Applying to the BFI NETWORK England Early Development Fund

Contents

1. About this funding
2. Aims of the funding
3. Check if you’re eligible
4. What you can use the funding for
5. What your project needs to achieve
6. How to apply
7. What happens after you apply
8. Getting a decision
9. Applying for stage two funding
10. Conditions of funding 

1. About this funding

BFI NETWORK invests National Lottery funding to support, develop and fund, early career filmmakers across the UK. It is a collaboration between the BFI, national film organisations and leading cultural venues around the UK which ensures that more voices in more places can contribute to distinctive, original storytelling. Go through our list of BFI NETWORK partners.

The BFI NETWORK Early Development Fund supports writers, based in England, with projects at the very beginning of their development process and before having the first draft of a script. It supports projects that are unlikely to be fully commercially financed and would therefore benefit from National Lottery funding.    

Support from the fund will enable you and your team to progress to a sufficiently developed initial idea that you can successfully pitch to production companies or financiers.  

The Early Development Fund has two stages: 

• Stage one (treatment funding): funding will enable you to develop and complete a full treatment that includes:
  • story outline and structure
  • characters
  • themes
  • related materials (like mood boards or other visual content)
• Stage two (first draft funding): applications are only open to those that have received, and successfully delivered on, a stage one award. Funding will enable you to develop and complete a full first draft of the screenplay (or equivalent format to a screenplay for immersive projects). 

Funding is provided by way of a grant. The rights (including copyright) in the project, at least during these stages, should remain with you (as the writer and applicant for our funding) as the originator of the copyright in the project. 

Once the above stages have been completed, you should be in a stronger position to pitch the project to prospective producers with a view to them (or, if applicable, the producer already attached to the project) acquiring the rights in the project (on industry standard terms). They can then commission or engage you, as the writer, for further development or production. 

The terms of the grant are set out at the end of these guidelines.

2. Aims of the funding

All projects receiving BFI NETWORK Early Development funding must address at least three of the following aims, which are also detailed in the stated principles and outcomes of the BFI National Lottery strategy: 

1. Equity, diversity and inclusion — People from under-represented groups across the UK access the support they need to develop their careers and skills.  
2. Impact and audience — People across the UK access a wider choice of film and the moving image, including stories that reflect their lives. 
3. Talent development and progression — Creative talent is supported and nurtured, as they emerge and throughout their careers and more people understand how to express their creativity through stories on screen.  
4. Creative Risk — People are better enabled to innovate and experiment creatively; a wider range of stories on screen are told that otherwise would not be.
5. UK-wide — Everyone across the UK should be able to experience and create the widest range of screen culture. They should feel the benefits from the screen sector in terms of jobs and growth too. 
6. Environmental sustainability – The Screen Industry significantly reduces its carbon footprint.

If you’d like support when making your application, you can find information on access support for BFI fund applicants.

3. Check if you’re eligible

All applications for funding must be submitted by the project’s lead writer who will be the main contact for the BFI.

Eligibility of applicant

You can only submit one application to this funding round.

To be eligible for this fund you, and any co-writers, must: 

• be the writer of the project
• be based in England (producers on your project can be based anywhere in the UK)
• be over 18 and not in full-time education at the time of applying (this also applies to any producers involved in the project)
• have written at least one produced work that has gained industry recognition evidenced by any of the following: festival selections, screenings, broadcasts, written articles or reviews. It can be television, documentary, theatre, immersive, or short film
• not have received a commercial distribution deal in the last 5 years (either theatrically or through a major online platform) for any of your previous longform works (unless where you have distributed your work yourself)
• not have been attached to a project that received a development or production award from the BFI Filmmaking Fund or BFI NETWORK in the last two years

If you are unsure if the distribution of your previous work is defined as ‘commercial’, please contact us at bfinetworkfunding@bfi.org.uk to discuss your eligibility.

Eligibility of projects 

We are looking for projects that are fully formed ideas but do not yet have full-length treatment materials.

If your project is already at treatment stage and has a producer attached and you’re ready for first draft funding now, you should look at the BFI Development Fund or alternative sources of support.

