Raising money
Pitching funders
Who to approach, what to send, how to follow up, and where Texas funders are in the room.
How to reach out
Know your ask
How much, for which stage (development, production or finishing), and in what form: equity, a loan, a grant or services. Investors want a budget top sheet and a plan for the rest of the money. Grant makers want you to fit their guidelines word for word.
Build the packet
A one-line logline, a one-page synopsis, a 10 to 12 slide deck (story, comparable films and how they did, team, budget, financing plan, schedule), a budget top sheet, and a proof of concept or lookbook if you have one. Have the script ready, and send it only when asked.
Pick funders who back your kind of film
Look at what each has funded: genre, budget range, stage. A documentary fund won’t read a horror feature. Every funder on the funding page says what it covers and who can apply.
Get introduced
A warm introduction beats a cold email. Ask a producer, a festival programmer, your film commission or a past collaborator who knows them. Angel networks take applications on their sites; markets and labs open calls for projects on a schedule.
Send a short first email
Five lines: who you are and one credit, the film in one sentence, why them, the ask, and a link to the deck. No attachments.
Follow up once
No reply in two weeks: one short follow-up. Still nothing: move on, and keep them on your list for the next project.
Take the money with a lawyer
Selling a share of your film is a securities offering. Talk to an entertainment attorney before you take a check, and don’t post an investment offer publicly. Private money and legal help
A first email
Subject: [Title], [genre] feature, $[budget], shooting in [town] in [month]
Hi [name],
I’m [your name], a [role] in [town]. My last film, [title], [premiered at / aired on / won].
[Title] is [the logline in one sentence].
I’m writing because you backed [their film], and this sits right beside it.
We’re raising $[amount] of a $[budget] budget for [stage]. [What’s in place: cast, a state incentive application, a co-producer.]
Would you have twenty minutes in the next few weeks? The deck: [link]
[Your name] · [phone]
Etiquette
- Don’t ask a funder to sign an NDA. Most won’t, and it ends the conversation.
- Say exactly what’s attached. “In talks with” isn’t “attached.”
- Say who else is in and how much is raised.
- Don’t pitch in a hallway, a bathroom line or a panel Q&A. Ask for twenty minutes instead.
- Bring one-pagers to events, not scripts.
- Take a pass gracefully, thank them, and send a short update when you hit a milestone.
In the room in Texas
Pitch events| When | Where funders and producers gather | Town |
|---|---|---|
| Through Dec 14, 2026 | SAFILM Digital Filmmaking Lab: Script to Screen | San Antonio |
| Jun 3, 2027 | ATX TV Festival Pitch Competition | Austin |
| Usually fall | AFS Artist Intensive | Austin |
| Usually applications open each December | AFS Creative Careers | Austin |
| Usually spring | AFS Doc Intensive | Austin |
| Usually February | Coastal Bend Music & Film Industry Symposium | Corpus Christi |
| Usually applications February–May; pitches at Fantastic Fest in September | Fantastic Pitches | Austin |
| Usually late August–September | Houston Media Conference | Houston |
| Usually early October | Industry Giants | Richardson |
| Usually selection in spring; film premieres at Austin Film Festival in October | Jim Franklin "The Armadillo Man" Film Fellowship | Austin |
| Usually summer | REEL East Texas Summer Film Intensive | Kilgore |
| Usually mid-September | Square Peg Social | Austin |
| Usually late May | Texas Production Expo | Dallas–Fort Worth |
Markets and pitch forums
Funding page| Who | Open to | |
|---|---|---|
| Sundance CatalystAbout 45 funders meet a curated slate of 8–10 features. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Gotham Week Project MarketThe oldest and largest curated US project market. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| American Film Market (AFM)A major market for selling independent films territory by territory. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Hot Docs ForumHot Docs also runs Deal Maker, one-on-one pitch meetings for docs in development through post, with the same Dec 10 deadline. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Marché du Film (Cannes)The world's biggest film market. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| IFFR CineMart21 features were selected in 2026. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Venice Gap-Financing MarketOne of the few markets built specifically around gap financing. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Austin Film Festival Writers ConferenceDraws producers, agents and development executives to Austin every fall. | Statewide | Site ↗︎ |
| Big Sky PitchPast juries have included HBO Documentary Films, the Ford Foundation and CNN Films. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Realscreen SummitMarket for nonfiction and unscripted TV, useful for pitching a docuseries. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| MIPCOM CannesThe biggest global TV market, where series get presold and co-financed. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Hot Docs Deal MakerA lower-pressure alternative to the Forum's public pitch. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| SXSW Film & TV FestivalTexas's highest-profile premiere platform, in front of press and industry, including buyers. | Austin | Site ↗︎ |
