If I am a current student about to graduate this year can I still apply for this grant?

You may apply for this grant if you are a student graduating in December 2021, granted that you are not enrolled in an academic institution in January 2022. The project may not be part of any project, thesis, or school project post graduation.

If I haven’t made a short film before can I still apply? Does work from college count as a completed short film?

This grant program is geared towards emerging filmmakers who have experience directing/producing/animating at least one short film (animation, live-action, or VR). Work/films from college count as long as the short film was part of a senior thesis/project, or a previous short film produced in college was accepted to a major film festival.

This grant program is not meant for first-time filmmakers who are looking to produce and direct their first animated short film.

Can college work/films, live-action work, or storyboard/animatic work be included in the director or animator’s reel?

Yes, work from college can be included in the director’s reel as long as it is related to a short film as part of senior thesis/project.

Storyboard/animatic work can be included in the director’s reel as long as they created 100% of the storyboards or 100% edited the animatic. The storyboard/animatic work can be from their professional portfolio related to their work in animation Television, Features, or other animation related projects.

Live-action work can be included in the reel, as long as there is a still a focus on showcasing animation, motion graphic, or VFX work in the reel.

I am making a pilot for a series. Would I be eligible to apply?

Not at this time.

What can the funds be used for?

If awarded, funds from the LXiA Animation Spark Grant program may be used toward equipment, salaries, software, operational costs, sound design, sound mixing, and anything that will help the film get made in an meaningful way.

Can I apply for more than one project?

At this time, we are only accepting one (1) submission per person.

Can I apply as part of a team or with an additional director?

At this time, we are accepting submissions as a group, team, or filmmaking duo. To streamline review of submissions, only one person may submit to the program as the filmmaker.

I plan to raise additional funds for the film’s budget by applying to other grant programs, or plan to raise additional funding through crowdfunding (Kickstarter, Seed & Spark, etc), am I still eligible to apply?

Our preference is to have submissions that are original work of the submitter that was created solely for the purpose of the LXiA Spark Animation grant program.

A filmmaker is free to submit to other grant programs if you are not selected to the LXiA Spark Animation Grant program. 

LXiA will retain exclusive review of the short project from November 15, 2021 to January 31, 2022.

If the filmmaker has already submitted to other grant programs or received funding to other grant programs, as long as those grant programs requirements do not conflict with requirements of LXiA Spark Animation program, then submitters are still eligible to apply.

We recognize that short films can be expensive to produce, and do not want to limit filmmakers from raising additional funds if needed. If a submitter plans on raising additional funding through crowdfunding (Kickstarter, GoFundMe, Seed & Spark, etc), we ask that they please include information in the budget breakdown of the submission.

I am not a US citizen or based in the United States, am I still eligible to apply?

Filmmaker must be living and legally able to work in the United States. Being able to work in the United states means you have the legal right to work in the US. If you are a US Citizen, whether you were born in the US or naturalized, it also means you can work in the US with no issues.

If you are a non US citizen but have obtained work authorization in the US, or someone who has obtained permanent resident to legally obtain a job in the US then you are still eligible to apply.

Unfortunately due to US laws regarding grant distribution, we are only able to distribute grant funds to those living and legally able to work in the United States. We hope in the future that this program may be open for international applicants.

What does Latinx/o/a/e mean?

This program will prioritize Latinx/o/a/e applicants.

Latinx/o/a/e is defined as a person of any gender who is from or whose family originates from one of the 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries/territories such as (but not limited to) – Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela, Brazil, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Haiti, Saint Barthélemy, and Saint Martin.

Latinx/o/a/e does not include Spain or Portugal.

If I am mixed-race Latinx, am I still eligible to apply?

Yes! If you identify as mixed-race Latinx then you are absolutely eligible.

Latinx/o/a/e is not a monolithic view of ethnicity and race, it is encompasses a wide spectrum of languages, racial identities, ethnicities, etc. If you are mixed-race and identify as Black-Latinx or Afro-Latinx, Asian-Latinx, White-Latinx, Indigenous-Latinx or other – then you are more than welcome to apply!