Independent Producers and Public Television Stations currently face similar challenges as they respond to a rapidly shifting media landscape. The evolution of new ways to create and distribute media accompanied by shrinking resources has made this an exciting as well as an anxious time.

ITVS is evaluating how we can improve our LINCS initiative and take advantage of the opportunities that independent producer and station partnerships can offer in the new media landscape.

While we will continue to fund stand-alone documentaries for broadcast, ITVS is working to catalyze partnerships that support independents by seeking demonstration projects that include both broadcast and transmedia components.

In place of an annual call for proposals, we will be working in the field to identify and invite proposals for projects that represent model collaborations — collaborations that bring value to the presenting stations and the communities they serve and resonate with local, regional, national and global audiences.

We encourage producers and station partners to contact us about projects that meet the LINCS guidelines for eligibility. The application materials required include a station letter of support and summary budgets that show station in-kind contributions.

There is no deadline for proposals. LINCS proposals will be reviewed throughout the year, individually after receipt of all required materials. Additional materials such as a line item budget and an expanded proposal may be requested after the initial review.

Please visit our LINCS funding page for more details about how to apply.

About LINCS
Since 1999, the ITVS LINCS (Linking Independents and Collaborating Stations) initiative has provided matching funds for over 115 producer and station partnerships. LINCS allows independent producers to leverage the support of stations while helping stations access the talent of independent producers. LINCS partnerships have resulted in award-winning programs that serve both local and national audiences and provide fresh perspectives on stories that cover and mirror the breadth and diversity of our nation.

The deadline for LINCS submissions is Friday, June 18, 2010. Due dates are not postmark deadlines and all materials must arrive at ITVS by 5:00 PM PDT.

Find more information about guidelines and how to apply >>

Have additional questions about LINCS? Email jonathan_archer@itvs.org or call 415-356-8383 x284.

Looking for advice on how to create a more compelling proposal? Click on the “continue reading” button below to get some insider tips.

Proposal Writing Teleseminar

In January, ITVS Senior Programming Manager Richard Saiz gave a teleseminar in collaboration with DocuMentors on how to make an ITVS proposal more competitive. Richard oversees the Open Call, but the advice is good for any of ITVS’s production funding initiatives.

Listen to the audio recording >>

Beyond the Box blog and the ITVS website are also great resources for application tips. Check out the articles below and learn how you can stick out among the applicants:

Ask Programming: Seven Criteria for Your Film Proposal
ITVS fields well over 1,000 applications for program funding. In reviewing a documentary proposal, there are seven criteria that ITVS and its peer reviewers consider in their evaluations.
Learn the seven criteria >>

Inside the Minds of the Panelists
ITVS’s Funding Panels are made up of peers in the independent film and public media community. We recently asked them to answer the question, “What do you look for in a successful documentary proposal?”
Get insight into the review and decision-making process >>

Ask Programming: Seven Tips When Applying for Funding

ITVS Programming staff recently contributed to an article for the fundraising bible Shaking the Money Tree by Morrie Warshawski. Here are seven tips for producers when applying for funding from ITVS.

Read the seven tips >>

LINCS Initiative

Q: My proposal was declined from the last round of Open Call. Can I apply to LINCS with the same project?

A. Yes, you may apply for LINCS with the same project. The application and evaluation processes for the two initiatives are distinct and a declination in one initiative does not affect your chances in the other. There are differences between the initiatives. The most notable is that the LINCS initiative requires a producer and public television station partnership while Open Call does not. Please read the full guidelines to see if your project is a good fit for LINCS.

Q: I have had communications with two stations who are interested in supporting my proposal for LINCS this year. Can I partner with both?

A. Yes, you can partner with more than one public television station for the LINCS initiative. Letters of Agreement with each station must be negotiated and included with the proposal materials. These letters should make clear how the required LINCS partnership responsibilities are divided up among the partnering stations. You can also use the combined in-kind from both stations in your matching funds request from LINCS (up to $100,00).

Q: Would partnering with a station in a top market help my chances of getting LINCS funding?

A. No, partnering with a station in a top market is not a guarantee of funding. LINCS partner stations represent small to large markets all across the country. Of stations partnering with LINCS funded programs in the last two years, 56 percent were from a top-50 market and 44 percent were from smaller markets.

A station’s market is not a factor in the evaluation of a LINCS proposal. Evaluators do take into consideration the letter of agreement between the producer and the station partner. What interest does the station have in this project? What resources and support will it commit? These are more important factors when reviewing the strength of the station-producer partnership.

Want to know more about ITVS policies and procedures for funding? Read past entries of Ask Programming >>

Learn more about a recent LINCS partnership with WTIU-Bloomington, IN and the film BLACKING UP: Hip-Hop’s Remix of Race and Identity, which explores the tension between white racial identity and black cultural propriety at a time when hip-hop is redefining American life. Brent Molnar, program manager at WTIU, shares his thoughts about the film, which airs in December on public television.

