The National Film Preservation Foundation invites applications for its Matching Grants.
Donor Name: National Film Preservation Foundation
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant | Matching Grants
Deadline: 03/20/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
Matching grants fund complex, large-scale preservation, reconstruction, or restoration projects involving a single film or film collection of special cultural, historic, or artistic significance. The grants may be requested by nonprofit or public institutions with film preservation experience and the current capacity to carry out large preservation efforts. Applicants may request cash stipends of between $20,001 and $75,000 to fund laboratory work and must “match” the NFPF grant with outside cash support equal to one-fifth of the total project costs..
Grant Period
July 2026 to September 2027.
Uses of Funds
The grant funds may be used to pay for the creation of:
- New film preservation elements, including protection of the soundtrack for sound films.
- Two new public access copies, one of which must be a film print. For projects with a digital workflow, NFPF recommends a 4K scan to be output to an uncompressed file. Access files can be compressed mp4 files of a lower resolution (minimum resolution: High Definition 1080p).
- For silent-era films, the reconstruction or translation of English-language intertitles.
- Closed captioning for sound films and/or audio description for online or television exhibition.
Eligibility Criteria
Grants are available to public and 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that have completed at least one NFPF grant and have the capacity to plan, manage, and complete a complex, large-scale film preservation effort. Large projects must involve the preservation, reconstruction, or preservation of a single film or film collection of special cultural, historic, or artistic significance that (1) was made in the United States or by American citizens abroad and (2) is not protected by commercial interests. Materials originally created for television or video are not eligible, including works produced with funds from broadcast or cable television entities.
For more information, visit National Film Preservation Foundation.