| Banff World Media FestivalSeries-focused market with pitch forums and accelerators, including one for women producers. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| European Film Market and Berlinale Co-Production MarketThe Frontières call suits Texas genre and horror filmmakers looking for co-financing. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Athena Film Festival Documentary Pitch ProgramAthena gives more than $65,000 a year in grants and awards for women-centered work. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| IDFA Forum and Docs for SaleThe largest documentary co-financing market. | National | Site ↗︎ |
Angel networks and film funds
Private money| Who | Open to | |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Angel NetworkDoes not invest in media for film projects: its criteria say it won't review films. | Houston | Site ↗︎ |
| Cowtown AngelsMedia and film aren't mentioned on its site. | Fort Worth | Site ↗︎ |
| Alamo Angels (Alamo Ventures)Doesn't mention media or film. | San Antonio and Brownsville | Site ↗︎ |
| SWAN Impact NetworkIts site doesn't name a home city; press describes it as an Austin-founded network with investors across Texas. | Statewide | Site ↗︎ |
| SlatedOnline marketplace that matches projects with about 2,000 accredited investors plus sales agents and distributors. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Capital FactoryAustin's best-known startup investor and accelerator. | Statewide | Site ↗︎ |
| ITVS Open CallCo-production deal, not a grant; its main funder CPB closed in January 2026. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Black Public Media Open CallLicensing deal for public media; page says citizen in one place, citizen or green-card holder in another. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Field of VisionCommissions and funds; doesn't acquire finished films. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Impact PartnersPools investors into a documentary equity fund (8–10 films a year, 150+ to date). | National | Site ↗︎ |
Labs that come with mentors and money
Funding page| Who | Open to | |
|---|---|---|
| La Frontera Film LabParticipants make a 15-minute nonfiction short. | El Paso–Juárez | Site ↗︎ |
| AFS Artist IntensiveApply to the AFS Grant to be considered. | Statewide | Site ↗︎ |
| AFS Doc IntensiveApply to the AFS Grant to be considered. | Statewide | Site ↗︎ |
| Chicken & Egg Films (Egg)celerator LabTwo retreats, costs covered; needs a US fiscal sponsor. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Film Independent artist development programsScreenwriting Lab and Fast Track need you in Los Angeles at your own cost. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Sundance Feature Film Program Development Track (Screenwriters Lab)One application covers the Winter Screenwriters Lab in Utah, the online Screenwriters Intensive (aimed at first-time writers from underrepresented communities) | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Sundance Episodic LabA second cohort gets a two-day virtual intensive. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Sundance Native Lab FellowshipIndigenous Program applications are free. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Hulu/Kartemquin AcceleratorMeetings are virtual. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| LAIKA x The Gotham Animation AcceleratorRare development support for animators. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| Berlinale TalentsAbout 200 Talents a year. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| TorinoFilmLabInternational lab with several calls open now. | National | Site ↗︎ |
| KTQ LabsFeedback from the community behind Hoop Dreams and Minding the Gap. | National | Site ↗︎ |
Meetups and mixers
Every group| Group | Town | |
|---|---|---|
| The Houston Film Industry Meetup Group304 past events; last on 2026-10-13; next on 2026-11-10, with 12 upcoming dates listed (checked 2026-10-18) | Houston | Site ↗︎ |
| Acting Improv Workshop243 past events; next session 2026-10-27, more listed through December (checked 2026-10-18) | Carrollton | Site ↗︎ |
| Dallas Filmmakers (Meetup)331 past events; next Weekly Filmmaker Meetup 2026-10-21, 7 pm (checked 2026-10-18) | Dallas | Site ↗︎ |
| Austin Entertainment Business (AEB)Networking group for people on the business side of entertainment — producers, casting directors, actors, executives and brands — with guest speakers, | Austin | Site ↗︎ |
| Austin Filmmakers and EntrepreneursNo upcoming events; last event 2025-11-18 at Mort Subite, 308 Congress Ave. | Austin | Site ↗︎ |
| The Dallas Indie Film Meetup Group809 past events; most recent outing 2026-10-17 at the Angelika Dallas (checked 2026-10-18) | Dallas | Site ↗︎ |
| 40's+ Marvelous Middle Age Get togethers & Good Times!6 upcoming events, including a movie night on 2026-10-22; 463 past events (checked 2026-10-18). | San Antonio | Site ↗︎ |
| The Houston Movie Meetup GroupNo events since 2017-03-25; 122 past events total (checked 2026-10-18) | Houston | Site ↗︎ |
| DFW MOVIE NERDZ595 past events; next outing scheduled for Dec 18 at Cinemark Central Plano (checked 2026-10-18) | Dallas | Site ↗︎ |
| Esoteric Cult of Horror13 upcoming events listed, including a 31 Screams On Screen screening on 2026-10-21 and a Halloween party on 2026-10-24; 1,360 past events (checked 20 | San Antonio | Site ↗︎ |
| Austin Film SocialRoughly monthly Thursday meetups in 2026 (Jun 18, Jul 23, Aug 27, Sep 24); last at Cosmic Saltillo; none posted ahead (checked 2026-10-18) | Austin | Site ↗︎ |
| Shut Up & Write!® San AntonioWeekly sessions; next on 2026-10-20 and 2026-10-25; 708 past events (checked 2026-10-18). | San Antonio | Site ↗︎ |
Funders, markets and labs from each one’s own pages; see the funding page for amounts, deadlines and sources. Not legal or investment advice.