BFI National Lottery Skills Clusters Fund

Overview

BFI National Lottery Skills Clusters work with local industry, education and training providers to help people within local communities develop their skills and pursue a career in the screen sector. In line with our National Lottery Strategy and the associated funding plan 2026-2029, we have awarded a further £9m through the BFI Skills Cluster Fund to existing BFI Skills Clusters to continue delivery between 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029. Taking a localised approach, the fund currently supports seven regional clusters to:  

• identify local skills needs 

• strengthen regional skills data and evidence 

• deliver tailored training to new and existing workers 

• create clearer routes into local work opportunities in film and television production

We recognise that there are growing screen production hubs in other parts of the UK, which may be experiencing growth for a range of reasons, including due to interdisciplinary activity. For this reason, we are making an additional £2.85m of funding available to areas of the UK that are not already supported by a BFI Skills Cluster, where there is evidence of forecasted growth in screen production and where skills gaps or shortages are prevalent. 

Who can apply

Organisations can apply if they: 

• are based in one of the following UK areas, or if they will work with partners to deliver activity there: 
  • East of England  
  • East Midlands  
  • South East (excluding Hertfordshire, Surrey, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire) 
  • South West 
• can demonstrate local connections with:   
  • active production bases, for example employers such as a broadcaster or studio   
  • higher or further education providers    
  • training providers  
  • relevant industry stakeholders, which may include local government

Existing Skills Clusters can apply if they have a clear, realistic plan to expand their work into one of the listed areas, or part of an area. 

When you can apply  

This fund is open from 6 July 2026 and closes at 4pm on 25 September 2026.

We are hosting an online Q and A session for potential applicants on Tuesday 14 July. To book, email [email protected] by 4pm on Monday 13 July

How to apply 

You can only apply online after you’ve read the funding guidelines in full.  

Get help with your application

We are committed to making our funding accessible to all. You can get help if you need support to apply for funding. 

Existing Skills Clusters getting BFI Skills Cluster funding

• BFI Skills Cluster Berkshire (Screen Berkshire)
  • Lead delivery partner: Resource Productions  
  • Key partners include: University of Reading, Shadowbox Studios Shinfield, Berkshire Film Office, Amazon MGM Studios  
• BFI Skills Cluster Metro London
  • Lead delivery partner: Film London 
  • Key partners include: NFTS, London Higher, New City College  
• BFI Skills Cluster North of England (Screen Alliance North)
  • Lead delivery partner: Screen Yorkshire 
  • Key partners include: Liverpool Film Office, North East Screen, Screen Manchester   
• BFI Skills Cluster Northern Ireland
  • Lead delivery partner: Northern Ireland Screen 
  • Key partners include: Studio Ulster, QUB MediaLab  
• BFI Skills Cluster Scotland
  • Lead delivery partner: Screen Scotland 
  • Key partners include: BECTU Vision, MG ALBA, Final Pixel Academy  
  • Also co-funded by the Scottish Government  
• BFI Skills Cluster Wales (Siop Un Stop-One Stop Shop)
  • Lead delivery partner: Sgil Cymru 
  • Key partners include: Screen Alliance Wales  
  • Also co-funded by Creative Wales and BBC Studios  
• BFI Skills Cluster West Midlands (Create Central Skills Accelerator)
  • Lead delivery partner: Create Central 
  • Key partners include: WMCA, WMGC, Production Central West Midlands 
  • Also co-funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority 

Evaluation

Since the very first National Lottery draw in 1994, more than £50 billion for good causes has been raised directly through National Lottery ticket sales, funding more than 700,000 projects. As a recipient of National Lottery funding, it is important to publicly acknowledge the source of this funding ensuring that those engaging with your work recognise the value and benefit of this unique Good Cause funding.  

If your application is successful, you will be responsible for prominently crediting BFI National Lottery funding and thanking National Lottery players.  To communicate this message, you should ensure that the elements of your project which have the potential to engage a broad public audience are capitalised on. More details will be supplied once an award has been made.