SFFILM Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowship

Fellowship · 2026Prestige 74/100

Thirty-five thousand dollars to each of two writers, with a science advisor attached. Science fiction is almost always out.

Official site ↗

Deadlines & fees

Closed for this cycle

The 2026 cycle is closed and no 2027 dates have been published. That cycle opened on 10 February 2026 with a regular deadline of 8 May at a 30 dollar fee and a final deadline of 22 May at 50 dollars, finalists notified in late September and recipients announced in late October. The fee is waived for SFFILM members, though the cheapest membership is 100 dollars a year, so the waiver only saves money if you are already a member. One fee covers a single application across several SFFILM narrative grants.

Dates and fees checked against the official site 9 Aug 2026.

Key facts

Formats: Feature, TV Pilot
Eligibility: Open worldwide18+
Required materials: Applicant bio of 400 words · Logline of 95 words and synopsis of 500 words · Support received to date · Description of the scientific or technological ideas and the research conducted so far · What you want from the science advisor · Why this story now, plus artistic vision and style · Up to five key individuals with attachment dates (optional) · Ten consecutive script pages with an explanation of the sample · Optional lookbook or pitch deck and a 5 to 10 minute previous work sample · Finalists additionally submit a writer-director statement, a 1 to 3 page treatment and the full script

Open to filmmakers based anywhere in the United States or internationally, aged 18 or over, excluding SFFILM and Sloan employees and board members. The primary applicant must be in a key creative role as screenwriter, director or producer, so a writer may apply alone with no attachment required, and no prior credits are demanded. The project must be a feature-length fiction film or episodic series, not a documentary, short or work for hire. Realistic scientific or technological content must sit at the centre of the screenplay and drive the story arc or character development; projects with peripheral scientific characters or ideas will not be competitive, and writers must intend to work with scientific advisors on accuracy. The science-fiction bar is stated two different ways on the same page: the eligibility section says science fiction and speculative stories are in almost every case ineligible, with a rare carve-out for a futuristic story involving science truly on the cusp of being introduced to society, while the FAQ states flatly that projects incorporating fictional elements beyond today's scientific capabilities are not eligible. Treat the FAQ definition as the operative test. Reapplication is permitted with a statement of significant progress.

Prizes

A cash grant of 35,000 US dollars to each of two fellows selected annually at the screenwriting phase, plus a FilmHouse residency and a matched science advisor. How the money is staged or paid is not published, and the word unrestricted does not appear. ON REPAYMENT, AN HONEST GAP: nothing on the page mentions recoupment, repayment, profit participation or equity, and the funder frames these purely as grants. But SFFILM links a grantee requirements PDF that would govern exactly this, and that link returns a 404; SFFILM's artist development FAQ is also broken and serves raw template code. The document that would answer the question exists, is referenced by SFFILM, and is not publicly retrievable. We therefore record the repayment terms as unverified rather than as confirmed absent, and would suggest emailing SFFILM before treating the award as unconditional.

Judging

Assessed by an unnamed review panel and committee. Recipients secure a residency at FilmHouse, though the duration is not published on this programme's page: the four-week requirement and the statement that no travel or accommodation stipend is provided both appear only on the sibling Rainin page, so their application here is unverified. FilmHouse is an open workspace rather than living accommodation, and note SFFILM's own pages disagree on its location, giving SOMA on one page and the Presidio on another. No feedback to applicants is published.

The PreList verdict

Thirty-five thousand dollars each to two writers a year, awarded at the screenwriting phase rather than at production, with a science advisor matched to the subject of your screenplay. That last part is the real distinction: this is money to write plus an expert to keep you honest, and SFFILM asks explicitly that you intend to work with advisors on accuracy. Open to writers anywhere in the world, with no prior credits required, and a writer can apply alone.

The gate is narrower than it first appears, and it is where most people fall out. Science or technology must drive the story arc or character development rather than sit in the background, and science fiction is almost entirely excluded. SFFILM states this two different ways on the same page: the eligibility section keeps a rare carve-out for futuristic stories involving science truly on the cusp of arriving, while the FAQ flatly bars anything incorporating fictional elements beyond today's scientific capabilities. Read the FAQ version as the working test. If your premise needs technology that does not yet exist, this is not your fund.

One thing we could not settle, and would rather say than gloss. SFFILM links a grantee requirements document that would govern whether this money is recoupable, and that link is dead. Their artist development FAQ is broken too, serving raw template code. Everything published reads like an outright grant, and the funder describes it as one, but the document that would confirm it is not retrievable. Worth an email to SFFILM before you count on the terms. The 2026 cycle is closed with no 2027 dates published; it has opened in February with May deadlines.

Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026

Frequently asked questions

Is science fiction eligible?

Almost never, and SFFILM says so twice in slightly different ways. The eligibility section allows a rare exception for a futuristic story involving science truly on the cusp of being introduced to society; the FAQ states flatly that anything incorporating fictional elements beyond today's scientific capabilities is ineligible. Use the FAQ as your test.

Do I have to repay the grant?

We could not verify this. Nothing on the page mentions recoupment or repayment and the funder describes these as grants, but SFFILM links a grantee requirements PDF that returns a 404, so the governing terms are not publicly available. We would email SFFILM rather than assume.

Can I apply as a writer on my own?

Yes. The primary applicant must be in a key creative role as screenwriter, director or producer, so a writer qualifies alone with no director or producer attached, and no prior credits are required.

What does the residency involve?

Recipients secure a residency at SFFILM's FilmHouse in San Francisco, which is an open workspace rather than accommodation. The duration is not published on this programme's page: the four-week requirement and the confirmation that no travel or accommodation stipend is provided both appear only on the sibling Rainin page.

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