Grants for documentary production
In brief
A production company specializing in documentaries can fund its activity through selective and automatic grants from the Centre National du Cinéma (CNC), supplemented by numerous Regions. This page lists the schemes currently validated for this trade, with their funder and maximum amount where available.
This sector covers production companies specializing in creative documentary, film and audiovisual work.
The CNC distinguishes between development support and production support, each available as either a selective grant or an automatic account depending on the company's track record.
Many Regions (Grand Est, Hauts-de-France, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Sud, Guadeloupe...) supplement these national grants with funds dedicated to documentary production.
This page helps you identify relevant funding leads. It does not, however, replace an individual check of your eligibility.
Run a personalised scan to identify the public grants and funding your company may be able to access.
Which projects are covered?
The grants listed here fund the development and production of a documentary, film or audiovisual work, including documentary series and innovation projects in creative documentary.
How much can be obtained?
The known maximum amount varies widely by scheme, from a few thousand euros for a regional grant to several hundred thousand euros for a CNC production grant.
How to identify the right funding for your project?
The number of schemes listed makes manual selection slow, and sometimes imprecise.
The Capital OS scan automatically cross-references these criteria against the full set of listed public grants, to identify those that genuinely apply to you:
- Your location
- The stage of your project (development, production)
- Your production track record (access to the automatic account)
Public grants for documentary production
Aide à la production de longs métrages cinéma - Documentaire et fiction prise de vue réelle
Région Grand Est
Up to €300,000
Aide à la production audiovisuelle et nouveaux médias - Documentaires
Région Grand Est
Up to €75,000
Fonds d’aide à l’innovation en documentaire de création
Centre National du Cinéma (CNC)
Closes in 27 days
Up to €60,000
Aide à la production de courts métrages cinéma – Documentaire et fiction prise de vue réelle
Région Grand Est
Up to €40,000
Aide au documentaire cinématographique audiovisuel
Région Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Aide à la création et à la production d'oeuvres documentaires
Région Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Documentaire : compte automatique - Aide à la production
Centre National du Cinéma (CNC)
Documentaire : compte automatique - Aide à la préparation
Centre National du Cinéma (CNC)
Fonds de soutien au cinéma et à l’audiovisuel - Aide à la production
Région Guadeloupe
Fonds de soutien à la production cinématographique, audiovisuelle et nouveaux médias
Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée
Closes on 31 Dec 2026
Fonds régional documentaire audiovisuel et cinématographique
Région Hauts-de-France
Fonds régional d’aide aux œuvres audiovisuelles et cinématographiques
Région Guadeloupe
Human-validated links (AideTagLink, VALIDATED status only — unreviewed proposals are never shown here). Sorted by amount, highest first (then by internal identifier to break ties between the many identical titles). 4 additional grant(s) linked but currently closed, not listed.
Frequently asked questions about grants for documentary production
What public grants exist for a documentary production company?
12 open schemes are listed for this trade on Capital OS, mainly run by the CNC and several Regions.
The full list is shown further up this page, with the funder and the maximum amount of each grant where known.
What is the difference between the CNC's selective grant and automatic account?
The selective grant is awarded by a committee reviewing applications, accessible from a company's very first project; the automatic account redistributes revenue generated by the prior exploitation of the company's works, and is reserved for producers with a track record.
Both mechanisms exist for both the development and production stages.
Is my company eligible for these grants?
CNC grants are aimed at accredited audiovisual production companies; regional grants most often require a specific presence in the relevant area.
This page does not assume your company's eligibility; a personalized diagnostic checks it against your real criteria.
How do I apply for this type of grant?
CNC grants are applied for directly with the CNC, regional grants with the relevant Region.
A personalized diagnostic first identifies the schemes that are genuinely relevant to your company, before starting the process.
This sector may match yours
Check the grants suited to your company
This page lists the schemes associated with this sector. The personalised report applies your real criteria — industry, size, location, project — before drawing any conclusion on eligibility.
See the opportunities identified by the scan, then access your personalised report.