Community Voices Open Call (2)

Applications to the 2026 Community Voices Open Call open on Tuesday, August 18.

“As a culture worker who belongs to an oppressed people my job is to make revolution irresistible.” ― Toni Cade Bambara

Language/Access Needs

If you have language translation or access needs that make our application inaccessible to you, please contact staff at programs@peoplesmediafund.org. All applications received in a language other than English will be translated into English for panel review.

Community Voices Overview

People’s Media Fund (PMF) understands that media and narratives play a crucial role in shaping how people understand and engage with others and the world around them. As part of PMF’s ongoing efforts to support media that challenges systemic oppression and builds community power, the Community Voices Open Call supports media making projects that strengthen social justice movement-building* and community organizing in the Philadelphia region.

PMF welcomes applications from organizations who have experience creating movement media – as well as proposals from organizations that don’t traditionally use media to shift narratives in support of social change but want to explore those strategies.

What is Media for Movement-Building?

Media for Movement-Building* can look many different ways—but when PMF talks about movement media, we’re talking about media-making that’s used by social movements to spread their message, organize people, and raise awareness and solidarity around political and social issues. 

Movement media is rooted in community voice and social change. It fosters political education, builds and strengthens community power, and requires strategy. This is different from community engagement and narrative work. While both are essential components of movement building, movement media builds on that foundation by using strategic storytelling to strengthen organizing efforts and advance social change.

Before applying, PMF encourages you to deeply consider how your project is building movements, impacting systems, and/or motivating people to work toward a collective vision or cause that is important for a community.

Projects can take various forms, such as:

• Community storytelling to advance narratives that support social movements through various media formats, including film, multimedia, video, and audio.
  • Example: Care, Not Control’s "Uncaged Potential" podcast increases awareness of juvenile justice issues and youth-led organizing efforts through an audio and visual podcast developed by directly impacted young people.
• Community-centered news and information to build collective power and action.
  • Example: The People’s Budget Office builds power through collaborative public art and documentary projects that help residents understand, participate in, and influence the City of Philadelphia’s municipal budget – and strengthening campaigns for budget transparency, equity, and community-driven alternatives to policing and incarceration.
  • Example: The Camden Parent & Student Union’s “Camden Voices Amplified" campaign, empowers Camden parents and students through grassroots organizing and independent journalism demanding equity, transparency, and accountability, amplifying authentic community voices, and building lasting leadership.
• Archives to preserve and amplify the histories and stories of social justice movements in the region.
  • Example: La La Lil Jidar archives and documents how the global movement for the end of apartheid and genocide in Palestine is deeply tied to liberatory movements in Philadelphia. The project also seeks to shift the mainstream narrative on Palestine and Israel while uplifting local community struggles and championing solidarity against all forms of violence.

While Media for Movement-Building can look many different ways, it will be the job of the applicant to demonstrate how the use of media is central to creating social change.  

*PMF acknowledges that some communities may not refer to their work as movement building, given past experiences and/or tensions within movements. Regardless of how you name your work, we encourage applicants to consider how their projects are motivating people to work towards a collective vision or cause that is important for a community.

Who is Eligible and How to Apply

You are eligible to apply if you:

✅ Are a 501(c)3 nonprofit or fiscally-sponsored* organization/project based in Pennsylvania (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia, Montgomery counties), New Jersey (Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties), or Delaware (New Castle County).
✅ Have an annual operating budget under $1.5 million.
✅ Are requesting project-support for media work that strengthens movement building and community organizing in the region.
✅ Are not a current PMF Key Partner – and/or have received a grant from PMF in 2026.
✅ Have submitted any reports due from previous PMF grants.

You are not eligible to apply if you:

❌ Are not a 501(c)3 or fiscally-sponsored* organization/project based in Pennsylvania (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia, Montgomery counties), New Jersey (Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties), or Delaware (New Castle County).
❌ Have an annual operating budget over $1.5 million.
❌ Are requesting general operating support.
❌ Are a PMF Key Partner – and/or have received a grant from PMF in 2026.
❌ Received a Community Voices Grant in 2025.
❌ Have not turned in all reports due from previous PMF grants.