As a Program Manager of a local PBS station, I was brought into the BLACKING UP project to assist the producer, Robert Clift, in creating a more conservative version of his original documentary, and to make recommendations for editing strong language and specific content that public television viewers might find objectionable. Initially, I thought my role with the documentary was to be fairly nuts and bolts – bleep this, pull that out, say this in a different way, etc.

What I didn’t expect, however, was the amount of historical content and the broad range of perspectives BLACKING UP contained. As a society, I think we sometimes gloss over the human experience, and may even begin to pocket people into different categories, just to be able to deal with everything that comes at us in a given day. When this happens, I think we lose part of the richness and depth that our culture really possesses. This can lead to us not only missing out on opportunities to understand one another, but to understand ourselves as well.

What BLACKING UP did for me was to bring into focus broader questions surrounding racial identity and authenticity. It added to the appreciation I have for my friends of different races, and it even changed the way I understand the white teenagers who shuffle through downtown with their jeans nearly falling off their waists. And so began many conversations with the project’s producer about how the doc’s central message could be communicated without including content which might be considered gratuitous.

At its core BLACKING UP really delves into racial identity and authenticity in a way that can not only help us to better understand the perspective of others, but also to better understand our own experience.

Brent Molnar
Program Manager, WTIU-Bloomington, IN

Learn more about a recent LINCS partnership with KLRU-Austin and the film TATTOOED UNDER FIRE, which looks at a tattoo parlor in Killeen, Texas where war-bound and returning soldiers go under the needle and confess their deepest secrets and fears. Maria Rodriguez, senior vice president of programming at KLRU-Austin, shares her thoughts about the film, which airs in November on public television.

I am deeply saddened by the events at Fort Hood this past week. My thoughts and prayers go out to the soldiers and their families at this time.

When I first watched clips of TATTOOED UNDER FIRE by Nancy Schiesari, I saw an outline of a unique story that needed to be brought to public television. I saw young men and women just out of high school who were preparing to go to war in Iraq as they as visited a local tattoo parlor near their base. There they revealed their American pride, their concerns and fears about going over to fight. Then the film provides more revelations upon their return from Iraq. Each soldier gives their own personal perspective giving us the sense of the human and cultural cost of war. It gives a perspective and an experience that very few of us will ever experience in our lifetime.

As an independent producer, Nancy Schiesari has shown her skill in transitioning the original Fort Hood Diaries project into TATTOOED UNDER FIRE. The early cuts that I saw have now been polished into this one-hour documentary. I want to thank her for listening to the many voices providing her with direction to finish this film. I also want to thank the folks from ITVS with the assistance of LINCS funding in getting this program ready for air. They have provided lots of support to get this program on many of the public television stations. And the good news is that many of the public television stations around the country are planning to air the program in November around Veteran’s Day.

TATTOOED UNDER FIRE is an excellent contemporary documentary that provides a unique look into our world.

Maria Rodriguez,
Senior Vice President of Programming, KLRU-Austin

In serving on the LINCS panel, what is the principal challenge for you?
LINCS Panelist: The biggest challenge is deciding which of the 30 proposals best fit the LINCS objectives. This initiative was created to bring indies and public television stations together, and it has been a very successful. So I’m always challenged to look beyond the projects that appeal to me personally and to project which have the potential to make the greatest impact with broadcast and community outreach. Fortunately, these criteria often intersect.

What do you enjoy most about serving on the LINCS panel?
LP: I watch a lot of programs in my daily life but serving on the panel is special because I get the opportunity to meet fascinating filmmakers and public television programmers and to hear other points of view about a wide range to ideas. It’s amazing that no matter how diverse our real life experiences are, we always end up agreeing on the top projects. We may not rank them quite the same but we generally agree on why each indie-station partnership proposal will make good television.

What makes a great panelist?
LP: A great panelist is someone with strong opinions about what he/she likes and dislikes and why––but who isn’t bound by an ideological passion that shuts down the discussion. For the filmmakers on the panel, this is an inside peek on how public television programmers think and respond to programs, and for programmers, it is very insightful to hear why filmmakers are so driven to make films.

Describe a trend that you’ve noticed with this year’s LINCS finalists.
LP: A lot of proposals reflect the issues in the news. So we’re seeing programs about immigration, race, civil rights and economic issues as they affect country and particular communities.

What words of advice would you give to a LINCS finalist?
LP: This is a tight competition and so little things really matter. Get to the point and tell us why you want to make this film and what each of the players brings to project. Try to anticipate the questions that panel will be asking and remember that we can all Google. And I cannot emphasize enough how important the video component is. I’ve seen programs totally turn around in the ranking because of what’s seen.

Find more information about LINCS funding >>