Breakthrough Development Lab

Amount

$20,000

Deadline

Rolling

Odds

2 of 8 per cohort

Effort

Few hrs to 1

Can you get this?

✓For documentary filmmakers and producers

✓Prioritizes producers with seed funding or prior film experience

✓Must attend in-person sessions in Toronto during Hot Docs

✓For Black, Indigenous, people of colour, and LGBTQ2S+ filmmakers

✓Eight emerging producers selected per cohort

Your real odds

Eight producers get into each cohort, and only two of them walk away with the $20,000 cash prize.

You go through an intensive multi-month program before you ever pitch for the award, so the prize is the endpoint of a long process, and the cohort itself is the competitive gate.

What it takes

Submit application with project and track recordFew hrs to 1

Complete two intensive weekend bootcamps2 weekends

Attend weekly workshops with industry professionals7 weeks

Pitch project live at Hot Docs1 to 2 days

Worth knowing

The program has an explicit mandate to increase access for Black, Indigenous, people of colour, and LGBTQ2S+ creators, and it runs in partnership with the Black Screen Office, so self-identifying in your application is encouraged and factors into selection.

Apply on funder's site →

What else do you qualify for?

Filter 1,700+ opportunities by identity, stage, and region.

Identity

Stage

Region

Select all three to see your result.

This is 1 of 1,600+ open opportunities.

$50B+ in available capital across grants, VC funds, CDFIs, and accelerators. Filter by your industry, stage, and region, and see everything you qualify for.

Explore the funding database →

$19/month · cancel anytime