Additional Organization or Project Guidelines: 

• We will accept only one proposal per organization.
• We accept both new and established projects.
• Previous Community Voices grantees are welcome to apply, if they did not receive a grant in 2025.
• This grant is not intended to support only post-production work (e.g. - editing or translation). 
• Please limit the use of AI for this application. AI can be easily detectable and the review panel wants to hear your authentic voice. As it relates to your project, you'll be asked about if you plan to use AI in the work – and if so, how.

*This grant cycle is for 501(c)3 and fiscally-sponsored organizations/projects. We ask individual filmmakers to apply through our Local Filmmaker Open Call in early 2027.

Grant Award Levels

The Community Voices Open Call will award one-year, non-renewable project grants at three different amounts:

• Level 1: $10,000
  • Supports new or smaller-scale projects/experimentation in the service of movement building.
• Level 2: $20,000
  • Supports larger-scale projects or collaborations that result in innovative media that builds stronger networks and collective power.
• Level 3: $30,000
  • Supports existing projects to expand, evolve, or deepen their work focused on movement building through innovative media that builds stronger networks and collective power. 

Please consider what level of funding works best for your proposed project and the scale of the work. Proposals will only be considered for the level of funding you request, so be sure to make a strong case for that tier and your project's budget. PMF will award $600,000 total in grants.

How to Apply/Application Materials:

• APPLY ONLINE (English)
• PREVIEW THE APPLICATION (English)
• APLICA EN LINEA (Español)
• PREVIA DE LA APLICACIÓN (Español)
• CLICK HERE FOR A SAMPLE BUDGET TEMPLATE

We aim to keep the process for applying as simple as we can. To apply, you will fill out an online application which includes contact information, a brief narrative about your project, and a project timeline and budget. You will receive confirmation when your application has been received.

Timeline and Review Process

Timeline (subject to change)

• August 18: Application opens
• August 20: Office hours, 5-6pm ET (Register Here)
• September 11: Office hours, 10-11am ET (Register Here)
• September 16: Application closes at 11:59pm ET
• November: All applicants notified of decisions* / grants announced

*If possible, we will let applicants know earlier on if their proposal will not be funded.

The Review Process

Each year, PMF pulls together a diverse panel of nine mediamakers and movement builders to review Community Voices applications and select proposals to fund. The review process is guided by external facilitators, who have previous experience with community-led grantmaking. PMF staff and board do not make the decisions.

The panel is composed of individuals who have demonstrated a deep understanding of the local media and/or movement building scene. They are rooted in community and deeply knowledgeable about organizing peoples and raising awareness and solidarity around political and social issues through the use of media.

Proposals will be reviewed at the same time — after the application deadline has passed. The panelists will consider the following criteria/questions:

• Does the proposed work directly support community organizing and/or movement building efforts?
• Does the proposed work support increased agency, civic engagement, and/or political education?
• Does the project address systemic inequalities and/or contribute to narratives that center marginalized people?
• Does the proposed work compensate community members directly for their stories and contributions?
• Does the proposed work amplify the stories and needs of communities excluded from media-making, in partnership with those communities?
• Does the proposed work seek to build lasting community connections through media and media making?
• Does the proposal work feature collaboration between multiple partners?
• Is the project and/or organization led by a member of a historically excluded group?

"Historically excluded" includes: BIPOC, LGTBQ+ communities, immigrants, people living with disabilities, or people who have other lived experiences that are historically excluded from media making.

Office Hours

People's Media Fund staff will host two virtual office hours in August and September to answer any questions about the application process. Multiple people are welcome to join and ask questions.  Click below to register and attend:

• Thursday, August 20: 5-6pm ET (Register Here)
• Friday, September 11: 10-11am ET (Register Here)

Can't attend office hours? Email programs@peoplesmediafund.org for the recording.