space with significantly larger financial resources.
- Open Society Foundations - Documentary Photography Project: Open Society Foundations funds documentary storytelling through various programs including documentary film and photography grants. A large incumbent in social-issue documentary funding with thematic alignment but far greater scale and scope than Catapult.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Catapult Film Fund social profiles
Digital presenceCatapult Film Fund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Catapult Film Fund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Catapult Film Fund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Catapult Film Fund M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Catapult Film Fund
What does Catapult Film Fund do?
Catapult Film Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides early-stage grant funding and mentorship to independent documentary filmmakers. Its core offerings include the Research Grant ($10,000 plus six months of mentorship for filmmakers in the research/conception phase), the Development Grant (up to $25,000 for filmmakers in development on a documentary feature or short), the annual Rough Cut Retreat (post-production mentorship in collaboration with True/False Film Fest), and the Project Accelerator initiative supporting stories at the intersection of technology and society.
Is Catapult Film Fund a public or private company?
Catapult Film Fund is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Catapult Film Fund founded?
Catapult Film Fund was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Catapult Film Fund based?
Catapult Film Fund is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Catapult Film Fund make money?
One revenue line is on record: grant Programs.
Who are Catapult Film Fund's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, Chicken & Egg Pictures, ITVS (Independent Television Service), Firelight Media, SFFILM (San Francisco Film Society), Cinereach and Field of Vision. Broad incumbents are International Documentary Association (IDA) Pare Lorentz Fund, MacArthur Foundation Documentary Fund and Open Society Foundations - Documentary Photography Project.
Does Catapult Film Fund have an API?
No public API is recorded for Catapult Film Fund.