Fiscal Sponsorship

Are you looking to partner with a nonprofit Fiscal Sponsor that you trust to support your artistic vision and efforts for a current documentary project?

Through this initiative, we offer individual artists our non-profit tax-exempt status, administrative services, extensive fundraising and grant writing experience, along with seasoned knowledge of the field to provide easy to follow guidance and support. We champion projects at any stage of production that align with our mission to expand the field of documentary art.

How We Support

We make space for you to focus on your creative work and offer our expertise to handle the rest. We have fine tuned administrative and financial systems in place to assure that nothing falls through the cracks and to easily walk you through this process if it’s your first time, or you hand off these tasks and preserve your focus. Our small size allows us to attend to your needs personally, and be nimble and flexible as your project develops.

Cinema on the Edge, Karin Chien, Shelly Kraicer, and J.P. Sniadecki

What We Provide

The ability for individual artists to seek and receive grants or tax-deductible donations

Financial management for accepted funds including paying vendors, handling deposits and withdrawals for your granted funds

Hosting, creating and managing individual crowdfunding campaigns

Sending donors their proof of tax exempt donations along with thank you letters

Notifying project directors of current funding opportunities

Submitting grant applications

Trusted relationships with experts in the field with pre-negotiated fees with vetted accountants, lawyers, and other industry consultants

Consultations throughout every stage of production

Empty Metal, Adam Khalil and Bayley Sweitzer

FAQs + Eligibility

What are the costs of these services?

Fiscal Sponsorship fees vary but is generally 6%.

Is there an age limit?

The Project Director must be 18 years of age or older.

Are there restrictions on the project subject matter?

The project must align with UnionDocs’ mission to support documentary art and must not be construed as propaganda. We will not accept projects whose main goal is to support the participation in, or intervention in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.

Can I work with multiple fiscal sponsors?

We find it’s best for organizational purposes to stick with one. That’s why we require exclusive (unless project requires non-exclusivity due to governmental funding) fiscal sponsorship services in connection with the project.

Is there a certain stage of production when I should apply?

The project may be in any stage of development, production and or post production or distribution.

Will you own my project?

Of course we do not take any ownership over your work – we are just here to support you with the process!

What is crowdfunding all about?

Our crowdfunding page lets you launch a campaign where people can make tax-deductible donations to your project. It’s cheaper than kickstarter and we can customize it to adjust the goals, change the language at any time, make updates, etc. We can also accept donations via check that can manually be added to the total amount on the campaign page.

Visit Crowdfunding Page

Do I need to be a US Citizen?

The applicant does not need to be a US citizen or US resident to be eligible to apply, however, please also be aware that funds released to Non-US Persons may be subject to mandatory withholding by the US Government.

Sponsored Projects

The projects we’ve supported have received funding from some of the most exciting and competitive funders in the field including Sundance Institute, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Tribeca Film Institute, Catapult Film Fund, Cinereach, The Fledgling Fund, The LEF Foundation, and Open Society Foundation. Our applications to New York State Council of the Arts Independent Artists grants are regularly awarded. We have been delighted to celebrate screenings, awards, and streaming contracts for supported projects at Berlinale, Sundance, IDFA, Rotterdam, Art of the Real, Tribeca Film Festival, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and more.

