Applying for the UK Global Screen Fund Slate Development Fund

Contents

1. About this fund
2. Check if you’re eligible
3. What you can use the funding for
4. How to apply
5. What happens after you apply
6. Getting a decision
7. Conditions of funding

1. About this fund

The UK Global Screen Fund (UKGSF) seeks to increase the UK screen sector’s international competitiveness by offering additional, targeted support at each stage of the screen content supply chain. It is financed by the UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and administered by the BFI.

The UKGSF supports international business development, slate development, co-production, promotion and distribution activities to:

• grow the revenue and sustainability of UK independent screen businesses by supporting their international activity
• enable industry to further grow international partnerships and to develop projects with international appeal for mutual benefit
• increase the reach of UK screen content to international audiences

Fund aims and priorities

The Slate Development Fund seeks to support producers to develop slates of commercially viable projects with strong international audience and market appeal. We support the later stage development of projects, after an initial development stage, with the aim that our support will ready them to attract production investment.

The aims of the fund are to:

• enable producers to develop slates, rather than single projects, that have international potential
• support the development of projects that offer compelling opportunities to attract production investment, including from international sources and in the form of international co-productions 
• support projects with strong international audience appeal and international sales and distribution potential

If you have any questions about the fund or the application process please email [email protected].

2. Check if you’re eligible

Applications must be made by a producer who is resident in the UK and is leading an independent UK production company.

Your organisation

Your organisation must meet all the following criteria:

• be a limited company registered and centrally managed in the UK and in good standing, whose core business is producing independent narrative content for cinema release, VOD or television broadcast
• not be one of the following types of entity, nor have more than 25% of its shares held, directly or indirectly, by one or more of the following third parties:
  • a non-UK corporate entity
  • a television broadcaster/SVOD platform or operator
  • a company defined as a large company under the Companies Act 2006 – this means the company has at least two of the following:
    • turnover of more than £54 million
    • balance sheet total of more than £27 million
    • more than 250 employees
• have at least two lead producer credits for the company on a long-form live-action, animation or documentary film (minimum 60 minutes) or TV production (minimum duration of 24 minutes per credit, whether a single episode or across multiple episodes)
  • this work needs to have had commercial distribution or broadcast in the UK or internationally
  • if you are a producer with two or more such credits who has recently set up your own company, you can apply by detailing the credits for work you produced when at a different company
• have at least two years of accounts filed and published at Companies House by the application closing date
• a producer with two or more credits as described above who has recently set up its own company can apply providing the new company has at least one year of accounts filed and published at Companies House

You can apply once per funding round. We may not assess your application if you have mismanaged a previous BFI award or have not provided deliverables on time without reasonable justification.

Eligible content

You can apply for funding for a slate of three to five projects across the below forms of content. Slates can be in film, TV (documentary and animation only) or a combination of both. If your slate consists solely of animated feature films, you can apply for funding for two to five projects.

Film

Films must be:

• feature-length (no less than 60 minutes in length) fiction, animation or documentary films with potential for a theatrical release

• qualify or be wholly capable of qualifying for certification as a British film either under: 

  • the cultural test
  • one of the UK’s official bilateral co-production treaties or
  • the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production

  We encourage you to check with the BFI Certification department to ensure that your project meets the relevant requirements before applying to UKGSF. Read more information on British Certification. If you’re unsure if your projects can qualify, email [email protected] before you apply.

TV

TV projects must:

• be either documentary or animation and can be series or one-off programmes
• qualify or be wholly capable of qualifying for certification as British, where there is an applicable cultural test (animation, children’s and high-end TV)

Ineligible content

This fund does not support any of the following types of projects:

• live action, fiction TV content including drama series
• documentaries promoting tourism, “making-of”, factual entertainment programming, constructed reality shows, game shows, talk shows, reports, current affairs, news programmes, docu-soaps, animal reportage
• filmed productions or live recordings of theatre shows, sporting or music events
• short films
• immersive and interactive media of any kind
• video or digital games of any kind, including related platforms and tools
• music videos and video-clips
• multimedia art projects and installations
• student films and graduation works
• educational, teaching and ‘how-to’ programmes
• returning TV series or instalments of a preexisting franchise
• works of a promotional nature, being part of a promotional campaign or advertising for a specific product, organisation or brand
• work that is incapable of obtaining a BBFC certificate no more restrictive than BBFC ‘18’, or the equivalent certification within another format
• work that does not meet the other eligibility criteria stated elsewhere in these funding guidelines.

