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This amount will be match funded by the Channel 4 British Documentary Film Foundation, taking the total potential amount available up to £70,000. The award is open to hour long or feature length documentaries on relevant subjects.

Up to £35,000 is being offered by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust for one or more documentary projects that focus on issues of social justice, human rights and democracy in Britain today. This amount will be match funded by the Channel 4 British Documentary Film Foundation, taking the total potential amount available to £70,000, and is open for hour or feature length documentaries on relevant subjects.

The new fund was announced at the Would Like to Meet: The Campaigners event at BRITDOC 06 documentary festival. This unique networking session, presented at the festival by the Reform Trust, brought together 20 filmmakers to speed-date 20 representatives from a variety of British social and political campaigning groups, with the aim of stimulating ideas for new documentary projects. Participating groups included Liberty, Muslims for Secular Democracy, Campaign Against the Arms Trade, NO2ID, Abortion Rights and Tescopoly.

Mandy Cormack, a Director of the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, said: "We see documentaries as a potent medium for communicating complex human situations to the widest possible audience. We are looking forward to seeing proposals from filmmakers on a range of diverse issues, and hope that this new fund will enable a whole new generation of powerful British documentaries."

"More than any other art form, documentary is the ideal medium for bringing urgent stories and issues relating to our society to the attention of a large audience, and this new fund recognises their power and importance," comments Jess Search, Chief Executive, Channel 4 British Documentary Film Foundation. "We are very excited about enabling production of the kinds of films that have the power to provoke minds, challenge opinions, and perhaps even impact upon the way we live."

The Campaigners fund is open to all British filmmakers, not just those who attended the BRITDOC 06 Would Like To Meet Campaigners session and is now open for submissions until January 2007. The selection panel, consisting of representatives from the Channel 4 Documentary Film Foundation and the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, are looking for ideas in the documentary form, of any genre be it observational, essay or personal polemic. The central aim is to encourage filmmakers to use documentaries to bring pressing issues to the forefront of audiences' minds, and to engage in stories which have the power to impact on political agendas and social justice.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
Ideas for documentary films that focus on issues of social justice, human rights and democracy in Britain today between 60 and 90 minutes long, to be shot on any format and in any genre.
Documentary film ideas with budgets up to £70,000 to be fully financed by the CAMPAIGNERS FUND or if budgets exceed this, then a strategy for where the remainder of the money will be raised.
We work with award winning filmmakers, first time filmmakers and everyone in-between.
KEY DATES
Closing date for proposals is the 15th January 2007.
The selection panel will meet to discuss a shortlist of ideas in February 2007.
Shortlisted filmmakers may be asked to provide more detailed information and/or examples of previous work before the panel meetings.
Awards to be announced in March 2007 at the selection panel's discretion.
For further information visit www.britdoc.org/foundation/campaigners.php