Back in March we told you the Austin Film Society grant cycle was coming and to be ready. The window has now opened and closed. If you got your application in by the deadline, good. If you didn't, this is your map of what's still available and when the doors reopen — because AFS runs more than one program, and at least one of them is about to reopen.
What Just Closed
The 2026 AFS Grant for Feature Films closed May 20 at 6 PM CT. It offered up to $20,000 in cash for pre-production, production, or post-production, open to filmmakers from all backgrounds who live in Texas. That program is now closed and, per AFS, will reopen in spring 2027.
Closing alongside it: the 2026 Harrison McClure Endowed Film Fund, a $2,500 award for an undergraduate making a short film to complete a course or degree requirement. Also closed, also reopening spring 2027.
What's About to Open
Here's the part worth setting a reminder for. The AFS Grant for Short Films is currently closed but reopens July 23, 2026. If you're a Texas filmmaker with a short in development or post, that's your next live shot at AFS money — about seven weeks out as of this writing.
Don't wait until July 23 to start. The strongest applications are the ones that were 80% written before the portal opened. Get your project description, budget, and work samples in order now, and you'll submit clean on day one.
What's Open Year-Round
One AFS program never closes: the AFS Travel Grant. It's awarded to Texas-based filmmakers to offset the cost of attending competitive film festivals around the world. If your film just got into a festival and the travel math is keeping you home, this is the grant nobody talks about enough. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
The AFS Grant Calendar, Simplified
| Program | Status (June 2026) | Reopens | |---------|--------------------|---------| | AFS Grant for Feature Films (up to $20K) | Closed | Spring 2027 | | AFS Grant for Short Films | Closed | July 23, 2026 | | Harrison McClure Endowed Film Fund ($2,500, undergrad) | Closed | Spring 2027 | | AFS Travel Grant | Open | Year-round |
Why AFS Money Is Worth Chasing
AFS grants are non-recoupable cash — not a loan, not equity, not a deferred favor. For a Texas independent, $20,000 is the difference between finishing a film and shelving it. And the AFS imprimatur travels: a film with an AFS grant on its résumé gets read more seriously by festivals and the next round of funders. The money matters; the validation matters almost as much.
If you missed the feature window this year, the short-film door opens July 23. Be standing there.
AFS Grants: austinfilm.org/afs-grants
Filmmaker support: filmmakersupport@austinfilm.org