Los Angeles County supervisors are developing an Entertainment Evergreen Fund to support low-budget independent film productions that fall below the cost threshold of California’s existing state tax credit program, according to local officials. Independent filmmakers and producers have long cited a financing gap for projects costing under $1 million, while FilmLA data shows greater Los Angeles area shoot days dropped nearly 13% between April and June compared to the previous year.
Why Los Angeles County is Proposing the Entertainment Evergreen Fund
California’s current film incentive programs are built for productions several rungs above micro-budgets, leaving projects under $1 million to seek funding elsewhere. Independent filmmaker Sylvia Ray noted that she had to shoot her feature film “The Middle” in Mexico because grants and incentives from the municipality of Torreón and the state of Coahuila covered 30% to 40% of her sub-million-dollar budget. Ray stated that while she needed an American desert landscape and homes that she could have easily shot in Los Angeles, the financial math made staying impossible without local support.
To address this, Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger are developing the Entertainment Evergreen Fund, first introduced last July. Unlike state tax credits, the proposed initiative is structured as a grant program. Proponents including Larry Laboe, executive director of NewFilmmakers Los Angeles, argue that small budgets do not generate enough tax liability for credits to be useful. Laboe pointed to Curry Barker’s box office underdog “Obsession,” made in Los Angeles for $750,000, as an example of a low-budget underdog that grossed nearly $475 million worldwide.
Did You Know? Between July 2025 and July 2026, 170 projects have benefited from the California Film & TV Tax Credit Program, while incentivized work made up 33% of all 443 feature film shoot days in the second quarter of 2026, according to FilmLA data.
Economic Realities and Industry Perspectives on Local Grants
The proposed fund faces questions regarding its financial viability and overall return on investment. Patrick Button, an associate professor of economics at Tulane University who studies film incentives, stated that production programs rarely deliver the economic benefits that justify them and that low-budget indie filmmakers are the least likely to relocate for a subsidy. Button also pointed to significant stress on the Los Angeles County budget, expecting the fund’s practical effect to be very small.
Meanwhile, county officials have not yet committed specific funding or attached a dollar amount to the initiative. Barger stated in a release that the work must be balanced with current fiscal realities while building a sustainable partnership to keep media production local. Horvath added that direct investment represents the best way to keep work inside Los Angeles. Philip Sokoloski, vice president of communications at FilmLA, noted that high location and permitting costs continue to price out independent indies accustomed to an era with more available funding.
What May Happen Next for the Proposed Grant Program
As the initiative moves forward, an outside consultant must complete an analysis and present recommendations before any funding sources, amounts, or cost-sharing models are established. Following that review, any final proposal will return to the Board of Supervisors for public discussion and a formal vote. Industry advocates like Laboe suggest that the fund’s ceiling could reach $100 million depending on fundraising.
Producers such as Steven Wolfe note that the viability of upcoming Los Angeles-based passion projects depends heavily on whether this support materializes. At the same time, stakeholders like Jackie Brenneman, president of the Independent Film & Television Alliance, emphasize that any future fund should also address marketing costs to ensure self-distributed films can successfully access theatrical screens.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Entertainment Evergreen Fund?
It is a proposed grant program currently under development by Los Angeles County Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger designed to channel money to low-budget film productions that fall below the state tax credit threshold.
How much money has Los Angeles County committed to the fund?
No dollar amount has been attached and the county has not committed funding yet, as officials intend to explore a public-private model following an outside consultant’s analysis.
Why do independent filmmakers struggle to shoot in Los Angeles?
According to industry representatives, high location and permitting costs combined with a lack of financial incentives for projects under $1 million leave many independent producers priced out of the local market.
Could a local grant program realistically reverse the decline in Los Angeles feature film shoots?
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