Contents
1. About this fund
This fund is for organisations who want to deliver UK-focused activity at an established international festival, market, co-production forum, or another industry event or platform with international reach dedicated to screen content.
Fund aims
All funded activity should deliver against the following fund aims which are also detailed in the outcomes of the BFI’s National Lottery strategy:
An increase in the international engagement and reach of the UK screen sector including:
- increased international investment in content production
- a greater awareness of the UK’s offer amongst international partners
- achieving a more sustainable independent UK screen sector by increasing production and export activity, as well as the number of international collaborations in screen production
Creative talent is supported and nurtured, as they emerge and throughout their careers by:
- connecting UK content creators with their international counterparts
- increasing the international visibility of UK talent and content
- engaging more UK professionals in international collaborations
A wider range of stories are told that otherwise wouldn’t be by increasing:
- screen content production and co-production activity
- demand for independent UK content around the world
Better support available for small and medium-sized enterprises and independents to develop their businesses by increasing:
- the impact and success of the UK screen sector’s creativity and entrepreneurship
- cultural exchange
All proposed activity must deliver against our three principles for National Lottery funding: equity, diversity and inclusion; UK-wide; environmental sustainability.
2. Check if you’re eligible
You must be able to meet all of the following criteria before starting your application.
Your organisation
Your organisation must be a legally constituted entity according to the laws of the country in which you are based and registered. This includes:
- private companies
- non-profit organisations, associations, charities, foundations
- municipalities, local authorities or similar organisations within your territory.
You must be applying to deliver your activity on a not-for-profit basis and the activity funded by BFI is and will remain a non-economic activity.
Individuals cannot apply.
Your event
The UK Focus Fund will principally support activities taking place outside of the UK with demonstrable significant international industry profile and attendance.
We will consider applications for UK-focused activities taking place within the UK only where the applicant can demonstrate substantial and high-profile existing international industry profile and attendance over the last three years.
The event must:
- have been established for at least three years preceding the proposed activity start date
- demonstrate significant international industry profile and attendance
- be dedicated to screen content within at least one of the following categories:
- feature films – fiction, documentary, animation – for theatrical or online release
- programmes – documentary or animation only – for broadcast television, video-on-demand services or other forms of online release
- narrative-led interactive or immersive media for commercial distribution on digital platforms
Eligible events include:
- festivals
- markets
- co-production and co-financing forums
- pitching events
- showcases
- summits
- conferences
Other types of international platform that can demonstrate significant participation or engagement from international screen industry representatives may be eligible to apply for funding.
When you’re ineligible
You are not eligible to apply for funding from the UK Focus Fund if:
- your proposed activity is audience-focused, rather than industry-focused
- your proposed activity relates only to curating strands or seasons of UK content
- you are seeking funding to cover the operational costs of core, existing activity
- you are seeking seed funding
- you are seeking funding to cover the start-up costs of online platforms.
This list is not exhaustive and we may inform you that other types of activity are not eligible to apply for support from the UK Focus Fund.
If you have any queries about the eligibility of your organisation or your proposed activity, please email international@bfi.org.uk.
3. How much you can apply for
You can apply for an award between £3,000 and £100,000.
Awards will be made in accordance with the scale, ambition and reach of each proposal. We expect the majority of awards to be between £10,000 and £40,000.
4. What you can use the funding for
The funding can only be used for additional or enhanced UK-focused activity taking place as part of your eligible event that responds to the Fund aims.
The award must be used to increase the international visibility of UK screen talent and content, and to connect UK screen professionals with their international counterparts. The types of proposed activity could include:
- pitching sessions
- one-to-one meetings between UK and international industry professionals
- structured networking for UK participants with international industry representatives screenings of UK content to international buyers and/or decision makers
- Q&As and panels at festivals or markets
- B2B screen industry events that have a strong UK element
In most cases, the proposed activity should not be part of the core, existing activity of your event. We will however consider activities where the whole event is focused on the UK if it complies with other eligibility criteria and demonstrates a strong alignment with the purpose of the fund, to increase the international visibility of UK talent and content, and to connect UK screen professionals with their international counterparts.