Hail Satan!, Penny Lane

A Body To Live In, Angelo Madsen Minax
Act Of Worship, Sofian Khan & Nausheen Dadabhoy
Ada, Yael Melamede
Adnan, Marie Regan
Aleph, Iva Radivojević
All the Storefronts on Nassau Ave, Amanda Katz
An Altar for Cici, Taylor Hom
An Exercise In Listening, Yaara Sumeruk
An Exercise With Objects, Tara Nelson
Anatomy of a Life, Emma Francis-Snyder
Ancestors In The Archives, Adam And Zack Khalil
Another World, Tushar Madhav
A Prince From Outer Space, Beyza Boyacioglu
Bachata Academy, Benjamin De Menil
Balthus, Leigh Ledare
Barrio Chino Havana, Kiona Pilles
Baseline 2020, John Sutter
Between Earth & Sky, Andrew Nadkarni
Beyond The Fold, Bronte Stahl
Blue Collar America - Starbucks, Mark Mori
Both Of Me, Esy Casey
Car Seat, Eline Jongsma and Kel O’Neill
Cinema on the Edge, Karin Chien, Shelly Kraicer, and J.P. Sniadecki
Collective Effervescence, Kenneth Tam
Compromising Positions, Shawn Hazelett
Confessions Of A Good Samaritan, Penny Lane
Constructed Wetlands, Nathan Kensinger
Cost Of Salt, Naeema Torres
Drawing Life, Nathan Fitch
Driver, Ines Hofmann Kanna
Etel Adnan: Surge, Marie Valentine Regan
Electric Neon Clock, A.S.M. Kobayashi
Empty Metal, Adam Khalil and Bayley Sweitzer
Eskape, Neary Hay
Experiment Station, Anthony Simon
Fascinating Vacations, Caroline Key
Freedom Is A Place, Stephanie Andreou
Gardners, Crystal Kayiza
Ghillie, Michael Crane
Great Experiment, Stephen Maing
Hail Satan, Penny Lane
Higher Education, Caveh Zahedi
Karachi Sky, Sofian Khan
La Frontière, Megan Ruffe & Katy Haas
Last Nomads, Biljana Tutorov
Lea's Diy, Lea Furnion
Look Into My Eyes, Lana Wilson
Live to DIY, Art Jones
Lyd In Exile, Sarah Friedland
Madame Negritude, Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich
Making Utopia, Mitra Kobali
Malls of America, Brian Becker
Maria Schneider 1983, Elisabeth Subrin
Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo and the Californios
Midwood Movie, Melissa Friedling

Mock Election, Alexandra Stergiou
Modos de Transporte (“Modes of Transport”), Catalina Jordan
Mothership 2050, Rebecca Carpenter & Michael Hirschorn
My Skin and I, Milton Guillen
New Phone, No Jails, Who Is You, Saeedah Cook
North By Current, Angelo Madsen Minax
NUTS!, Penny Lane
On Essential Islands, Nathan Fitch
Or The Whale, Katherin Mcinnis
Our Bodies, Bora Lee-Kil
Our Home is Not of This World, Russ Finkelstein
Paradise Lost, Laurie Sumiye
Penn F*cking Station, Claire Reed
People I Know, Zofia Pregowska
People Votes, Mara Gerstein
Queer Camera Dance: Esther Eng, Abigail Raphael Collins
Return to the Andes, Mitchell Teplitsky
Red River Red Planet, Pawel Wojtasik
RocNation Music Skool Docuseries, James Severe
Roleplay, Katie Matthews
Seacoast Fortifications, Tijana Petrović
Second Life, Faith Holland
Serious Play, Kate Mason
Silence Diaries, Daniela Muñoz Barroso
Speaking Freely, Yael Melamede
Staffordshire Hoard, Simon Liu
Still Film, James N Kienitz Wilkins
Sunshine Cinema, Sydelle Willow Smith
Takeover, Emma Francis-Snyder
The American Sector, Courtney Stephens and Pacho Velez
The Approach, Angelo Madsen Minax
The Cave Without a Name, Jessica Bardsley
The Experiment Station, Anthony Banua-Simon
The Fire We Will Become, Gloria Carrión
The Hand Between Us, Jessica Shane
The Great Experiment, Stephen Maing
The Pain of Others, Penny Lane
The Sixth Borough, Megan Ruffe
The Stalinist Under the Oil Tank, Jim Finn
Through All Creatures, Macià Florit Campins
To Use A Mountain, Casey Carter
Truths, Alex Strada
Two Refusals, Suneil Sanzgiri
Untitled Corbyn Film, David Osit
Untitled Dystopia Project, Malika Zouhali-Worrall
Untitled Exclave Film, Martin Dicicco
Untitled John Lilly Project, Micheal Almereyda
Untitled Televisit Film, Malika Zouhali-Worrall
Utqiagvik, Tony Gerber
Voy, Yara Travieso
Walk, Toby Lee
We Want To Negotiate, Sofian Khan
When the Phone Rang, Iva Radivojevic
When the River Speaks, Kayla Franklin
Xi Jiao Gou, Yehui Zhao
Your Umbilical Cord, Sarah Friedland

Apply for Fiscal Sponsorship