All projects

Each project on the slate needs to have already completed an initial development stage as follows: 

• for live action, scripted feature films: a first draft script
• for feature animation: a script and image pitch deck
• for feature documentary films or television documentary: a pitch deck or treatment of minimum four pages and if a director is attached, a mood board or related visual materials;
• for animated series: a series bible including at least one script

You will need to provide the materials developed to date as part of your application. 

We will prioritise supporting slates where projects have clear links to the UK in subject matter, key creative team’s residency, characters or contributors, locations, etc. We will also prioritise slates comprised of projects that are clearly in active development, meaning that prior development work has been carried out in the past 18 months on all projects. For projects in co-development with an international production company, the UK producer must be the lead producer of the project throughout the development. 

Finance

Prior investment

For each project on the slate you must be able to demonstrate a minimum of £5,000 for fiction projects and £1,000 for documentary (including animated documentary) cash spent to date on early-stage development costs such as treatments, first drafts or pitch materials. This can be through your company’s own funding or funds raised from a third party but must always relate to cash costs that are not in-house staff time or in-kind resources. The costs of producer time or fees during early-stage development can be included, provided you can prove that they were covered by a third-party funder and not the company’s own funds. You can also include funds drawn down from a BFI Locked Box. If you have not yet fully paid out the prior investment on a project, you can demonstrate the full amount via a signed contract or equivalent document for the work concerned. You will also need to provide a bank statement showing the required funds in your company account. Producer deferrals cannot be considered as a form of investment.

You cannot include any projects on your slate that have received funding from the following sources, whether for prior or upcoming development:

• BFI National Lottery Development Fund 
• BFI Doc Society Fund, with the exception of Research and Development (RAD) funding 
• BFI NETWORK funding from the BFI or a NETWORK partner organisation outside England that exceeds £5,000
• any other funding strand of UKGSF

Projects that have received BFI NETWORK funding for early development at £5,000 or below (not including any access costs), or BFI Doc Society RAD funding, can be included on your slate. You can also include projects developed with funds from a BFI Locked Box and projects that have been through labs supported by the BFI Creative Challenge Fund. Successful applicants can go on to apply for further development or production funding from any of the above sources. 

3. What you can use the funding for

You can apply for between £45,000 to £150,000 in slate development funding. Our funding is provided as a grant that is not repayable to the BFI. This must be allocated to eligible project development costs.

When you apply you will need to provide a budget in which you allocate the funding you are seeking from UKGSF across your slate of projects. This will show us how you intend to spend the funding within the 18-month award term (the ‘supported development stage’). There is no maximum amount you can allocate per project but we will be looking for balance in the way the funding is apportioned. Slates where the UKGSF funding is heavily weighted on one project are unlikely to score highly in assessment.

UKGSF funding should be allocated to the UK elements of the budget. Where there is a compelling need for the funding to cover international costs we will look at this on a case-by-case basis and consider the ratio of UK to international costs in our assessment. 

Partnership funding requirements

UKGSF can never be the sole funder of any project. We require a meaningful partnership funding contribution to be made to all projects we support. Our funding can cover a maximum of 75% of the total development costs of your slate across both completed early-stage development and the supported development stage. We calculate your minimum contribution of 25% based on:

• the funds you have spent on early development of your slate as described at prior investment
• any funds you have definitively secured for the supported development stage. You can include:
  • development funding from other, non-BFI sources, including other public funders and broadcasters. Their terms of funding will need to be compatible with those of UKGSF, and we will review these terms as part of our assessment process
  • expenditure that you have contracted to pay but have not yet paid out. You’ll need to evidence this through a signed contract and show us the required amount of funding in your company bank account
  • funds that are held in a BFI Locked Box

You cannot include any unconfirmed funding sources, in-kind contributions, uncontracted funding from your own company or in-house staff time as part of your 25% contribution to the budget.

To apply for the minimum grant amount of £45,000 you will need to have £15,000 of other funding spent or secured. To apply for the maximum grant amount of £150,000, you will need to have £50,000 of other funding spent or secured.

We can only support the costs of project activity that has not yet commenced. Our funding is not intended to substitute or replace existing funding or income that would otherwise be available, or to fund activity at the same scale that can go ahead without an award.

