- Colorado has hundreds of independent filmmakers.
- Most existing local grants are too small to move a project to completion.
- Women, Indigenous, and emerging filmmakers receive disproportionately little independent-film capital.
- Stories of the Pikes Peak region are underrepresented in the films that do get funded.
Phase 1: Our Mission & Funding
Before we open for submissions, we lock in our core focus and secure our funding.
- The Funds: We secure our financial pool through non-profit donations and sponsors so that your prize money is guaranteed and ready. If you are interested in learning about corporate, small business, endowment or trust donation opportunities please reach out to us through our contact form. We would love to work with you to support your organization by helping local filmmakers. All donations will be administered by the Pikes Peak Community Foundation – the Pikes Peak region’s leading community foundation, which will help steward the fund and connect it to the broader philanthropic community in southern Colorado.
Phase 2: Rules & Eligibility
Next, we release the submission criteria and open for submissions.
- Clear Guidelines: In the coming months we will publish the submission guidelines and requirements.
- Easy Submissions: We will set up a secure, easy-to-use digital portal so you can upload your files safely.
Phase 3: The Submission Window
This is your time to shine and get your project onto our radar.
- The Call for Entries: We will open the application portal and announce our hard deadlines to the filmmaking community.
- Support & Answers: We will host live Q&A sessions to help you understand our guidelines and perfect your application packet.
- Initial Screening: Our team checks every incoming submission to ensure it meets our basic eligibility rules and includes all required files.
- Fair Scoring: We will review each submission and judge them using a standardized grading rubric so that every single script, budget, and lookbook is judged on an equal playing field.
Phase 4: Judging & Disbursement
The final stage is where we choose our winners and hand out the funding.
- Expert Jury: We hand the top-scoring projects over to a panel of independent filmmakers, festival programmers, and industry experts for final selection.
- The Announcement: We celebrate the winners at Colorado Short Circuit 2027.
- Contracts & Cash: We sign a simple grant agreement outlining your film’s milestones, and then we disburse your funds so you can get straight to work.
