For months the “Stay in L.A.” movement has called for fleeing film and television productions to return to their cultural home in Southern California.
Since writers Alexandra Pechman and Sarah Adina Smith founded the grassroots campaign in the wake of January’s Southern California wildfires, they and their supporters have headlined local rallies and lobbied politicians for city policy reforms. Alongside unions and fellow production advocates, their group championed a major expansion to California’s film and television tax credit program that passed the state legislature on July 3.
And now, The Hollywood Reporter has learned, their campaign has inspired a new filmmaking grant. On June 15, the documentary production company All Facts (Telemarketers, Deepfaking Sam Altman) opened applications for the “Stay in L.A.” Documentary Development Grant, which will offer funding for projects in early stages that tell L.A.-area stories.
The grant will provide filmmakers who can provide proof of their L.A. County residency between $10,000 to $30,000 in funding for “documentaries primarily set and shot within Los Angeles,” according to the production company. Funds can be used for development activities like writing, location scouting, securing rights, researching and pitching.
In its first year, the grant will only be awarded to one project, but the idea is to bestow support on more projects in future years, says All Facts co-founder Adam Bhala Lough. Lough is a “Stay in L.A.” supporter who has previously written about the subject for THR.
“This city has given me so much: my career, my community, my family and I want to give something back,” Bhala Lough said in a statement. “That’s why I created the STAY IN LA Grant: to give local storytellers a running start so they can keep shooting in their own neighborhoods and tell L.A.’s stories the way only they can.”
The application window will be open until September 15, with awards set to be announced on November 1. All Facts, co-founded by Bhala Lough and film financier Greg Stewart (Telemarketers, There There), will handle selection and administration of the grant.
“We hear from local filmmakers on a daily basis telling us how there simply isn’t enough infrastructure in our city to support production – let alone unscripted production, which has historically received much less incentivized support,” “Stay in L.A.” co-founder Pechman said in a statement. “Stay in LA was founded to keep production in LA and we are grateful to see groups like ALL FACTS investing in creating jobs and opportunities for our city’s nonfiction filmmakers.”
Dismal production levels in L.A. have spurred local entertainment advocates like Pechman and Lough into overdrive in 2025. Legislators have also been pushing potential solutions to the city’s downturn in filming activity, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom finally signing his proposed infusion of $750 million into California’s film and television tax credit program into law on July 2. On the city level, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass signed an executive order in May aimed at streamlining bureaucratic red tape around local production while City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian is currently researching potential permitting reforms.
