The Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) has launched its first-ever funding program for Indigenous XR creators in the United States, generously supported by Agog: The Immersive Media Institute. The ISO Immersive Fund will invest $500,000 CAD to support innovative XR projects that meaningfully incorporate interactive and/or immersive elements.
Building on the success of ISO’s Canada-based interactive and immersive funding programs, this new initiative will provide Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian storytellers with access to development and production funding for XR projects. This is ISO’s second collaboration with Agog: The Immersive Media Institute which supported ISO’s delegate participation in the WORLDING program from the Co-Creation Studio at MIT Open Documentary Lab in 2025.
“The ISO continues to pave the way and expand our international reach as a uniquely positioned Indigenous funder,” said Kerry Swanson, ISO CEO. “This program recognizes our self-determination as Indigenous peoples working across colonial borders and ensures that Indigenous voices have a leading role in the immersive space.”
Indigenous-owned production companies, collectives, and individual creators or sole proprietors may apply for up to $40,000 CAD in development funding or $80,000 CAD in production funding.
Applications open on May 30, 2026, and must be submitted via the ISO application portal by June 30, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. PST. The portal will close at the deadline, and late applications will not be accepted.
About the Indigenous Screen Office
The Indigenous Screen Office is an independent national advocacy and funding organization supporting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis creators of screen-based content in Canada. The ISO’s mandate is to foster narrative sovereignty, cultural revitalization, and increased Indigenous control and participation in the screen sector. Its work aligns with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and contributes to the advancement of Indigenous languages, storytelling, and creative expression on all platforms.
About Agog: The Immersive Media Institute
Agog: The Immersive Media Institute is a philanthropic organization founded by Chip Giller and Wendy Schmidt that is dedicated to helping creators and nonprofit leaders use extended reality—including virtual, augmented, and mixed reality—to imagine and build a more connected, just, and compassionate world. Agog operates as a field builder and creative partner, supporting immersive storytellers whose work addresses urgent social and environmental challenges. Learn more at agog.org.