How to Pitch to the Fund

Periodically, NNAF will hold open calls for pitches.  The deadline for the 2025 open call for script development grants was August 1, 2025.  Please join our mailing list for updates on the recent open call and to be notified about future opportunities. Please do not send unsolicited pitches to the Fund as they will be deleted and not read.


 

General FAQs

The Next Narrative Africa Fund invests in narrative shifting audio-visual projects that grapple with and/or challenge prevailing stereotypes about Africa and people of African descent focused on select social impact storytelling themes.  Audio-visual projects include storytelling media such as:

      • Feature films
      • Television series
      • Podcasts
      • Interactive content, including gaming

 

We are interested in audio-visual projects that are entertaining with broad, global, commercial appeal AND are likely to earn critical acclaim.  

  • The Next Narrative Africa Fund’s Advisory Board and Investment Committee considers the following criteria for making investments in audio-visual content as follows:
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      • Commercially viable with global appeal and distribution potential
      • $1-5+ million total budget per project
      • African and African-diasporan creatives at the helm
      • 50% or more production in Africa, including principal photography
      • Apprenticeships/internships or other initiatives to build capacity among women/youth

         

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Next Narrative Africa Fund provides:
 
  • Grants to audio-visual projects at the concept stage in need of development
  • Access to our global network of strategic partners
  • Equity investments into audio-visual projects that are in later stages of development or production
  • Equity investments into infrastructure that supports Africa’s creative industries

We make grants that range from $20,000 to $500,000, and aim to invest equity from $200,000 to $1.5 million. For equity investments, we aim to invest up to 30 percent of the total project budget and be among the first, if not the first investor.

  • No, the fund exclusively offers grants and equity investments, which should help projects secure additional debt financing, if needed.
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  • No, however we will periodically run short film competitions as they can often serve as proof of concept for a fuller feature film or series, and help uncover emerging talent. Join our mailing list for information on these opportunities. 
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  • Although the Fund is genre agnostic, we are unlikely to invest in documentaries except where there is a compelling commercial angle. 
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Periodically the Fund will hold open calls for submissions. Please do not email pitches to the Fund outside of the submissions process as they will be deleted without reading.

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  • We are currently evaluating projects for initial grant investments in 2025.
  • We will begin by rolling out grant funding, with the inaugural cohort of projects set to be announced in late 2025. As part of receiving this grant, the project is eligible to be considered for future consideration for equity investment.