Rotten Tomatoes & Chicago Film Critics Association Team Up to Provide Grants for Critics Attending TIFF 2025
In collaboration with the Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA), Rotten Tomatoes is pleased to announce that its grant program launched in 2018 will continue to support freelance and early-career press looking to attend TIFF 2025 in a professional capacity. Stipends from this program are intended to offset the expenses of festival travel and lodging, upgrading equipment needed for festival coverage, and/or incurred due to time off work to attend the festival. Applications are open June 9th through June 20th – you can apply HERE.
We are proud to work with the Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA), whose members will review the applications and recommend recipients for the grant. Rotten Tomatoes and the CFCA co-founded the Emerging Critics Grant in 2021, an annual program that provides a grant and mentorship to two next-generation critics in the Chicagoland area. This new collaboration extends our ongoing partnership, utilizing the expertise of CFCA members to review submissions and provide funding directly to the participants selected for stipends.
Eligible applicants will have already begun building a portfolio and audience for their work as critics. You may apply for the stipend regardless of whether you have previously attended or been accredited at TIFF. Membership in a critics’ organization, including the Chicago Film Critics Association, does not influence the outcome of your application.
Factors for selection include, but are not limited to:
Freelance and/or emerging journalist status
Use of new media to innovate coverage
Distinct expertise in film/television criticism
Unique analytical perspectives on the film/television industry
Only critics and journalists accredited as press for TIFF 2025 will be eligible to receive stipends. Press accreditation applications opened June 2 and are available here. Please apply for accreditation before submitting your application for the grant below.