All projects must: 

• strongly engage with some, or all, of the aims of the funding
• be a ‘single project’ work of fiction in live action, immersive or animated fiction 
• have an intended length of 70 minutes and above, unless your project is an immersive work in which case it needs to be of sufficient scale to require significant (at least six-figure) finance were it to proceed to production
• be seeking funding of between £3,000 to £5,000 for stage one
• be wholly original to you and not based on anyone else’s pre-existing work
  • on an exceptional basis, and subject to BFI consent, you can use archive or journalistic material to inform the project if you can demonstrate that the material is out of copyright or under a permitted uses exemption, or that the rights owner intends to give you permission (subject to terms of use being agreed)
• be in the early stages of development for your project and not yet have a treatment or draft script
• be capable of qualifying for certification as a British film, either through the applicable cultural test, or as an official co-production
  • eligibility for certification is hard to determine at idea stage — your own assessment of your project as being capable of qualifying does not mean that it will necessarily pass
• be capable of obtaining a BBFC certificate which is no more restrictive than a BBFC 18 classification or, in the case of immersive projects capable of meeting an 18 or equivalent PEGI rating on any intended exhibition platforms

When your project is ineligible 

You’re not eligible to apply for this funding if your project:

• already has a complete draft of a feature-length script, or equivalent format for immersive projects
• is not a standalone work of fiction in live action, immersive or animation
• is a feature film idea intended to be less than 70 minutes in length
• is intended primarily for broadcast television
• is a documentary, although we will accept applications for projects that are hybrid combinations of documentary and fiction or dramatised content
• includes any character based on a real individual — ideas can be inspired by real events but all characters must be entirely fictional
• focusses on another art form such as literature, dance on film, poetry on film, opera or artists’ moving image
• adapts an existing work (fiction or non-fiction) that you did not write, apart from in exceptional cases involving archive or journalistic material as described above 

There may also be other reasons for ineligibility not included in the list above but referenced elsewhere in these guidelines. Get in touch if you are unsure if you are eligible for this funding by emailing  bfinetworkfunding@bfi.org.uk.

4. What you can use the funding for  

Stage one (treatment) funding supports the costs of producing an initial treatment document of up to ten pages for fiction projects in feature film or longform immersive format, in live action or animation. 

You will only need to enter into a grant agreement with BFI on the terms set out at the end of these guidelines.

Costs that we can support  

• up to £3,000 writer allowance
• up to £750 producer allowance, if you are working with one  

If there is more than one person fulfilling the same role on your project, for example, co-writers or co-producers, the capped amount would need to be split 

• creation of visual materials such as a pitch deck or mood board, where this incurs specific costs such as graphic design by a third-party contractor 
• reasonable research costs, such as the costs of accessing and copying materials or archives along with any associated costs for travel, accommodation and subsistence (capped at £40 per day) which you must be able to produce receipts for
• any disability access support you require to complete the treatment (see access requirements below)  

VAT is not payable on Early Development Fund awards. The total grant funding supplied through the BFI award is outside the scope of VAT and the BFI award is fully inclusive of any and all taxes that may be payable in connection with the granting, receipt or use of the BFI award. Individuals receiving BFI funding will need to deduct any such taxes out of the BFI award and in no circumstances will the BFI be required to pay any additional sums in respect of such taxes.  

Costs that we cannot support  

Costs the fund does not cover include:  

• payments to option the rights to adapt pre-existing, published works for the screen (such a project would be ineligible) 
• general overheads or subsistence not associated with the project
• script editor or any script-stage work for Stage 1 (treatment funding)
• legal fees and costs such as those related to reviewing the BFI grant agreement or preparing writer agreements or similar (a writer agreement granting the writer’s copyright to a production company is not required at this stage)
• director fees or retainers  
• flights within or between England, Scotland and Wales, unless necessary due to an access requirement 
• travel by taxi unless necessary due to an access requirement  
• first class travel 
• production costs, including for pilot material 
• activity that is already specifically supported by another external source of funding 
• cost incurred prior to an offer of funding from BFI 

We may inform you that other costs, not included in the list above, are not eligible for support.   