Activity focused on cultural exchange and on the BFI’s overarching principles of funding are also in scope to highlight the UK’s commitment to, and achievements in, these areas in an international context.
We expect the majority of the proposed activity to be one-off, but we will also consider proposals where the UK-focused activity takes place over two consecutive years. In these instances, if you require BFI funding for each of those two years then your application should be based on a single, multi-year award covering the full term of the project delivery, which must be completed by no later than 31 March 2029. You would need to justify this approach, and we will assess its merits.
In any case, the funding can only be used to cover costs associated with each individual or annual edition of the UK Focus activity which would be expected to take place over a number of days, and cannot be used for any ongoing or year-round organisational costs.
Deliverables
In your application you will need to identify the specific activities that you will deliver (your ‘deliverables’) using the funding, which will enable you to meet your KPIs.
Your deliverables should include:
- delivery of Uk-focused activity, to include details on schedule, events, and UK and international participants
- submission of a final report, to include a final expenditure report and a final KPI schedule detailing achievement against each of your original KPI targets , to be submitted within two months of the activity completion date (see section 9, conditions of funding)
Eligible costs
You can use the award for activity delivery costs which should be at a level to maximise the public benefit and value for money of the fund, and can include but are not limited to:
- travel, accommodation and subsistence of UK participants in the activity, as directly related to the UK Focus Fund activity
- travel, accommodation and subsistence of speakers and contributors directly related to the UK Focus activity
- venue hire, room, equipment and facilities directly related to the UK Focus activity
- promotion and marketing that is directly related to the UK Focus activity
- staff costs directly related to delivering the UK Focus activity
Costs we cannot support
Funds should not substitute or replace existing funding or income that would otherwise be available, or fund similar activity that can start without an award. National Lottery funds are only awarded to applicants that demonstrate need and a clear public benefit from the activity.
BFI National Lottery funding is project-based, time-limited funding, and you should not expect ongoing support beyond the term of any awards made.
Examples of common ineligible costs:
- any costs incurred prior to an offer of funding from the BFI
- core costs for day to day running of your organisation not associated with the activity
- staff costs not directly associated with delivering the UK Focus activity
- costs relating to business-as-usual work or an extension of ongoing work including the general running costs associated with your event or year-round costs
- capital expenditure
- development of IP intended for commercial gain
- activity that is already specifically supported by another external source of funding
- promotional or other activity (stands, printed brochures) which does not support an environmental sustainability policy
- costs of activity that does not directly increase the international visibility of UK talent and content, and connect UK screen professionals with international counterparts.
This list is not exhaustive and we may tell you that other types of activity within your application cannot be supported by a BFI award or ask that you amend specific activities and associated budget allocations.
If you’re registered for VAT, your figures should not include VAT that you can claim back. If you’re not registered for VAT, or you’re registered for VAT but cannot fully recover the VAT you incur on costs, your figures should include irrecoverable VAT. Grants we make are ‘outside the scope’ of VAT (or your country’s tax equivalent) and should be listed in your accounts as a grant and not, for example, as a fee for any services supplied to the BFI. We will not pay VAT (or your country’s equivalent) on top of the award amount offered. Awards will be paid in UK sterling. You should get financial advice from your own accountant or the relevant tax office.
Partnership funding
For your application to be eligible you will need to demonstrate an element of partnership support, which can include cash or in-kind support (BFI will not 100% fund the UK Focus activity). Partnership contributions are an important demonstration that there is genuine support for your activity from stakeholders and other partners in your country and will be taken into account as part of assessment.
Partnership funding does not have to be secured at the point of application, but will need to be secured in advance of any award from BFI and before the proposed activity start date. Other BFI funds cannot be used as partnership funding and UK National Lottery Funding from another distributor should not be the only form of partnership funding.
