The Catapult Research Grant is the newest expansion of our ongoing commitment to support nonfiction films and filmmakers. Our new program provides a $10,000 grant plus six months of mentorship and professional development to five filmmakers in the early conception and research phase of developing a new film idea. Too often filmmakers are expected to self-fund research and development on new projects. This can be a long and costly process. By offering research funding, the Catapult Research Grant can help sustain filmmakers during this early period while also reducing barriers to entry for a diverse slate of voices.  By launching the Catapult Research Grant we hope to help contribute to filmmaker sustainability and diversity in the field. Read more about the grantees       Jameka Autry Jameka Autry is a producer, director, and 2020 Women at Sundance | Adobe Fellow. Past fellowships and honors include the 2019 Sundance Creative Producing Lab Fellowship, 2017 Impact Partners Creative Producing Fellowship, and 2018 Double Exposure Investigative Film Fellowship.         Reid Davenport Reid Davenport makes films about disability from an overtly political perspective. He was named to DOC NYC’s “40 Filmmakers Under 40” in 2020.          Jon-Sesrie Goff Jon-Sesrie Goff is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, and arts administrator. He has an MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts from Duke University. He is in-production for his feature-length documentary, "After Sherman."         Edwin Martinez  Edwin Martinez is a Bronx-born filmmaker whose award-winning first feature documentary TO BE HEARD was named a New York Times critics pick and “one of the best documentaries of the year.” His most recent film, IFP Lab supported PERSONAL STATEMENT, was nominated for a 2019 News & Documentary Emmy.          Priscilla González Sainz Priscilla Gonzalez Sainz is a Mexican-American documentary filmmaker and writer based in Southern California. Her documentary ROOM 140 was nominated for an IDA Award, and her most recent film STATUS PENDING won the IF/Then Shorts Pitch for the American West, receiving funding and distribution mentorship. The film was supported by Tribeca Film Institute and NALIP.       Catapult Film Fund provides development funding to help story-driven and cinematic documentary films get off the ground.