Access requirements during early development work   

If you or your team have access needs that will incur additional costs during work on your project, you can include these costs in your application. Funding can cover specific support for individuals who are disabled or have a physical or mental health diagnosis which will result in a verifiable additional cash cost to the project budget. If you require support for such costs, please identify them in your application budget.  

If you’re already seeking the maximum award amount and have not been able to cover access-related costs within that, we are able to increase the maximum award amount to provide for reasonable access costs.   

5. What your project needs to achieve

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The BFI will measure the success of the Early Development Fund using the following annual Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• number of projects supported at treatment stage: 15
• number of projects supported to first draft stage: 5
• number of applications received: 300
• applications received from outside of London and the South East (in terms of writer location): 50%

Equity, diversity and inclusion

We ask applicants to address equity, diversity and inclusion by engaging with the BFI Diversity Standards for film. We will prioritise projects that will make a significant contribution to improving equity, diversity and inclusion across the industry and so your application will need to make clear, specific commitments to making this change. If successful, you’ll need to report following the conclusion of your activity, evaluating how you’ve delivered against the aims of the Diversity Standards in practice.

Your project will contribute to achieving the BFI’s overall inclusion targets for writers and producers supported.

UK-wide

Our funding supports national, regional, and local activity to ensure that communities throughout the UK feel the benefit of the screen industries and culture.

Projects should address, and contribute to delivering, against the BFI’s UK-wide principle. You can do this through considering where your project will be set and any plans for engaging local communities if it goes into production.

Environmental sustainability

We ask all teams to plan their project’s development with the environment and the climate crisis in mind. This means working to reduce your carbon emissions as much as possible, and your impact on the living world, and to maximise the positive environmental benefits your project could have. We are keen to see creative responses to the climate and ecological emergency and will ask you to consider this in relation to your project in the application form. You can find some prompts and inspiration for this on BAFTA albert’s editorial site, including their editorial quiz tool. We’ll also ask you to consider the potential impacts of your film as a physical production and think ahead about how this is influenced by the creative choices you make now.

6. How to apply 

BFI NETWORK Early Development Fund opening and closing dates are on the fund landing page. 

We can only make awards to projects that have been submitted to us through the online application process. This means that we cannot accept, or read, application materials submitted by any means other than the online application portal.  

Information you’ll need to provide   

Lead applicant details (writer)

You’ll need to provide your contact details. You should apply using your legal name but if you have an artist name, or another name that you’d like us to address you by, please include this using the following format: ‘Legal Name (aka ‘Artist Name’)’. 

You can also include details of another contact who you’d like to be copied in on project correspondence.  

We will ask you some questions on your eligibility.  You can find the criteria in the eligibility of applicant section of these guidelines. 

Project and team details 

• project title/working title
• project logline
• CV summaries for you and any co-writers, producers and co-producers 

Creative proposal 

• story – detail the world, characters and narrative structure
• your creative vision and why you want to tell this story
• project work undertaken so far and why you are ready to write a full treatment now
• links to relevant previous work
• declaring whether your project is an adaptation of an underlying work

Finance 

• the amount of funding you are seeking from the BFI and the costs it will cover including any access support costs
• your case for National Lottery good cause support

Equity, diversity and inclusion (BFI Diversity Standards )

This section asks you to describe how your project responds to the BFI Diversity Standards with a focus on addressing Standard A.  

As well as this information being used to form part of our assessment, information maybe anonymised and aggregated as part of overall statistics published about the Diversity Standards and inform future policy 

Environmental sustainability  

You’ll need to outline how environmental sustainability principles will be embedded into your project. This includes: 

• considering how your project’s themes or approaches engage with the climate emergency
• reflecting how creative choices during development could influence the potential environmental impacts of the film as a physical production  

For guidance, we recommend exploring BAFTA albert’s editorial site, including their quiz tool, which offers practical prompts for reducing your project’s environmental impact from the outset.  

If you’re awarded funding, at least one member of the creative team must complete a relevant BAFTA albert academy workshop. 

UK-wide 

Where your development work will take place in the UK, including the locations of you and any team members, and the places your project will represent onscreen.  