5. What your activity needs to achieve
Your activity should be designed to increase the awareness and demand for UK screen content, talent, expertise and co-production opportunities from international partners and buyers, and should stimulate cultural exchange activity, which in turn will result in increased collaboration.
Key Performance Indicators
We will measure the success of the UK Focus Fund using the following Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
As part of the application process, all applicants to the UK Focus Fund will be required to draft their own proposed KPIs (using a template provided below) to align with the following fund-level KPIs and inclusion targets:
- number of participants (UK industry and international delegates) attending UK Focus events
- UK participants based outside London. Target: 50%
- UK participants new to BFI National Lottery funding. Target: 25%
- amount of UK co-production activity, export activity, and sales enabled by UK Focus activity. Monitoring only
- number of new contacts made by UK participants (and countries engaged). Monitoring only
- number of UK Focus events and their geographical spread. Monitoring only
In addition, all National Lottery awards must deliver against our three principles for National Lottery funding:
Equity, diversity and inclusion
All activity supported by our funding must address the BFI Diversity Standards. 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.
Applicants to this fund need to respond to the Diversity Standards on a summary level. This means you are expected to fill in an overall response to each Standard A-E, not individual criteria. You are only expected to respond to each Standard where you have relevant activity and staff, but you should still try to fill as much detail as possible. Please refer to the guidance for ideas of how to respond given your project and activity type, the size of your company or project team, and any early career or career development roles you are able to offer.
While you should reference the activity most directly related to the project you are applying for funding for, you may talk about the wider event or organisation where relevant.
If your plans are not fully developed at the point of application, then please state the stage you are currently at and explain how you will turn your aims into actions. If we are interested in supporting your project we may ask you to further develop your ideas before we make a funding decision.
If your team or organisation has a long-standing commitment to diversity, enabling you to meet the BFI Diversity Standards by continuing your current practice, your application should outline how you will build on past achievements and show leadership to the wider industry.
If you have any questions or concerns about how the Standards might apply to your project, particularly if you have not used the Standards before, please contact diversitystandards@bfi.org.uk or call 020 7173 3273.
The activity of the UK Focus Fund will contribute towards achieving our inclusion targets. You will be expected to set KPIs in line with the BFI inclusion targets, in relation to UK participants in the UK Focus activity.
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. You’ll need to tell us how your proposed activity will be delivered and how this will support the BFI’s UK-wide principle. For example, by attracting participants from across the UK, or fostering support for UK projects based or produced outside of London and the South East of England.
Environmental Sustainability
You’ll need to embed the principle of environmental sustainability throughout your funded activity.
You’ll need to outline how you will apply the principle of environmental sustainability (ES) to the funded activity or your organisation more generally. This could include:
- implementing good environmental practice for the project e.g. travel and events
- embedding sustainability within your organisation more broadly
- exploring environmental themes as part of the work
Due to the range of organisations and activity that we fund, we’re not prescriptive about what you should focus on. For guidance, you can explore resources provided by our designated partner, Julie’s Bicycle, particularly through the Sustainable Screen Resource Hub which outlines good environmental practices.
6. How to apply
When you can apply
Applications are accepted year-round and must be submitted at least 12 weeks before the start of the proposed activity, though we would encourage you to submit your application 6 months in advance of the activity start date.
Information you need to provide
In your main application you’ll need to provide:
- a brief summary of the proposed UK-focused activity
- an outline of your established event or platform, detailing:
- the total number of annual/regular participants, both UK and international
- its international reach (number of countries participating)
- any information regarding the impact of the event/platform to date, including qualitative or quantitative data (where available)
- evidence of your ability and capacity to carry out the proposed UK Focus activity.
- detailed activity plan, evidencing a strong potential to help increase the international visibility of UK talent and content and to connect UK screen professionals with international counterparts to increase the impact and success of UK’s creativity and entrepreneurship. You should consider the following questions:
- to what extent is the proposed UK Focus activity additional to your core activity?
- how will you attract and select UK participants in the supported activity?
- how will the activity help support UK producers/screen professionals increase their international network and set up international partnerships/collaborations?