Eligible costs

You can include the following costs in your supported stage slate development budget:

• writer fees and writers’ room workshops
• research costs
• legal costs associated with clearing rights or other compliance planning (note that you must have secured all necessary underlying rights required to develop projects on your slate before you apply)
• script readings
• script editors
• preparation of visual references, teasers, tasters or sizzle reels
• option extensions
• recces or location scouting (excluding flights within or between England, Scotland and Wales, and travel by taxi, unless necessary due to an access requirement, and first-class travel)
• preparation of production budgets and schedules
• director’s development fee including script work
• casting or the costs of securing contributors
• a producer fee of up to £3,000 per project on the slate
  • the amount of producer fee sought from UKGSF needs to be proportionate to the level of development work taking place
  • if you are requesting significantly less than the maximum of £150,000, we would not expect to see the full allowable producer fee requested for every project on the slate
• project-specific access support costs for the writers, directors or producers involved
• for animation:
  • bibles and concept art; animatic where it is created for teasers or pilots only
  • the costs of salaried animators only where they are hired to work exclusively on one or more projects on the slate
• for documentaries:
  • test or research footage

This is not an exhaustive list and you can include additional cost types not covered here in your budget, where they clearly relate to development activity. We will review these on a case-by-case basis. 

Ineligible costs

The following costs are not eligible for UKGSF support and should not be included within your supported development stage costs:

• early-stage costs including commissioning original ideas; treatments; first drafts; first payments to acquire or option rights to adapt
• all production costs, including for documentary, costs of footage definitively intended for the final film production as opposed to test, research or development-stage footage
• retrospective costs, incurred prior to a funding decision from UKGSF
• core (salaried) staff costs including operational or administrative staff or Development Executives 
• travel to festivals, markets or labs
• producer overhead costs, outside of the allowable producer fee

This list is not exhaustive, and we may tell you that other types of activity within your application cannot be supported by a UKGSF award or ask that you amend specific activities and associated budget allocations. If you are unsure if any of your projects are eligible or whether you can apply, email [email protected].

Other sources of support

If you are ineligible for UKGSF Slate Development funding, here are some other resources that may be of interest:

• BFI National Lottery Development Fund
• BFI Doc Society Fund including Development Fund
• BFI National Lottery & British Council Travel Grant Fund
• BFI NETWORK

Complying with UK subsidy legislation

The amount requested must also comply with UK subsidy legislation. The UKGSF Slate Development Fund operates within the terms of Category 2 (Screen) of the Arts and Culture Streamlined Subsidy Scheme pursuant to section 10 (5) of the Subsidy Control Act 2022.  

The Arts and Culture Streamlined Subsidy Scheme which runs from 12 January 2026 to 11 January 2032 requires that in the context of Category 2 schemes, the applicant company must not typically receive more than a combined total sum of £12 million of subsidies over a three-year financial period  (April – March regardless of your own financial year dates) from any UK public authority for each particular project or activity, whether given under the Arts and Culture Streamlined Subsidy Scheme or otherwise (including Minimal Financial Assistance).  

An existing subsidy must be cumulated with the proposed subsidy requested from UKGSF if the subsidy meets all of the following conditions and was given:

• to the same enterprise by any UK public authority  
• for the same project or activity  
• for the same or substantially the same specific purposes, and  
• within the last three financial years (that is, the last two complete financial years, running from 1 April to 31 March, and the lapsed part of the current financial year)

In your application, you will be required to submit a declaration confirming all subsidies received by your company that meet the above criteria, to ensure that this cap is not exceeded.

4. How to apply

When you can apply

Check the landing page for opening and closing dates for this fund.

Download templates for your application

Information you need to provide

Your proposal

You’ll need to provide information including:

• a brief overview of your organisation and the content you produce, providing further detail on two projects you have already produced for theatrical release or broadcast 
• an outline of the slate of projects you are seeking support for, including the extent of development work done to date and confirmation that you have acquired or can acquire all the rights necessary to produce and exploit the project(s) concerned throughout the world by any means and in all media.
• description of the international potential of the projects on your slate, and your strategy to reach audiences globally
• finance information including total development costs and partnership funding information
• how you intend to raise production finance for the projects on your slate
• evidence that your request for subsidy from UKGSF is compliant with the criteria regarding the Arts and Culture Streamlined Subsidy Scheme route.