Documents you’ll need to provide  

At the end of the form you’ll be asked to attach:  

• links to your previous creative work such as short films, writing samples or visual artwork along with the work of any team members
  • you should provide some brief context as to why you’ve included each link: for example, the work is similar in tone to that of the proposed project 
  • we may decide not to review all of these before making a decision
• proof of your address so we can see your region of residence
  • this should be a Council Tax bill, bank statement or utility bill dated in the past three months, showing your name and address
  • other personal details such as bank details or personal information of third parties should be redacted 
• links to materials expressing your ideas for the project you are seeking funding for (this is optional) 
• permission from your regional BFI NETWORK talent executive to resubmit your project (if applicable) 

We will keep the data and supporting materials you sent to us in line with our records retention policy.  

Equality monitoring  

You’ll be asked to complete an equality monitoring form when you submit your application. The data that you submit on this form will be confidential and anonymous and will not be seen by the staff assessing your application. It requests information about you and your team. When filling it in, you can select ‘prefer not to say’ if you’d rather not share the information requested. Please note that we will not be able to put forward your application for assessment until you have completed the equality monitoring form.  

Submitting an application 

You need to create an account to make your application online. You can save your application and return to it later. 

Make sure you complete all of the sections, as incomplete applications are ineligible and will be declined. 

Please consult this PDF preview of the application form to see the questions you will be asked in full: 

For guidance about how to use our new BFI applicant portal: 

If you have any questions when completing the application form, please contact us on bfinetworkfunding@bfi.org.uk. We welcome your feedback on the application process and how we might improve it.  

Get access support with your application 

You can get help if you need support to apply for funding. You might need support because you are disabled, neurodivergent or for another reason. Go to Access support to apply for BFI Funds for more information. 

7. What happens after you apply

You will get confirmation that we have received your application within five working days. If you have not received an email from us within five working days (and have checked in your junk folder for it), please email grant.admin@BFI.org.uk.

We will then check whether your application is eligible for funding using the criteria identified in the Check if you’re eligible section. If your application does not meet our eligibility criteria, we will email to tell you that we will not be able to consider it. 

If you have passed initial eligibility checks the BFI will confirm by email that your application will progress to assessment and a unique ID number will be assigned to the application.    

Eligibility checks continue throughout the assessment process and we may tell you at a later stage in the assessment process that your application is ineligible. 

How your application is assessed 

Your application will be assessed by at least two people (a BFI NETWORK Talent Executive and an independent, external reader) against how well it meets the aims of the funding. 

 We will also consider:   

• the strength of the story idea 
• how the story might connect with audiences 
• the impact of your (and any team member’s) previous work
• the strength of the case made for any potential career impact
• the feasibility of the project to become a debut longform work, bearing in mind the potential costs of production 
• your demonstration of need for National Lottery funding. Our funding is not intended to substitute or replace existing or commercial funding or other income that would or might otherwise be available. National Lottery funds can only be awarded to applicants who demonstrate a compelling case for National Lottery support.
• the overall balance of projects receiving support, to ensure variety in the nature of the projects funded by the BFI 
• any previous BFI awards you have received and how you have managed them 

We may share parts of your application with other BFI teams, or further external consultants, to help with our assessment. All external consultants helping with the assessment process will maintain confidentiality and not retain any application materials after their review. 

Assessment process and timeline 

As the regional hubs all handle a different number of applications, the assessment process can vary in length, and the assessment steps may not happen at the same time across the different regions. 

If we receive exceptionally high numbers of applications, if we are waiting for you to give us more information, or if there are other circumstances out of our control, the assessment period may be extended.  

We will keep you updated on timeframes.  

In the event the assessment period is extended for whatever reason, the proposed start date and delivery date of the development work will be extended accordingly. 

If we contact you at any stage of the assessment process to discuss your project, including requests to update documents or information or fix broken links, this doesn’t mean any commitment has been made to fund your project. 

