Applications for the 2026 Nature Connection Pitch are now closed.
Thank you to all who applied. Finalists will be announced in March 2026.
As social culture moves increasingly online, society and technology have placed humankind on a path to becoming an indoor species. Today, most of us spend over 90% of our time indoors. This growing disconnection from nature has a significant negative impact on us, affecting our health in various ways — from health problems exacerbated by nature deprivation to systemic inequities reinforced when communities lack access to the outdoors.
Storytellers have a unique and important role to play in driving the culture change needed to increase our care and respect for the natural world and break down the systemic and individual barriers to outdoor access.
To support the production and impact of outstanding short films on the theme of nature connection, DC/DOX and The Redford Center are co-presenting a pitch event at the 2026 DC/DOX Festival in Washington, D.C. Awarded film teams will receive up to $30,000 in funding, impact and professional development training, as well as travel, accommodation, and passes to attend DC/DOX Festival.
An evolution and expansion on the Nature Connection and Nature Access Pitch that The Redford Center has sponsored since 2021, selected projects will showcase impactful stories of leaders, activists, and communities paving the way for solutions that reconnect individuals and communities with nature and the outdoors.
This opportunity calls for original stand-alone short documentaries in production of no more than 30 minutes that explore environmental stories centered around restoring humanity’s connection with nature and the outdoors.
Five finalists will be selected to attend in-person training and compete at the pitch event at the DC/DOX Festival in Washington, D.C. from June 11-14, 2026.
Finalists receive a workshop on impact-driven filmmaking and a tailored pitch training session hosted by The Redford Center, and will present their projects to a panel of environmental and filmmaking industry experts.
Four of the finalists will receive a non-recoupable grant of $5,000 to support the development and production of their project, while the winning project will receive a non-recoupable grant of $30,000.
This opportunity prioritizes stories representing communities often most impacted by environmental problems and challenges to outdoor access, including Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQIA+ people, immigrants, undocumented people, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, people with disabilities, and/or women.
Applicants must be living and working in the United States, though the project may take place anywhere.
Application Opens
Application Closes
All applicants notified
of status, finalists announced
DC/DOX Festival, including in person pitch training and Pitch event
Please direct any questions regarding this program to agovind@redfordcenter.org