School of Film & Television

Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting

Each year, the Academy Nicholl screenwriting competition awards up to five $35,000 fellowships to amateur screenwriters. To enter, submit a feature-length screenplay and entry fee via the online application when the competition is open for submissions. Fellowship winners are invited to participate in awards week ceremonies and seminars, receive individualized Academy member mentorship and are expected to complete at least one original feature film screenplay during their Fellowship year.

Benefits: 

• Up to five fellows in the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition will be invited to participate in awards week ceremonies and seminars in November.
• Fellows also receive $35,000.

Note: There is a $50 entry fee, but full-time students at an accredited college/university are eligible for a discount on their entry fee. Indicate your status in the demographic section of your online application. The discount will be offered in the payment section.

Academic Levels: Undergraduate, graduate, and alumni

Eligibility: Open to all. Must be 18 or older at the time of entry

National Deadline: March

Davis-Putter Scholarship

The Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund provides grants to students actively working for peace and justice. These need-based scholarships are awarded to those able to do academic work at the university level and who are part of the progressive movement on the campus and in the community.

Benefits:

• The maximum award is $10,000 and may be considerably smaller depending on the applicant’s circumstances and the amount of money available.

Location: United States

Eligibility:

• Active in movements for social and economic justice.
• These need-based scholarships are awarded to students who are able to do academic work at the college or university level or are enrolled in a trade or technical program and who are active in the progressive movement.
• No citizenship requirements
  • Applicants must have participated in activities in the United States and be planning to enroll in an accredited program in the US in order to apply. Because of the goals we have for this scholarship to support the strengthening of movements in the US, there is a preference to award grants to students who are planning on staying in the United States and building the progressive movement here.

National Deadline: April

Results Announced: July

The Disruptors Fellowship

An inaugural fellowship for emerging television writers of color who identify as trans and/or non binary, disabled, undocumented, and/or formerly undocumented immigrants.

Benefits:

• 90-minute Master Classes in:
  • TV drama writing
  • TV comedy writing
  • Disrupting Hollywood as BIPOC writers
  • Intellectual property
• Mentoring sessions with an experienced television writer, focusing on career development and script development
• One-on-one sessions with two writing coaches to give you direct feedback on your script
• The opportunity to work on a television show pilot in the genre of your choosing, with peer support and feedback
• The opportunity to find and grow your network by presenting an excerpt from your pilot at an industry reading
• The opportunity to pitch and receive feedback from a panel of industry professionals
• A cohort-based peer community of shared values including online Inter-Cohort Learning sessions and roundtable conversations with industry leaders who are changing the landscape in Hollywood
• Deepened understanding of intersectionality and systems of oppression
• Social and networking opportunities
• Development of your voice and leadership as an artist/activist poised to take on the industry
• Final Draft software (Valued at $249)
• A $6,000 honorarium payable as milestones are reached (This will be considered taxable income by the IRS)

Academic Levels: Undergraduate, graduate, and alumni

Eligibility: Any LA-based writer of color over the age of 21 who has not previously been staffed on a show is eligible to apply.

National Deadline: March

Ebell Scholarship

The Ebell continues to seek out and subsidize academically outstanding students who are residents of Los Angeles County. Awards are based upon character, scholarship, and financial need.

Benefits: 

• $5,000 annually for up to two years.

Eligibility: 

• United States citizenship. If naturalized citizen, please send a copy of the official documentation
• Permanent Resident of Los Angeles County
• Full-time Attendance at an accredited Los Angeles County educational institution
• Expected post-secondary sophomore status or higher in that educational institution at the beginning of next school year (only undergraduates qualify)
• Achievement of at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA
• Availability for an in-person interview with Ebell Scholarship Committee on our Ebell campus
• Demonstrated community commitment

National Deadline: April

Fulbright UK Summer Institutes 

Three-to-four-week summer programmes for US undergraduate students. Participants can explore the culture, heritage and history of the UK while experiencing higher education at a UK university.

Benefits: 

• US-UK airfare
• Tuition and fees at the host institution
• Accommodation (room) and meals

Location: Around 10 institutes are offered each summer in multiple UK cities.

Eligibility: 

• Be a US citizen and possess a US passport
• Be at least 18 years old by the start of the programme
• Participate in the programme in its entirety
• Have a minimum GPA of 3.7
• Have at least two years of undergraduate study remaining after the Institute finishes (open to current freshmen and sophomores)
• Have had little or no study or travel outside of the US

Application Deadline: February

Results Announced: Late April

Netflix Nonfiction Directing and Producing Fellowship

Provides an all-in experience for directors and producers ready to advance their craft and careers, including the opportunity to shadow a director or producer on new and/or returning nonfiction series.

Benefits: 

• Selected Fellows will be provided with ongoing production company placements on series and programs throughout the year-long Fellowship.
• Fellows will also attend monthly virtual briefings to provide guidance on goals and expectations throughout the program.
• Additional virtual meetings include, but are not limited to, masterclasses, and meet and greets with executives across the industry, and throughout Netflix and production company partners

Note: There is a $48 entry fee, but full-time students at an accredited college/university are eligible for a discount on their entry fee. Indicate your status in the demographic section of your online application. The discount will be offered in the payment section.

Academic Levels: Undergraduate, graduate, and alumni

Eligibility: 

• Applicants must be 21 years or older as of June of the application year.
• Applicants must possess and present evidence of identity and United States employment eligibility (valid for the duration of the Program).

National Deadline: April

Paul and Daisy Soros Scholarship for New Americans

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans supports thirty New Americans, immigrants or the children of immigrants, who are pursuing graduate school in the United States.