• Step one – applications are assessed by an external reviewer and your regional BFI NETWORK talent hub. Applications that most strongly meeting the assessment criteria will progress to the next step.
• Step two – your regional BFI NETWORK talent hub will share a longlist of projects with the central BFI NETWORK team and other regional BFI NETWORK talent hubs to create a shortlist of projects. Applicants not on the shortlist are notified in writing that they have been unsuccessful.
• Step three – shortlisted applicants are invited to interview with their regional BFI NETWORK talent hub.  After the interview there may be requests for further information, or another meeting to discuss the project further.
• Step four – all applicants are informed in writing that their application is either unsuccessful or being recommended for approval to our Grant and Lottery Finance Committee.   

All applicants being recommended for approval will need to carry out an ID verification check. You will receive an email inviting you to fill out a form where you need to provide your personal address, date of birth and contact details. We will only use this data to run an identity check (this isn’t a credit check and will not affect the ability to receive credit from other organisations). The ID verification check is not an indication of funding. 

Grant and Lottery Finance Committee Consideration  

We will submit funding recommendations to the BFI Grant and Lottery Finance Committee for approval and will inform applicants in writing of the decisions as soon as possible. Our decision on whether or not we wish to support your project is final.  

8. Getting a decision

If you’re unsuccessful  

Due to the amount of funding we have available, this is an extremely competitive fund and, unfortunately, we have to decline the majority of applications, including those that strongly meet the aims of the funding. We understand that this is disappointing and we try to communicate this is carefully, but it’s also important to emphasise for all applicants ahead of submission.  

We may turn down an application because we determined the proposal: 

• did not sufficiently meet the aims of the funding, including in relation to engagement with the BFI Diversity Standards 
• featured an initial idea that was not substantial or persuasive enough to constitute a compelling debut longform proposal  
• was not a realistic project for development as a debut longform work, in terms of the challenge of raising later production finance 
• did not demonstrate enough relevant experience on the part of the writer or other core team members 
• did not demonstrate sufficient need for National Lottery support and could be financed by other means  

Getting feedback 

Due to the large numbers of applications we receive, we are unable to give feedback or enter into dialogue about your project and its further development. However, if you reached the interview stage, feedback on your application may be provided. 

Resubmissions  

If your application has been declined, this usually means you can’t resubmit it for future rounds of the fund. We may allow you to resubmit a project if: 

• the original application was voluntarily withdrawn before a decision was made
• a BFI NETWORK Talent Executive directly recommended further development of the application before resubmitting 

If a BFI NETWORK Talent Executive has granted permission to submit a new application for the same project, you must upload the email confirming this approval as part of your application. 

If you’re successful  

If the BFI Grant and Lottery Finance Committee approve your award, we will send you an official approval email with your assigned Talent Executive in copy.  

We will also send an email asking you to fill in our bank details request form. This form will ask you to provide your bank account details (such as sort code, account number, name of account, etc.). We will only use this data to process payments on our end (this isn’t a credit check and will not affect the ability to receive credit from other organisations).  We may also check the following with you: 

• full legal names and addresses of the writer and any co-writer(s) or producer(s) involved in the project 
• your proposed delivery materials  (these are a seven to ten page treatment, copies of receipts/invoices if applicable and a completed “Equality Monitoring Report”)
• your proposed delivery date (this should be no later than 4 months from issue of the funding agreement) 

We will then issue a BFI NETWORK Early Development funding agreement to the lead writer and, if requested, include other individuals (such as your producer or co-writer) which will be on the conditions of funding set out below and the BFI’s National Lottery funding conditions. Once signed by all parties (including the BFI) this will form a legally binding contract between us. An assigned BFI NETWORK Talent Executive will act as the BFI representative for your project. They will provide creative input and oversight and will be your main point of contact as you work on your materials. You will be invited to take part in training and professional development events as part of your award, attendance at some of which will be mandatory.  

BFI National Lottery Funding is project-based, time-limited funding, and as such, there should be no expectation of ongoing support beyond the term of any awards made. Receiving an Early Development Fund award does not mean you will automatically be eligible for or be more likely to receive support from other BFI funds.   

9. Applying for stage two funding

Applicants who have successfully delivered on their stage one (treatment) award will be sent guidance and a link to an additional funding application form for stage two (first draft) funding. If you start work, and incur expenditure on a first draft before confirmation of an award from us, we will assume that our funding is not needed and decline the application. 

