FundingIn-kind & sponsors
In-kind help, gear programs and sponsors
Gear, post, locations and services instead of cash, plus brand partnerships.
19 sources · Checked Oct 18, 2026
Every route
In-kind & sponsors
19 sources| Program | Where | Amount | Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFS Grant in-kind awards ↗︎Austin Film Society with MPS, TBD Post and Stuck On On · AFS Grant applicants. | Statewide | MPS camera and lighting package up to $10,000; TBD Post color, conform and DCP worth $12,000 (shorts round); 2K DCPs for two features in post | With the AFS grant rounds |
| Austin Public (public access media center) ↗︎Austin Film Society · Producers who complete an orientation and certification classes. | Austin | Low- or no-cost cameras, lights, sound, editing suites, two TV studios and a podcast studio, after a low-cost orientation and subscription | Year-round |
| Cleared license plates ↗︎Texas Film Commission · Texas-based projects. | Statewide | Free loan of cleared Texas plates | Allow 1–2 business days (4–5 if shipped outside Austin) |
| Film Friendly Police Assistance ↗︎City of Austin · Productions spending over $100,000 (commercials) or $1,000,000 (features, series) in Austin. | Austin | Up to two Austin police officers free for up to 15 filming days | Rolling |
| Fort Worth Premiere Package ↗︎Fort Worth Film Commission (Visit Fort Worth) · Short films seeking Oscar qualification; filmmakers from anywhere can apply. | Fort Worth | Free 7-day qualifying run in Tarrant County, red-carpet screening, airfare and up to 4 hotel nights for 1–2 people | Annual, four picks; 2026 applications closed July 15, 2026 |
| Free San Antonio film permits ↗︎City of San Antonio (FilmSA) · Film and photo shoots on city property. | San Antonio | Permits are free | Apply online (Apply4 portal) |
| Houston Media Source ↗︎Open to everyone; producers train before using facilities. | Houston | Hands-on training in production, editing and podcasting; airtime on Houston's public access channel | Year-round |
| TALA pro bono legal and accounting help ↗︎Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts · Texas artists under 300% of federal poverty guidelines and small arts nonprofits. | Statewide | $75 application (individuals), $250 (nonprofits) | Rolling |
| TAMI footage licensing ↗︎Texas Archive of the Moving Image · Documentaries, news and commercial productions. | Statewide | Licensing fees set after a rights review | Year-round; request form online |
| Texas Film Round-Up (free digitization) ↗︎Texas Archive of the Moving Image with the Texas Film Commission · Texas-related films and videotapes (shot in Texas, made by a Texan or featuring Texans), public domain or submitted by the copyright holder; up to 15 tapes or 50 reels per household. | Statewide | Free digitization; you pay only for a flash drive | Submission windows each October and March; open now by mail Oct 1–31, 2026 |
| Texas Production Directory ↗︎Texas Film Commission · Anyone hiring Texas crew and vendors. | Statewide | — | Rolling |
| TFC location services ↗︎Texas Film Commission · Projects filming in Texas. | Statewide | — | Rolling |
| DaVinci Resolve (free version) ↗︎Blackmagic Design · Anyone. | National | Free download; DaVinci Resolve Studio is a one-time $295 | Always available |
| Epic MegaGrants ↗︎Epic Games · Small teams and solo creators using Unreal Engine, including film, show or animation projects that push real-time 3D or extend into immersive experiences. | National | Grants (amount varies); over 2,000 awarded | Two cycles a year. 2026: Jan 12–Mar 20 and June 29–Sep 4, with notices Dec 7–11, 2026 |
| Panavision New Filmmaker Program ↗︎Panavision · Aspiring filmmakers in the US and Canada. | National | Camera packages at little to no cost, subject to availability | Rolling |
| Sony Future Filmmaker Awards ↗︎Sony · Short films: fiction and nonfiction (5–20 min), animation, immersive, student, and a vertical 'future format' category (2–5 min). | National | Shortlisted filmmakers are flown to Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City for the ceremony and an industry program | 2027 edition open now; closes Dec 15, 2026; free entry |
| Sundance Collab x TikTok Micro-Series Challenge ↗︎Sundance Collab with TikTok · Creators (solo or a team of two) with an original micro-series concept; no generative AI in submissions. | National | Five finalists get $5,000 each, a Sundance Collab course package, a pitch workshop and a live pitch | 2026 window Aug 19–Sep 9, 2026 (closed); finalists pitch Nov 6, 2026 |
| Through Her Lens: The Tribeca CHANEL Women's Filmmaker Program ↗︎Tribeca with CHANEL · Emerging US-based women and nonbinary writers, directors and producers. | National | Mentorship over a three-day program; one short film project is funded and produced (amount not published) | Yearly; next window not posted |
| Vimeo Short Film Grant ↗︎Vimeo (with Panavision and OWC) · Legal US residents directing an original narrative, documentary, animated or hybrid short made in the US or Canada; two work samples from 2017 or later. | National | Five $60,000 grants, Panavision camera packages, OWC storage, mentorship and release on Vimeo | 2026–27 window ran Sep 21–Oct 16, 2026 (just closed); winners announced Mar 15, 2027. Second edition, so likely yearly |
Programs change: confirm on each one’s own page before you apply. Not legal or financial advice.