Benefits:

• Up to $90,000 in support over the course of two years for graduate program tuition and living stipend
• Attendance at annual Fall Conference in New York City, fully paid

Eligibility:

1. NEW AMERICAN STATUS​​

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans is a fellowship program intended for United States immigrants and children of immigrants. To be eligible, your birth parents must have both been born outside of the US as non-US citizens, and both parents must not have been eligible for US citizenship at the time of their births. In addition, one of the following must be true of the applicant by the November deadline:

• US Citizen by Birth: You are a US citizen by birth and one of the following is true:
  • Both of your birth parents were born abroad as non-US citizens and were not eligible for US citizenship at the time of their births.
  • You were raised by only one of your birth parents, the parent that raised you was born abroad as a non-US citizen, and your second birth parent was not a part of your life growing up and you have no contact with them.
• Born abroad: You were born abroad as a non-US citizen and one of the following is true:
  • Naturalized Citizen: You have been naturalized as a US citizen either on your own or as a minor child under the application of one of your parents.
  • Adopted: You were born outside of the US or one of its territories and were subsequently adopted by American parents and were awarded US citizenship because of your adoption.
  • Green Card: You are in possession of a valid green card.
  • Refugee & Asylees: You have been granted asylum or refugee status in the US.
  • If None of the Other Categories Above Apply: Graduated from High School and College in the US: If none of the other categories apply to you and you were born abroad, you must have graduated from both high school and college in the US (this includes current and past DACA recipients).

2. ACADEMIC STANDING

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans is a fellowship program intended for immigrants and children of immigrants who are pursuing full-time graduate degrees at United States institutions. Eligible applicants will have a bachelor’s degree as of the fall deadline and may be applying to graduate school as they are applying for the fellowship, or they may already be enrolled in the graduate program that they are seeking funding for as of the application deadline. The fellowship program is open to all fields of study and fully accredited full-time graduate degree programs. In order to be eligible for the 2018 fellowship, an applicant should be planning to be enrolled full-time in an eligible graduate degree program at a US university for the following academic year. Eligible applicants must not have begun the third year of the program that they are seeking funding for as of the November deadline. Applicants who have a previous graduate degree or who are in a joint-degree program are eligible.

Ineligible programs: Online programs, executive graduate programs, joint bachelors/master's programs, certificate programs, post-baccalaureate programs, graduate programs that are not in the United States, and graduate programs that are not fully accredited.

3. AGE

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans is a fellowship program intended for students who are early in their careers. All students must be 30 or younger as of the application deadline.

National Deadline: November

Rhodes Scholarship

Rhodes Scholars receive full funding to pursue any graduate degree at Oxford University. Scholars are chosen not only for their outstanding scholarly achievements, but for their character, commitment to others and to the common good, and for their potential for leadership in whatever domains their careers may lead.

Benefits: 

• Tuition and other education expenses for eligible program at Oxford.
• Room and board.
• Airfare to/from the UK.

Location: Oxford University in the United Kingdom

Eligibility: No citizenship requirements. However, non-U.S. citizens may have an earlier application deadline and should consult the website for more info. Must be at least 18 but not yet 24 years of age. To be considered, an applicant must be on track to receive a bachelor’s degree before October of the application year.

Campus Deadline: August 31

National Deadline: August for non-U.S. citizens; October for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and DACA students.

Results Announced: Late November

Schwarzman Scholars Program

Designed to prepare the next generation of global leaders, Schwarzman Scholars is the first scholarship created to respond to the geopolitical landscape of the 21st Century. Whether in politics, business or science, the success of future leaders around the world will depend upon an understanding of China’s role in global trends.

With the inaugural class enrolled in 2016, the program gives the world’s best and brightest students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and professional networks through a one-year Master’s Degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing – one of China’s most prestigious universities.

Students live and study together on the campus of Schwarzman College, a newly-built, state-of-the-art facility, where all classes are taught in English. Students pursue a Masters in Global Affairs, with concentrations in one of the disciplines:

• Public Policy
• Economics and Business
• International Studies

Students spend a year immersed in an international community of thinkers, innovators and senior leaders in business, politics and society. In an environment of intellectual engagement, professional development and cultural exchange, they learn from one another and pursue their academic disciplines while building their leadership capacities. This experience will expand students’ understanding of the world and create a growing network of global leaders for the future.

Benefits: 

• Tuition Fees
• Room and board
• Travel to and from Beijing at the beginning and end of the academic year
• An in-country study tour
• Required course books and supplies
• Lenovo laptop and smartphone
• Health insurance
• A personal stipend of $3,500

Eligibility: 

• Undergraduate degree or first degree from an accredited college or university or its equivalent
• Candidates must be at least 18 but not yet 29 years of age as of August 1 of the application year
• English language proficiency

National Deadline: Early September

Results Announced: December

Ubisoft Women’s Film & Television 2021 Fellowship Program

A six-month, non-exclusive, paid fellowship with the opportunity to learn first hand what goes into taking a project from conception to production.

Benefits: Fellows will have the chance to explore Ubisoft’s extensive library of IP as well as pitch original ideas based in the world, community and culture of video games for possible development. Additionally, participants will take part in a one-on-one mentorship with Ubisoft’s Film & Television leads and meet and learn from experienced entertainment executives across departments..

Academic Levels: Undergraduate, graduate, and alumni

Eligibility: 

• Women, non-binary, trans, gender-nonconforming, and gender-variant aspiring screenwriters who are passionate about the film and television industry.
• The program is open to U.S. residents 18 years or older.
• TV fellows can have up to and including a staff writers credit. Film fellows are eligible so long as they don’t have a project in development at a major studio or any produced credits.

National Deadline: May