Mycoskie – UC Berkeley Psychedelic Documentary Fellowship 2026

If you're a documentary filmmaker with a story about psychedelics burning a hole in your notebook, this one is worth your full attention. The Mycoskie – UC Berkeley Psychedelic Documentary Fellowship, run by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism together with the university's Center for the Science of Psychedelics, hands out real production money — up to $20,000 for feature-length films and up to $10,000 for short-form work. Applications are open right now, but not for long: the deadline is October 5, 2026, so you'll want to move quickly.

In short: The Mycoskie – UC Berkeley Psychedelic Documentary Fellowship 2026 offers filmmakers worldwide two grant tracks — up to $20,000 for three feature-length documentaries and up to $10,000 each for up to five short-form documentaries — on stories about the science, policy, business, and culture of psychedelics. (Mycoskie UC Berkeley Documentary Fellowship 2026) Applications close Monday, October 5, 2026, at 11:59pm PST, with decisions by December 2026.

Quick Overview

• Host Country: United States (UC Berkeley, California — applications open worldwide)
• Host Institution: UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism; a project of the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics
• Degree Level: Not a degree — open to professional and student documentary filmmakers (short-form track is for graduate-level films)
• Program Duration: Grants support production or post-production of your film project
• Funding Type: Production grants (fellowship, not a scholarship — money goes to your film)
• Deadline: Monday, October 5, 2026, 11:59pm PST

Benefits of the Mycoskie – UC Berkeley Psychedelic Documentary Fellowship

This is production funding, pure and simple — money to make your film happen. Two grant tracks, two different budgets:

• Feature-Length Documentary Grant — up to $20,000. Three filmmakers will receive up to $20,000 each to support the production or post-production of a feature-length documentary, defined as a film longer than 40 minutes.
• Short-Form Documentary Grant — up to $10,000 each. Up to five filmmakers will receive up to $10,000 each for the production of a short-form documentary, 40 minutes or less in length.
• Spend it where it counts. The grants are designed to cover real filmmaking costs — production expenses, equipment, crew, and post-production work like editing, color, and sound.
• The Berkeley halo. This fellowship is a project of the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics and is administered by one of the world's best journalism schools. That affiliation alone opens doors with distributors, festivals, and funders.
• A serious selection panel. Awards are decided by a selection committee of three industry professionals distinguished in their respective fields — so being chosen says something real about your project.

One honest note: this is a grant for your film, not a salary or a scholarship for you personally. The money supports production and post-production costs, and it isn't full financing for a big-budget feature. Think of it as meaningful seed or completion funding that can unlock the rest.

Eligibility Criteria for the Mycoskie – UC Berkeley Psychedelic Documentary Fellowship

The bar is set at filmmaking ability, not nationality or credentials. Here's who can apply:

• Open worldwide. Both grants are open to filmmakers from every country — there is no restriction on nationality or citizenship status.
• Feature-length track is fully open. Any documentary filmmaker can apply for the Feature-Length Documentary Grant, student or professional.
• Short-form track requires graduate-level films. Only films produced at the graduate school level are eligible for the Short-Form Documentary Grant — your film should be part of your graduate studies.
• Faculty letter for student applicants. If you're a student applying for the short-form grant, you need a letter of support from a faculty advisor who will supervise the completion of the film as part of your graduate program. That letter must be submitted by the application deadline — no exceptions.
• Documentary only. Your project must be a documentary or nonfiction film. Fiction films are not supported.
• Independently produced. Films commissioned by NGOs or brands are not eligible. The fellowship is for independent filmmakers with their own stories to tell.
• Language flexibility. Your film can be in any language, as long as it carries English subtitles. The application itself must be written in English, since the selection committee can't evaluate applications in other languages.

The theme also matters: they're looking for groundbreaking, cinematic stories — untold narratives that shed light on the science, policy, business, and culture of this new era of psychedelics. A personal story, a scientific investigation, or a cultural critique all fit, as long as the storytelling is genuinely cinematic.