Additional areas you will need to consider

You will also need to address the BFI’s cross-cutting priorities in your application.

UK-wide

You’ll need to tell us how your slate of projects will contribute to delivering against the BFI’s UK-wide principle. The UKGSF seeks to ensure a UK-wide benefit and address geographic imbalance within the industry. You will be asked to answer a question on the UK-wide elements of your projects and to consider:

• where your company and the core team of your projects are based
• how projects on the slate reflect the culture and talent of Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the English regions outside Greater London
• where you plan to base the productions
• any plans for engaging local communities during development

Environmental sustainability

You’ll need to outline how your development activity will contribute to delivering against the BFI’s environmental sustainability principle. This includes considering:

• how the content and themes of your slate of projects engage with the climate emergency
• how creative choices during development could influence the potential environmental impacts of the film as a physical production
• the environmental impact of your approach to development including any travel and materials and energy use

We will signpost successful applicants to a range of tools, resources and training opportunities to support you in making your UKGSF-backed slate more sustainable

Equity, diversity and inclusion – Diversity Standards form

As part of your application, you must address the BFI Diversity Standards which means telling us about your intentions around diversity, inclusion and representation during your development work. This means describing relevant aspects of the narratives, characters, themes and cast/contributors of the projects on your slate. You will also need to draw on information about your current staff, any early career and training opportunities you will make available, and your accessibility processes. Please read the guidance on how to complete the Diversity Standards for ideas of how to respond given your project and activity type. We will review the quality and ambition of your plans to meet the Diversity Standards and may ask you to further develop your ideas before we make a funding decision.

You’ll need to create an account for the BFI Diversity Standards portal, if you don’t already have one. Once you have logged in to the portal, click ‘start new application’ and select the Diversity Standards – UKGSF version of the form.

This form will give you a unique reference number, which you’ll need in order to complete your main funding application form. You’ll need to submit both forms by the same deadline as for your main application. Application forms received without a completed and submitted Diversity Standards form will be considered incomplete and therefore ineligible.

The information you provide within your Diversity Standards form may be shared with any funding partners or the BAFTA and BIFA film awards, and used to help inform future funding decisions, research and strategy. Any equality monitoring data will be anonymised.

If you have questions or concerns about your ability to meet the standards or would like to discuss approaches to meeting the criteria, you can contact the Diversity Standards Manager in the BFI Certification Unit on 020 7173 3273 or email [email protected].

As part of your main funding application you will also be asked to answer a question about representation within your organisation’s leadership.

Documents you’ll need to provide

You’ll need to upload:

• a detailed budget using the template provided showing the development budget for each project and partnership funding secured
• a completed project overview document using the template provided detailing the projects you are seeking funding for, including directors and writers (if attached), any partners, logline, synopsis and timeline for development work)
• the existing development materials for each project (script, treatment/proposal, bible)
• proof of partnership funding:
  • any contracts relating to the early-stage development completed, such as writer’s agreements, chain of title documents and signed funding agreements where a third party has covered these costs
  • proof of payment for early-stage development costs included as part of your 25% contribution to the budget, showing the minimum required £5,000 for fiction and £1,000 for documentary expenditure per project. Where you are not including a contract that evidences this expenditure, this should be in the form of receipts that demonstrate the expenditure in full. If you do not have proof of a specific cost, please attach a document detailing the cost and the reason it is not receipted
  • proof of any expenditure committed to but not yet paid out in the form of a signed agreement plus a bank statement showing the funds required in your company account
  • proof of any secured partnership funding for the supported development stage such as signed funding agreements
  • annual (statutory) accounts for your company as described in section two
• corporate ownership chart indicating direct and indirect ownership interests (%) and domicile of related entities, if applicable

Submitting your application

To apply, you’ll need to create an account or have an existing account on our grant website. You’ll then need to complete and submit the online application form. Check the guidance on how to use our BFI applicant portal. You can save your application and return to it when you need to.

You can view a PDF preview of the application form to see the questions you will be asked in full:

Incomplete applications will be considered ineligible so please ensure that you complete all sections of the application form with the information requested.

If you need additional support using the application form or encounter technical issues, please contact us at [email protected].

Speculative submissions

We will only consider funding projects that have been submitted to us through the formal application process. This means that we cannot accept, or read, application materials submitted by any means other than via the online application portal.

