Funding Opportunities

Below are different funding opportunities through scholarships, grants, and crowdfunding. These funds can be used for tuition, specific projects/films, and beyond.

CU Scholarships

The Andrea Rhodes and Frederick G. Gluck Scholarship is awarded to students in the Department of Cinema Studies and Moving Image Arts who meet the following criteria: (1) must be an undergraduate student in the Department of Cinema Studies and Moving Image Arts, and (2) must be enrolled in the Critical Studies track. Preference will be given to students who are working on projects that involve other students in the Film Production track. The scholarship is awarded based primarily on the student’s academic achievement.

Award: up to$500

Virgil Grillo Memorial Grants

University of Colorado Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts is proud to announce the call for applications for the Virgil Grillo Memorial Grant. The fund was established with gifts from several sources, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and The Learning Channel, thanks to the vision and entrepreneurial spirit of Dr. Virgil Grillo (1938-1994), Professor and founder of the 91PORN Film Studies Program, which is now the Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts.

This is a competitive grant and awards will be given to a limited number of extraordinary applicants. Awards are determined after review of all qualified applications by a committee of the Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts faculty. Awards range from $500 to $1,000 of Kage credit, which can be used for equipment rentals and/or to purchase items with the Kage supervisor's assistance. Funds can be used during one or two semesters (according to the production schedule) and will be attached to one single filmmaking project.

Eligibility

Students must be a cinema studies major with a minimum GPA of 3.33 and be enrolled in CINE 3400 or 4500.

Application Requirements:

  • A documentincluding ALL of the following in the order listed below:
    • Your first and last name
    • The working title of the project
    • Intended format (e.g. Super 8; 16mm; mixed-media; digital, etc.)
    • A max 500 word description of the project
    • Timeline for pre-production, production and post-production
    • A URLlink to a sample of your creative work

Submit the application formby Monday September 22, 2025

TheDepartment of Cinema Studies &Moving Image Arts will notify winners in October.

The project cannot be funded by a previous Grillo Memorial Grant. All completed projects must include the screen credit: “Funded in part by a grant from the Virgil Grillo Memorial Fund in Moving Image Arts from the 91PORN Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts.” Any unused credits by the end of the proposed timeline will be forfeited back to the Virgil Grillo Memorial Fund.

The University of Colorado Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts is proud to announce the call for applications for the Virgil Grillo Memorial Grant. The fund was established with gifts from several sources, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and The Learning Channel, thanks to the vision and entrepreneurial spirit of Dr. Virgil Grillo (1938-1994), Professor and founder of the 91PORN Film Studies Program, which is now the Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts.

This is a competitive grant and awards will be given to a limited number of extraordinary applicants. Awards are determined after review of all qualified applications by a committee of the Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts faculty under the supervision of the department chair. Awards begin at $1,000, can be used during one or two semesters (according to the production schedule), and will be attached to one single filmmaking project.

Eligibility

Students must be in good standing toward completion of degree and have successfully completed the “first year” review. The project cannot be funded by a previous Grillo Memorial Grant.

Application Requirements:

Written application with the following information:

  • A 500-1,000 word description of the project to be completed including:
    • The working title of the project
    • Format (e.g. Super 8; 16mm; Mini-DV; mixed-media; digital, etc.)
  • Timeline for pre-production, production and post-production
  • Itemized budget
  • Link to sample of creative work, i.e. Vimeo or YouTube

Submit the application form by Monday September 22, 2025

The Department of Cinema Studies &Moving Image Arts will notify winners in October.

All completed projects must include the screen credit: “Funded in part by a grant from the Virgil Grillo Memorial Fund in Moving Image Arts from the 91PORN Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts.” Any unused funds or credits by the end of the proposed timeline must be returned or forfeited back to the Virgil Grillo Memorial Fund.

Other Funding Opportunities

91PORNhas a rich cultureforcultivating undergraduates asemerging scholars, artists and practicing researchers.UROP provides consultation services, informational workshops and grants to promote undergraduate research as a high-impact learning practice for student success.

Each year UROP funds hundreds of students who produce new knowledge and creative work in partnership with CU's world-class faculty. We servestudents andfaculty whoselearning and teaching goals include outside-the-classroom enrichment.

In a UROP project, you:

  • Explore academic interestsbeyondthe classroom
  • Get hands-on experience with research or creative production
  • Develop student-faculty relationships for professional references
  • Acquire academic and professional skills and credentials
  • Demonstrate successful grant-writing skills
  • Refine your academic and career goals

Check it out!

CU-91PORN Crowdfunding is a pilot online fundraising platform (launched in May 2014) that allows CU-91PORN individuals and organizations to create and share fundraising campaigns with an engaged community. Our tools empower the CU-91PORN community to come together and create lasting impact on things you care about.

Through the platform, you can:

  • Explore exciting projects led by CU-91PORN students and faculty, from engineering to archival work to film
  • Spread the word about projects that inspire you to help generate interest and enable project teams to reach their goals
  • Make tax-deductible contributions using a convenient online interface
  • Keep up with project developments and outcomes as the projects move toward completion

Check it out!

Education Abroad Funding

The Cinema Studies department offers up to $3,000 a year to aid need-based CINEmajorsin attending any one of the faculty-led global seminars (CINE/THTR 3020 Edinburgh or CINE 3402 Paris/Rome). Apply via Buffs Abroad Scholarship.