Sparsh Ahuja is an award-winning filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer working primarily in animation and documentary. His work explores themes of migration and belonging, and has featured in MUBI, The New Yorker, TIME, The BBC, Al Jazeera, NOWNESS ASIA, NOEMA and The Economist.

Sparsh’s documentary short, “Birdsong”, premiered at SXSW 2023, was shortlisted for the Grierson, IDA and BIFA Awards, and was acquired by The Guardian as a Vimeo Staff Pick. His VR Film, “Child of Empire” - financed through the Venice Biennale Gap Financing Market - premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2022, played Sheffield DocFest, and MIFF, and won the inaugural XR History Award from the Korber-Stiftung Foundation in Hamburg. Sparsh is currently in development on his directorial debut, “Fear and Loathing in Kathmandu”, funded by VicScreen.

In 2023, Sparsh was one of the 12 factual producers selected for VicScreen and Screen Australia’s “Originate Factual” incubator. In 2024, his reporting on Indigenous land rights disputes was a finalist for the LA Press Club Award.

Sparsh’s work has toured institutions such as The Victoria and Albert Museum, BFI Southbank, and ForumDesImages in Paris, and has been supported by the British Council, Australia Council for the Arts, Doc Society, Ford Foundation, Ian Potter Cultural Trust, and the CatchLight Fellowship amongst others.

Sparsh currently works as a Development Producer for Dreamchaser Entertainment in Melbourne, Australia.

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sparshahuja9@gmail.com

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GRANT WRITING SERVICES

I offer freelance grant writing to help individuals, organizations, and creative projects secure funding from government bodies, philanthropic foundations, and corporate sponsors. Whether you’re applying for arts funding, government grants, or tenders, I can help craft thoughtful, effective proposals and grant applications that resonate with funders.

Over the years, I’ve secured funding for my own projects, as well as a range of external clients, such as:

South Asian History Month Campaign (UK)
Brown Women Comedy (Australia)
Imagining Peace (Brussels)

I’ve been as a peer assessor for Creative Victoria’s Project Fund and worked as a strategy associate with the Boston Consulting Group in London. I’m skilled at handling complex ideas and communicating them clearly—whether through financial reports, project proposals, or creative storytelling.

I am able provide support throughout the entire grant process, including:

Writing clear and winning proposals that align with funder priorities
Costing realistic budgets
Creating a strategy to ensure the best letters of support, and creating and designing any necessary attached visual content, like trailers or designed content
Reporting back to funders with clear narratives and financial summaries for acquittal

Here’s a selection of the grants I’ve secured, totalling ~$300K USD:

Arts Council England – £70,000 (two lottery bids)
British Council Digital Collaboration Fund – £50,000
Arts and Humanities Research Council/UKRI – £50,000
CreativeXR/Innovate UK – £20,000
National Geographic Society Exploration Award – $15,000
CatchLight Visual Storytelling Fellowship – $30,000
Goethe-Institut EU Network Fund – €40,000
Australia Council for the Arts – AUD 15,000
Ford Foundation – $25,000
VicScreen Feature Development Funding – AUD 15,000
Screen Australia Feature Development Funding – AUD 15,000
Kickstarter Campaigns – $28,000

If you’re looking for someone to handle grant writing, reporting, or funding management, I’d love to chat. Whether you need help with the entire process or just a specific part, we can work together to make sure your project gets the support it needs.