The lead applicant must remain the same at stage one and two and continue to meet the eligibility criteria. 

We anticipate making stage two (first draft) awards of between £8,000 and £12,500 to five projects per year, which means it is an extremely competitive process and not all projects that apply will receive funding. 

If you are applying for first draft support from this fund, supported teams will continue to work with a BFI NETWORK Talent Executive who will provide creative input on the draft. 

Stage two applications will be assessed against the same criteria above and follow a similar assessment process. You will not need to resubmit your personal information (such as ID check or bank details).  

The conditions of funding apply to stage one and stage two awards made under these guidelines.   

10. Conditions of funding  

If your application for stage one funding is successful then, in addition to the National Lottery funding conditions, the following terms and conditions will apply:

1. The award will take the form of a non-recoupable grant paid to the lead writer. If the project subsequently obtains BFI Development Fund support, a condition of the BFI Development Fund award will be that the Early Development Fund award amount becomes repayable on the same terms as the BFI’s subsequent Development investment (which means that BFI will be repaid this Early Development Fund award by the production company from the production budget of the project but only if it proceeds to production). We will flag this with the production company applicant if their application the BFI Development Fund is successful.   
2. Unlike standard development funding, the BFI will not ask for a share of copyright in your project as a condition of Early Development funding and you will not be required to enter into a standard writer agreement between a writer and a production company at this point. The rights in the project can be held by the writer during the term of the Early Development funding (including at Stage 2 if the application is successful in receiving additional funding).  This is intended to enable you to focus on the creative work rather than legal matters and to keep matters simple but should be discussed between you as  writer and your producer to determine what is in the best interest of the project. 
3. A Talent Executive in your writer’s region will provide creative input and oversight of your project and will be your main point of contact.  
4. Subject to reasonable notice being provided by BFI, you may need to commit to take part in training and professional development events as part of your award. 
5. You will be signing a legal undertaking that the work being funded is wholly original to you and your team and that all third-party materials incorporated in the project are cleared, or will be capable of being cleared, for use in the project throughout the world, in all media in perpetuity; and that with regard to receipt of the award you will conduct yourselves legally, ethically and with the highest levels of integrity.
6. If the project involves you working with children, young people, and/or vulnerable adults you ensure that you have in place safeguarding and child protection measures and will abide by those.
7. We intend to pay the award to the lead applicant; where there is more than one individual involved, we will pay into a single bank account nominated by the team.
8. You will be required to finish work on your development materials and submit them to the Talent Executive by a specified delivery date for review and acceptance.  Delivery for Stage 1 will be a 7-10 page treatment, copies of receipts/invoices (if applicable) and a completed “Equality Monitoring Report” and must be completed within 4 months of the date of the BFI NETWORK Early Development funding agreement.
9. The BFI will require approvals over the delivery materials, any rights documents (which are unlikely to be applicable – see above for eligibility) any changes to the budget and/or the main elements set out in the agreement.
10. Early Development funding will be paid in stages (cashflowed), with the final payment subject to submission to us of your delivery materials in their final form. Any underspend on the award will be retained by, or reimbursed to, the BFI. 
11. The support provided by BFI NETWORK is only possible because of the National Lottery. We ask the filmmakers we fund to do everything they can to acknowledge the National Lottery as the source of this funding. This includes displaying the National Lottery logo on your early development documents; in film end credits if your film later goes into production; related marketing materials, press releases and on the front pages of project and organisational websites. We ask beneficiaries to actively acknowledge and spread the word about their project being made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, whenever they can. This includes mentioning the National Lottery, at a minimum, on press releases, on print and marketing materials, online including through social media, and when speaking to the industry and the wider public about the project. 
12. You will need to deliver against the plans made by you in relation to the BFI Diversity Standards. Failure to deliver against those undertakings without good cause may affect your ability to receive future project funding from the BFI. 
13. You will be required to submit an Equality Monitoring Report at the end of the project. This will request information on the contributors to your project and where applicable will be used to measure success against the BFI Diversity Standards.