5. What happens after you apply

1. Once you have submitted your application, you will receive a unique ID number and an automated confirmation of receipt. If you do not receive this, please contact [email protected]
2. You’ll get confirmation we received your application within five working days. 
3. We will review your application to check that it is eligible for assessment.
4. If your application is ineligible we will endeavour to inform you of this within four weeks. If you then realise you’ve made an error on your application which has rendered it ineligible, please tell us immediately, as we may allow you to correct it and resubmit. We continue to verify application eligibility throughout the assessment process and may determine at any point that an application is ineligible.
5. Eligible applications will go through the assessment process outlined below.
6. We will endeavour to inform applicants of the outcome of their application within 16 weeks of the application deadline.

If we need more information to determine eligibility

We may write to you to request more information about your application. If we need more information, it may have an impact on our ability to take a funding decision within the response timeframes above. You will be required to respond to this request within five working days or as otherwise specified in correspondence. If no response is given within that timeframe, the application will be declined.

How your application is assessed

The UKGSF seeks to support projects that are in clear need of public funding and that make a case for achieving significant results against our stated aims. The Slate Development Fund uses assessors external to the BFI in combination with in-house assessment to reach its funding recommendations. We may choose to consult an external assessor at any stage of the assessment process. This section outlines how our assessment process works.

Our assessment scores eligible applications against the following criteria:

International growth and innovation: 20%

We’ll look at:

• the proposed benefit to the producer’s international company growth
• the slate’s international potential, including any international co-developments; any sales agent attachments; creative teams and project content; and awareness of potential markets
• the extent to which projects on the slate have the potential to be made as international co-productions, including as demonstrated by any interest from international co-producers
• international distribution and revenue potential
• the extent to which the development work involved is providing access to new markets and partnerships or showing innovative practice in relation to the company’s previous work

Editorial: 20%

We’ll look at:

• the clarity and originality of the stories and ideas on your slate
• the strength of each project’s story-world or aesthetic approach
• the development to date for each project including how recently the project has been developed and the extent to which projects are likely to advance creatively because of UKGSF support

Budget: 20%

We’ll look at:

• the level of detail in your budget and whether all costs are presented clearly
• value for money offered by the costs presented and the producer fees allocated
• the way funding has been allocated across the projects, considering the nature of the fund as slate rather than single project development
• the amount and nature of partnership funding secured, including the extent of secured third-party funding
• the grant intensity for UKGSF, meaning how much funding we are being asked to contribute in relation to the partnership funding secured
• the ratio of UK to international costs for the activity UKGSF is being asked to support

Funding outcomes: 15%

We’ll look at:

• the benefits of slate development support for the UK producer and their business sustainability
• whether the producer is working with territories they have not co-produced with before
• potential to increase the reach of UK screen content to international audiences

Track record: 10% 

We’ll look at:

• experience of the production company and any partners involved
• demonstrable past success of the producer(s), directors and writers attached to the slate through for example festival acceptances, awards or audience reach (box office, viewing figures)
• existing engagement with international partners and markets
• ability and capacity of the producer to carry out the development activity and drive projects through to production 
• any experience of producing previous successful international co-productions

UK-wide: 10%

We’ll look at:

• where the applicant UK production company is based
• how projects reflect the culture and talent of Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the English regions outside Greater London
• any other proposed UK-wide benefits within the application

Additionality: 5%

We’ll look at:

• how your proposal demonstrates that the development activity would not otherwise happen without UKGSF support
• the extent to which UKGSF funding will take projects to a point of production readiness
• the extent to which the UKGSF funding specifically will unlock additional benefits for the project, for example: company growth, visibility and reputation; new international relationships and new territories 

Cross-cutting BFI priorities 

Each of the following must be fully addressed:

• the quality and ambition of plans to address the Diversity Standards
• feasibility and impact of your intentions for development activity to be more environmentally sustainable and to reduce negative environmental impact

Assessment is performed in three stages: the first stage focuses on international growth and innovation, funding outcomes, track record, UK-wide and additionality. The second stage focuses on editorial and budget. The third stage is external panel consideration.

If your application does not progress through the stages, we may not review all the materials you have submitted.

Applications reaching the final stage will be considered by a panel comprised of external industry representatives and internal BFI staff. This panel will determine which projects will be recommended to the BFI Grant Finance Committee for approval.