How to Apply for the Mycoskie – UC Berkeley Psychedelic Documentary Fellowship

The application follows the Non-Fiction Core standards used across the documentary funding world, so if you've applied to documentary funds before, the rhythm will feel familiar. Here's the sequence:

1. Read the application guide for your track. On the official apply page, open the Feature-Length or Short-Form Documentary Grant application guide and read it end to end. It lays out exactly what the committee wants to see. 2. Complete the eligibility questionnaire. Applications run through the Berkeley Journalism fellowship portal on Submittable. You'll first answer a short eligibility questionnaire, and if you're eligible, you'll be directed to the full application. 3. Prepare your proposal package. Build your materials to the guide's requirements — your project description and artistic approach, a realistic production budget, work samples from films where you held a principal role, and (for the short-form grant) your faculty advisor's letter of support. Give yourself real time for this; the official page explicitly warns that the application needs more detail than the standard form. 4. Submit before the deadline. Everything must be submitted by 11:59pm PST on Monday, October 5, 2026. The official page is blunt: no extensions. 5. Wait for the committee's decision. A three-person panel of industry professionals reviews every application. All applicants are notified of award decisions by December 2026. For questions along the way, you can contact the fellowship team at mycoskiefellows@journalism.berkeley.edu.

Required Documents

The exact forms and fields live in the two application guides on the official apply page — read those as your source of truth. Based on the guides and the Non-Fiction Core standards the fellowship follows, prepare:

• Completed online application through the Submittable portal
• Project proposal describing your film's narrative, objectives, and fit with the fellowship's themes
• Production budget for the project
• Work samples from previous films where you served in a principal role (director, co-director, producer, co-producer)
• Director's CV or filmmaker bio
• Letter of support from a faculty advisor (Short-Form Documentary Grant applicants only — submitted by the deadline)

Mycoskie – UC Berkeley Psychedelic Documentary Fellowship Deadline

Applications for the 2026 fellowship close on Monday, October 5, 2026, at 11:59pm PST — that's the hard cutoff published on the official apply page, with no extensions. If you're reading this close to that date, treat it as urgent: the Submittable eligibility questionnaire plus a full proposal package is not a one-evening job.

What happens if you miss it? The fellowship has run multiple cycles, so a future round is likely — the psychedelics.berkeley.edu page already lists the 2026 fellows alongside the program. Missing this round means waiting for the next call, so bookmark the official apply page and the Center for the Science of Psychedelics site, and use the extra time to shoot a stronger trailer or proof of concept.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can apply for the Mycoskie – UC Berkeley Psychedelic Documentary Fellowship?

Documentary filmmakers from anywhere in the world, regardless of nationality or citizenship. The feature-length track is open to all filmmakers; the short-form track is limited to films made at the graduate school level, with a faculty advisor's letter of support required for student applicants.

What is the difference between the two grants?

The Feature-Length Documentary Grant gives up to $20,000 each to three filmmakers for a film longer than 40 minutes, covering production or post-production. The Short-Form Documentary Grant gives up to $10,000 each to up to five filmmakers for a film of 40 minutes or less, covering production.

Is this a scholarship or a grant for my film?

It's a grant for your film, not a personal scholarship. The money is meant for production and post-production costs — cameras, crew, travel for shoots, editing, post work — not tuition, living expenses, or a salary. Apply if you have a psychedelics documentary that needs funding to get made.

Do I need to be a student to apply?

No. The feature-length grant is open to professional and independent filmmakers alike. Only the short-form grant is tied to graduate studies — and even there, the requirement is that the film itself is graduate-level work with faculty supervision, not that you fit a narrow student profile.

Can my film be in a language other than English?

Yes, films in other languages are welcome as long as they include English subtitles. Your application, however, must be written in English, because the selection committee doesn't have the capacity to evaluate applications in other languages.

Can I apply with a fiction film or a commissioned project?

No. The fellowship does not support fiction films, and films commissioned by NGOs or brands are not eligible. It exists to fund independent documentary storytelling about psychedelics — the science, policy, business, and culture of the field.

When is the deadline for the 2026 fellowship?

Monday, October 5, 2026, at 11:59pm PST, according to the official apply page. There are no extensions, so plan to submit at least a day early in case of technical issues with the portal.

When will I hear back about my application?

The official page states that all applicants will be notified of award decisions by December 2026. The selection committee is made up of three industry professionals distinguished in their fields.

Is there an application fee?

The official materials describe no application fee. The application is submitted free through the Submittable portal after the eligibility questionnaire.

Can I apply for both grants?

The fellowship offers the two grants as separate tracks with separate application guides. Check the guides on the official apply page for whether a single filmmaker may enter both — and if you do, make sure each application is tailored to the track's requirements rather than duplicated.

Final Words

Psychedelics is one of the most important — and most misunderstood — stories of our time, and it desperately needs good filmmakers telling it well. If you've got an untold story about the science, the policy fights, the business boom, or the culture around psychedelics, this fellowship exists precisely for you. The October 5 deadline is close, so don't overthink it: open the application guide, pull your best work samples, and get your proposal in.