UC Berkeley Center for the Science of PsychedelicsFellowship

Up to $20,000 Psychedelic Documentary Fellowship

Oct 05, 2026 23:59:00 PT

Opportunity type

Fellowship

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

Global

Deadline

Oct 05, 2026 23:59:00 PT

About this opportunity

The UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, through the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, funds documentary filmmakers making films about the science, policy, business and culture of psychedelics. Three feature-length projects receive up to $20,000 each and up to five short films receive up to $10,000 each, paid directly to the filmmaker to spend on production or post-production. Applications close on October 5, 2026.

What you get:

Feature-Length Documentary Grant: three filmmakers awarded up to $20,000 each for production or post-production of a documentary over 40 minutes, paid half up front and half six months later on a project update memo
Short-Form Documentary Grant: up to five filmmakers awarded up to $10,000 each for a documentary of 40 minutes or less, paid in full up front
No expense tracking or reimbursement claims; the money is meant to cover costs and keep you whole while you make the film
A place in a small cohort with virtual meetings, and your film selected by a committee of three industry professionals

What you'll do:

Make an independent documentary or nonfiction film (hybrid docs included) on a psychedelics story, with English subtitles if not in English
Attend three to four virtual cohort meetings
Send a written report within six months of the first payment on how the award was spent and what was accomplished
Share the finished film with BCSP and credit the fellowship in the film

Key dates:

Applications close October 5, 2026 at 11:59pm Pacific time
Award decisions announced by December 2026

More information:

The FAQ on the fellowship site covers eligibility, taxes and deliverables in detail
Feature-Length and Short-Form application guides are linked from the How to Apply page
Questions: mycoskiefellows@journalism.berkeley.edu

Who can apply

Open to filmmakers worldwide regardless of nationality or citizenship
Only individual filmmakers can apply; organisations, universities, foundations and nonprofits cannot
Applicant must be the director of the project and have prior work samples as director, co-director or cinematographer
Project must be a documentary or nonfiction film, independently produced; no fiction, no works for hire, no films commissioned by NGOs or brands
Feature-Length grant: film over 40 minutes, in production or post-production, roughly 10 percent of footage shot, confirmed access to participants and locations; student films not eligible
Short-Form grant: film of 40 minutes or less; graduate students may apply with a faculty advisor's letter submitted by the deadline
One story pitch per applicant, and you cannot apply to both grants in the same year
Films previously distributed in public (theatrical, festival, educational or community screenings) are not eligible
No first-person accounts of taking illegal substances, and cannabis stories are not eligible
Application written in English, budget in US dollars
Not open to UC Berkeley employees, or current or former Ferriss Fellows and BCSP Society and Culture grantees
No application fee

AI Verification

✓ AI Verified

Our AI read the official sources and cross-checked the key facts. Here is what held up, and what it could not confirm.

We could not fully verify this organization or all of its details. Check it independently on the official website before you apply, and never share sensitive personal or financial information until you are sure a request is genuine.

LOT Verification ScoreSolid

Cross-checked 10 of 10 key facts

Confirmed Our best read Not stated

Good to know

+Up to $20,000 for a feature documentary or up to $10,000 for a short, paid to you with no receipts or expense claims.
+Open to filmmakers anywhere in the world at any career stage, and free to apply.
+A small cohort with virtual meetings, chosen by three industry professionals, run by UC Berkeley's Center for the Science of Psychedelics.

Worth checking yourself

!Closes 5 October 2026 at 11:59 pm Pacific time. Only three feature and up to five short awards are made.
!You must direct the film and have prior work as a director, co-director or cinematographer. Feature projects must already be in production, with about 10 percent shot.
!No cannabis stories, no first-person accounts of taking illegal substances, and no film that has already screened in public.
!Graduate students can apply for the short grant only, with a faculty advisor's letter. The award is reported to the IRS, and foreign nationals working in the US may face tax withholding.

Sources checked

FEfellowships.journalism.berkeley.eduApplyFEfellowships.journalism.berkeley.eduApplyFEfellowships.journalism.berkeley.eduApplyFEfellowships.journalism.berkeley.eduApplyFEfellowships.journalism.berkeley.eduApplyFEfellowships.journalism.berkeley.eduApplyJOjournalismfellows.submittable.comOfficialJOjournalismfellows.submittable.comOfficialDOdocs.google.comOfficialDOdocs.google.comOfficialPSpsychedelics.berkeley.eduOfficialPSpsychedelics.berkeley.eduOfficialJOjournalism.berkeley.eduOfficial

LOT finds and checks opportunities from public sources. Always confirm details on the organiser’s own page before applying.