Would your research make a good documentary?

Documentaries can be a compelling, engaging way to mobilize knowledge and reach a wide audience. If you ever thought a documentary film could be an excellent way to showcase your research results, a SSHRC Connection Grant may be the place to start.

Connection Grants are valued at between $7,000 and $25,000 for events, and up to $50,000 for other outreach activities. The short-term, targeted knowledge mobilization events and activities they support represent opportunities for participants to exchange knowledge and engage on important research issues. Events and activities funded by a Connection Grant often serve as a first step toward more comprehensive, longer-term projects that may potentially be eligible for funding through other SSHRC funding opportunities.

You can apply for a Connection Grant to help you bring your project to film in one of two ways:

  1. Team up with a documentary filmmaker (e.g., through the Documentary Organization of Canada) to create a “pilot” documentary. This is a great way to showcase a documentary concept, and is often the first step to obtaining funding for the full documentary project through other funders. Costs associated with creating a pilot documentary are considered eligible Connection Grant expenses.
  2. Use a Connection Grant to fund a conference or workshop that will explore how to move your research to the screen.

Note: Grant funding can only be administered by an eligible Canadian institution or a not-for-profit organization. Not-for-profit organizations can apply for Connection Grants, but they must, prior to receiving the grant, have obtained their restricted institutional eligibility and have signed the Terms and Conditions for Not-For-Profit Organizations. However, the intellectual leadership and governance for Connection Grant activities may come from within the research community and/or from within the public, private and/or not-for-profit sectors.