Program guide

How to apply to IDFA Bertha Fund – IBF Classic

Documentary film fund supporting directors from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and Oceania with development and production grants.

Official page Listing details

Step by step

Check that you are eligibleThe published rules: Open to creators and freelancers; Documentary projects from directors in IBF's supported-country list (Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Caribbean, Oceania).
Gather the materialsYou will need: Project proposal, Financial summary, Artist statement, Work samples.
Write the answersRead the funder's priorities and scoring criteria first, and use their terms in your section headings.
Submit on the official pageApply through the official page (Own portal) before 10 February 2027, and keep the confirmation.
Follow upNote when results are due. If the organiser invites questions, ask once, briefly, after the date has passed.

Timeline

By 13 January 2027Check fit and list the materialsRead the official page, confirm every eligibility rule and list what the application asks for.
By 20 January 2027Draft the answers and documentsDraft each written answer and document from what you already have, citing real facts only.
By 3 February 2027Review against the criteriaReread every answer against the published criteria, fill the gaps and check every upload.
By 8 February 2027Submit and keep the confirmationSubmit before the last day; portals slow down near deadlines. Save the confirmation.

At a glance

Organizer: IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)
Timing: Apply by 10 February 2027
Cycle: Once a year: entries open late December, single deadline February 10
Where: Amsterdam, Netherlands
What you get: Up to €7,500 grant
Cost: Free to apply and take part
Applied through: Own portal
Account: You need an account on the application system

Who can apply

Open to creators and freelancers
Documentary projects from directors in IBF's supported-country list (Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Caribbean, Oceania).

Materials checklist

Project proposalOnward Scout drafts it from your sourced profile; you approve every line.
Financial summaryUpload yours, or let Onward Scout draft one from your profile for you to edit.
Artist statementOnward Scout drafts it from your sourced profile; you approve every line.
Work samplesOnly you can supply it: upload it once and it is attached wherever it is asked for.

Questions you will meet, answered honestly

What is the need or problem?

Evidence first: sourced data or what you have observed directly. Leave out claims you cannot support.

How will you measure success?

Two or three measurable outputs and how you will collect the evidence. Don't promise outcomes the project can't control.

What reviewers of grants look for

Read the funder's priorities and scoring criteria first, and use their terms in your section headings.
Make the budget match the work plan line by line; unexplained costs lower feasibility scores.
When the call invites it, contact the program officer; a short question about fit can save a full application.

The full playbook for grants

How Onward Scout helps

This one is submitted on the organiser's own site, behind your login. Onward Scout prepares every answer and file in the form's order with one-tap copy, so submitting takes minutes; you mark it submitted when you're done.

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Let Onward Scout prepare your IDFA Bertha Fund – IBF Classic application

Get your application narrative and project proposal for this programme, drafted from your own documents in about two minutes. Free to start, no account needed. Every answer is drafted from your own documents with sources, and nothing is submitted without your tap.

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