Hello, all!
I'm very new to the documentary production process. I am helping a friend raise money to realize his dream of making a documentary questioning the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Edgar Allan Poe against the backdrop of the socio-economic and political realities of 19th century Baltimore.
He's been working on this for well over a decade now, and has a very detailed and well-thought plan, in addition to some participation arrangements with successful documentary filmmakers, so I am confident in the "bedrock" of the written materials and accounting data upon which I am building our funding strategy.
I am familiar with fundraising for social service agencies, higher education, and the visual arts, but this is my first foray into documentary film and it looks like there are significant aspects of documentary funding that are unique to the discipline.
I've found some solid information online and even a few leads worth pursuing, but would definitely be grateful for any wisdom and advice I could gain from those more experienced than I.
Most notably-what are good ways to get leads/ideas/contact information for organizations that issue grants for documentary films (particularly those focusing more on the American history and/or literature fields)?
Thanks for any guidance anybody should provide!