If we are interested in supporting your project, we may ask you to revise elements of your budget or remove one or more projects from your slate before we give you a funding decision.

During the above assessment stages we may ask you for a meeting to discuss the application further. This does not mean that we have made a commitment to fund your production. The meeting is an opportunity for us to discuss your application and project with you in more detail. You may need to supply further information after the meeting and we will need to review that before we can make a final decision.

If we don’t receive any further materials or information from you within five working days or as otherwise specified in correspondence, your application will automatically be marked as ‘withdrawn’. This will not affect your ability to apply for other BFI funds or to UKGSF in the future.

Applications that are not successful will be declined by email. This email will state that we have reviewed your application and are not considering it further and that your application is now closed.

Identity checks

We undertake due diligence assessments of the applications we are recommending to our decision-making committee for funding. As part of this, before applying to the committee, we may request the bank details of the lead applicant. We will request the personal address and date of birth of the CEO or Managing Director of the organisation applying. We will use this data to run an identity check. Our request for this information is not an indication or confirmation of funding and you will be informed separately of the funding decision on your application. This is not a credit check. We will be unable to submit your application to our decision-making committee until we have received your completed form.

Grant Finance Committee consideration

Following the assessment of your application, a funding recommendation will be made to the BFI’s Grant Finance Committee who will take a final funding decision on the project. This committee is made up of members of the BFI Executive Board and other staff members who make funding decisions in line with the BFI Grant Funding Policies and Procedures handbook.

6. Getting a decision

You will be informed in writing within 16 weeks if your application has been unsuccessful or successful.

If you’re successful

You’ll receive a written offer of funding which you’ll need to sign and return to the BFI within seven days, otherwise the offer will lapse. 

Your offer of funding will set out details of how you’ll receive the funding, how to use it and how we expect you to report to us. Successful applicants should also ensure they are aware of the payment terms for the award as detailed at section seven including in relation to delivery materials.

Feedback on an unsuccessful application 

We aim to provide feedback to all eligible applications that we decline. This feedback may be drawn from the external or internal assessment conducted on each project and will relate to the assessment criteria above. Once we have provided feedback we aren’t able to correspond further with you regarding the funding decision for your project. 

For applications we decline, we will keep the data and supporting materials you sent to us in line with our records retention policy.

Resubmission

No resubmissions can be made to the Slate Development Fund for applications that are declined unless there is a substantial and significant change in multiple elements throughout the slate, or where an application has been withdrawn from the previous funding process by the applicant.

If you meet either of the above criteria, please contact us to confirm whether you can apply. If you then submit a new application for the same project, ensure that you identify any revised project elements clearly in the new application.

We welcome your feedback on the application process and how we might improve it, via [email protected]. 

7. Conditions of funding

If your application is successful, before we make any payments to you, you will be required to sign a UKGSF Slate Development finance agreement with the BFI that sets out the terms and conditions of your award. 

In addition to the BFI General Funding Conditions, these terms and conditions will include the following (but may also include others specific to your application):

1. Any award must be used exclusively for the purpose for which it was requested, as set out in your application, and solely on UK elements unless previously agreed. The award will be made for sole use by the applicant company.
2. The award is a grant that is not recoupable by the BFI, except in the circumstances set out below and in the funding agreement.
3. The amount offered may be reduced, withdrawn or the agreement terminated if this UKGSF award will result in your company exceeding the relevant cumulative subsidy threshold of £12 million over three financial years under Category 2 (Screen) of the Arts and Culture Streamlined Subsidy Scheme, or used for a purpose other than the purpose for which it was given.
4. The grant term will be 18 months. 
5. The BFI will pay the grant to the Applicant’s UK limited company registered in the UK. The grant will be made for sole use by the applicant company.
6. UKGSF will have the right of prior written approvals over changes to the supported slate activity including:

• in the event of development work being paused or ceased on one or more projects, the possibility of adding further projects to the slate; 
• any proposed changes to the budget including budget re-allocations above 10% of the original approved budget lines; and 
• any other material changes to approved slate activity, not previously agreed by the UKGSF team.