- how will the UK Focus activity impact the number of participants in the established event/platform?
- how will the UK Focus activity further the development of UK screen content?
- how will UK screen content be showcased?
- what is the size and the composition of audience that will be reached with any screenings?
- a comprehensive timeline demonstrating how you will deliver, resource and manage the UK Focus activity (you may attach this to your application as a separate document if you have a preferred format)
- proposed deliverables for your UK Focus activity – you should clearly set out the specific activities that you will deliver as part of the UK Focus activity, and these should also relate to achieving your Key Performance Indicators (details below)
- response to BFI’s principles of funding:
- equity, diversity and inclusion – a summary of how the proposal responds to equity, diversity and inclusion. You will be expected to provide an outline of your outreach plans in relation to attracting and selecting UK participants that will enable you to meet your activity KPIs. For example, this might include partnering with organisations that have networks focused on underrepresented groups. You should also provide detail on accessibility requirements for all events and published material.
- UK-wide – a summary of how the proposal ensures engagement with beneficiaries from across the UK, or fosters support for projects based outside of London and the South East of England. You should outline your outreach plans in relation to attracting and selecting UK participants in the activity, including how they will reach out to and partner with organisations across whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and the English regions outside of Greater London.
- environmental sustainability – how the proposed activity responds to net zero and broader environmental sustainability, showing due consideration for attendance in-person vs online.
- how your proposal responds to the BFI’s Diversity Standards
- an indication of the level of non-financial support you would value or require from the BFI’s International team, if your application is successful, in terms of engagement, participation and promotion to the UK industry through BFI channels in order to deliver the UK Focus activity
- details of any partners or sponsors of the UK Focus activity and the wider Event
Documents you need to provide
You will need to attach the following documents to your application:
- total activity budget; a detailed income and expenditure budget for the UK Focus activity. This budget should:
- include detail on any third-party income/partnership funding (including whether each source is confirmed or pending)
- include a breakdown of exactly how the proposed UK Focus Fund award would be spent
- demonstrate how the UK Focus activity fits within the overall budget of your event.
- proposed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for your activity, using the template provided below. Your proposed KPIs should align with the fund-level KPIs and inclusion targets that are detailed in section 5 of these guidelines, and you should also briefly outline your plans for collection and ongoing monitoring of any relevant data.
You may also need to attach the following documents to your application:
- sustainability policy (optional); your organisation’s overall sustainability policy, if there is one in place, or sustainability plan for the relevant international event
Equality monitoring form
You may be asked to provide equality monitoring data relating to your organisation’s leadership or project staff at the point of application or during your project. The data you submit on this form will be confidential, anonymous and not seen by the fund staff.
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:
7. What happens after you apply
You’ll get confirmation we received your application within 1 or 2 working days.
You’ll be sent a unique ID number for your application
You’ll get a decision on your application within 8 weeks.
We will check that your application is eligible for funding. Incomplete applications will be considered ineligible so please ensure that you complete all sections of the application form with the information requested.
If your application is ineligible, we will send you an email to inform you of this within four weeks of your submission date.
If we need more information
Once submitted, we will review your application and if necessary, may write to you or request to meet with you to obtain more information about your application. If we need additional information from you, it may take us longer to confirm your eligibility and reach a decision on your application.
How your application is assessed
When assessing your application, we consider:
- the international profile and reach of the eligible event
- evidence of your ability and capacity to carry out the activity (e.g. relevant evidence of success and impact of attending from previous participants)
- the extent to which the proposed UK Focus activity supports the UK Focus Fund aims and is additional to your core activity
- reach and ambition of the proposed outcomes and KPIs
- ability of the proposed activity to create substantial international networks for UK participants
- visibility of UK talent and projects within the event
- quality and value for money of the proposed activity
- how you have managed any previous BFI awards
- your demonstration of need for National Lottery funding
- whether there is a clear UK public benefit to the proposed activity
- the level of partnership support, including in-kind contributions
- the conditions set out in the National Lottery Funding General Conditions
We may share parts of your application with other BFI teams or external consultants to help us assess it.
