Southern Documentary Fund is excited to announce that we have been selected as a recipient of a 2026 Multiyear Grant from the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation.
The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation’s multiyear grantmaking supports nonprofits working in Arts, Arts Education, and Student Academic Success as they build long-term capacity and effectiveness, particularly during pivotal moments of organizational growth and transition.
For SDF, this investment comes during an exciting period of growth.
The grant will support SDF in strengthening our fundraising infrastructure to help sustain our recent organizational and programmatic expansion. Building that capacity behind the scenes means creating even more possibilities for the filmmakers and storytellers at the center of our work.
It means more opportunities to ensure Southern projects, filmmakers, and stories are seen, heard, and supported.
It means more opportunities to bring Southern makers together and strengthen a documentary community rooted in connection and collaboration.
And it means more opportunities to help filmmakers learn, grow, and strengthen their craft.
SDF believes Southern documentary makers have vital stories to tell. Our role is not only to support individual projects, but also to help cultivate an ecosystem where Southern filmmakers have access to the resources, relationships, knowledge, and opportunities they need to continue telling those stories.
Strengthening SDF’s fundraising infrastructure helps us continue building that ecosystem for the long term.
We are grateful to the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation for recognizing the importance of investing in organizational capacity and for supporting SDF as we enter this next chapter of our growth.
SDF joins Community Music School, Hillsborough Arts Council, Kidznotes, and Latino Educational Achievement Partnership as recipients of the Foundation’s 2026 Multiyear Grants.
We’re excited about what this investment will help make possible—and about continuing to build a stronger future for Southern documentary storytelling.