7. The UKGSF contribution to your overall development budget (comprising prior development and the supported stage) cannot exceed 75%. In accepting Slate Development funding you are agreeing to commit a minimum of 25% partnership funding for the activity from your own or third-party sources. This can include expenditure that you have already paid or have contracted to pay at the point of application but have not yet paid out, providing you can evidence the commitment through a signed contract and demonstrate the required amount of funding in your company’s bank account; and any funds you have definitively secured for the supported development stage from third-party sources. The UKGSF will require approval over such third-party funding and its terms. This 25% commitment must exclude any unconfirmed funding, in-kind contributions, uncontracted funding from your own company or in-house staff time and awards from any other BFI source such as BFI Development Fund, BFI Doc Society Fund or BFI NETWORK with the exception of BFI NETWORK funding for early development at £5,000 or below (not including any access costs), or BFI Doc Society RAD funding. Successful applicants will be required to provide evidence that all such proposed partnership funding was spent on co-funding the listed and approved development costs.
8. Subject to clause nine below, grants awarded will be paid in accordance with the following payment schedule:

• 40% on signature of the funding agreement and satisfaction of conditions precedent (if any);
• Up to 40% at 12 months based on receipt and approval of interim reporting confirming expenditure of first instalment; and
• Up to 20% at 18 months based on receipt and approval of final reporting.

Should your reporting show that the required 25% of development costs coming from sources other than the grant has not been achieved, or if your final expenditure is less than the originally agreed budget, we reserve the right to reduce or withhold payment, or require a portion of the grant to be repaid. 

9. We reserve the right to adjust the payment structure at the BFI’s sole discretion. If there are unspent funds at the 12 month point, we may require a revised cashflow (to be agreed with UKGSF) to ensure that funds are not paid out in advance of need. 
10. The offer of funding and the funding agreement may be terminated and any funding already advanced may be required to be repaid in the event that any of the requirements set out in these guidelines or any of the terms of the funding agreement are breached including if the BFI has reasonable concerns relating to the viability of the slate projects, the nature and terms of any partnership funding or if any co-funders, development partners or applicant operate in a way which might bring the BFI or DCMS into disrepute. 
11. Successful applicants will be issued with guidance on interim and final reporting, including requirements around benefits generated by the grant and promotional activity. You will be required to submit:

• an interim report detailing progress to date with each project and a cost report
• a final report including narrative and cost reporting, an updated project overview identifying the development activity achieved for each project, all delivery materials supported by the grant, and evidence for payment of all individual expenditure items above £1,000 to demonstrate that all proposed partnership funding was spent on co-funding the development.

You should plan your cashflow accordingly with the final payment terms, where you will only receive any last instalment of the grant owing to you once you have received delivery materials for all projects on your slate and have submitted these to BFI and had them approved, along with all other final report materials. UKGSF will not provide creative feedback or notes on the delivery materials. 

12. UKGSF, at its discretion, may require further evidence of expenditure including either samples of proof of expenditure for items below £1,000 or proof of all expenditure made using the grant.
13. Successful applicants will not be able to apply to future rounds of the fund until final reporting is received and approved on their existing award.
14. Successful applicants will be provided with detailed branding guidelines that set out the specific requirements for acknowledging this funding and the UKGSF as a UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport fund administered by the BFI. We require grant recipients to increase the visibility of the Government’s support by:

• promoting and displaying the UKGSF logo on the front pages of project and organisational websites and related marketing materials
• assisting in communicating the benefit of the UKGSF, to ensure that its value and impact is recognised and understood by key stakeholders
• Making themselves available to take part in promotional activities

On any productions developed through with support from the UKGSF Slate Development Fund, we will require a contractual end screen credit in the following form: ‘Developed with funds awarded by the UK Global Screen Fund – financed by the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport and administered by the BFI’ followed by the UKGSF logo, pursuant to the UKGSF branding guidelines.

It is an important condition of UKGSF funding that the source of the funding is prominently acknowledged through use of the UKGSF logo and through agreed verbal and written acknowledgement. Partners and beneficiaries are expected to take opportunities to highlight not just the fact of the funding but why their project is funded and therefore the increased opportunity that is possible through the Government’s support.

15. You will be required to deliver against the undertakings 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.
16. Successful applicants will be required to take part in formal evaluation of the UKGSF if contacted by an independent evaluator. This will include the provision of information on the development activities to inform this evaluation. This may include, but shall not be limited to, information for the purposes of case studies, quotes from the grantee benefiting from the award and provision of visual materials relating to the funded activity.