Applications for activities that duplicate or are similar to those already provided by other events or platforms within the same territory, including those previously supported by the UK Focus Fund, are unlikely to be successful.
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. Please note that 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. Please note that 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 and Lottery Finance Committee Consideration
Following assessment of each application, funding recommendations will be made to the BFI Grant and Lottery Finance Committee. This is the final stage of the funding decision process. All applicants will be informed in writing of the decision on their application. If your application is declined, all supporting materials will be deleted from your submission in line with our record retention policy.
8. Getting a decision
If you’re successful
You’ll
- receive a written offer of funding
- need to sign the offer of funding and return it to the BFI within 7 days.
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.
Read the Conditions of funding section below and General Conditions of National Lottery Funding to find out what you will have to do if you are offered an award.
If you’re unsuccessful
We may have turned down your application because we determined that the proposal:
- did not fit our Fund aims
- did not demonstrate a strong enough commitment to one or all of the following principles: equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI); environmental sustainability; UK-wide
- was too ambitious for the budget
- did not demonstrate enough relevant experience
- was not developed enough
- did not demonstrate sufficient need for National Lottery support and should be financed by other means
- did not meet with the BFI Diversity Standards
If you operate an annual event, you will not be able to resubmit an application for the same year but may be able to submit for a future year if you can demonstrate a significant change to your proposal.
Feedback on an unsuccessful application
We aim to make the application process as transparent as possible but please note that, as a result of the volume of applications we receive, and as a small team, we do not have the resources to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants. This means that if we are unable to support your application, you will receive a standard email from us that states this outcome without providing further information about the decision. If we met with you to discuss your application as part of the assessment process and you were then unsuccessful for funding, we may give you feedback on the decision by either phone or email.
We will keep the data and supporting materials you sent to us in line with our records retention policy.
We welcome your feedback on the application process and how we might improve it international@bfi.org.uk.
9. Conditions of Funding
If we offer you an award, in addition to the General Conditions of National Lottery Funding for successful applicants, the following conditions will apply to your award:
Funding will be paid in two or three instalments (or more instalments, for multi-year awards) and part of the award will be held back until delivery to and approval by BFI of the Final Report.
You will need to assess the impact of the support from the UK Focus Fund within two months of the delivery of the UK Focus activity. This Final Report will ask for detail including:
- a summary of what happened at the UK Focus activity, including an analysis of its successes
- actual take-up and engagement of the Event’s regular participants with the UK Focus activity
- analysis of industry feedback on the quality and usefulness of UK Focus activity (e.g. via participant questionnaires)
- achievement against your originally approved Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) using the template provided
- a cost statement setting out actual income and expenditure against the budget (please note that if expenditure is less than the anticipated budget, the BFI may proportionately reduce the amount of the award payable)
- name and contact details of all participants in the UK Focus activity (which must be obtained in compliance with data protection regulations)
- name and contact details of all industry partners and corporate sponsors involved directly in the UK Focus activity
- a copy of the programme for the eligible event (if applicable)
You will also be required to participate in all reasonable requests by the BFI to facilitate the collection of UK participants’ demographic information to enable the BFI to report against its Inclusion Targets for this Fund. In addition, you and the UK participants may be expected to participate in evaluation of the activity at a later date.
Please note that any BFI award will be payable in UK pound sterling and the amount of funding offered cannot be increased to take into account any currency fluctuations.
The BFI will also require in relation to the UK Focus activity:
- agreement as to the level of participation required from BFI as a strategic partner
- regular project meetings to review progress, these could be weekly when in proximity to an event
- regular budget reports detailing income and expenditure to date
- approval of overall branding, design and publicity materials
- approval over the identity and terms of all corporate sponsors and industry partners
Recipients of funding may be asked to use the ‘ScreenUK Industry’ brand to show the funded activity’s connectivity with related initiatives and maximise the impact of UK screen content overall in the marketplace.