- Strong creative skills and capabilities are the foundation for strong companies.
- Specific focus on companies in the regions (outside Dublin and Wicklow)
About the Fund
As the national agency for the Irish film, television drama, animation and documentary industry, Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland is the creative partner to the sector, investing in talent, creativity and enterprise.
We are inspired by original storytelling that will emotionally move audiences at home and abroad. Through a wide range of practical funding supports across development, production, distribution, promotion and skills development, Screen Ireland supports the sector at every stage. We support filmmakers in their creative pursuit to share valuable artistic, cultural and commercial stories on screen.
In 2021, the Creative Futures Fund supported development by encouraging the creative capabilities within companies and to build a support system for creative development. Round 2 of the Creative Futures Slate Fund will now open for applications: an initiative which is designed to build cultural resilience, enabling the development of high-quality, culturally significant projects.
The Creative Futures Slate Fund is open to audio-visual companies who are developing a slate of narrative projects across film, TV, animation, and documentary and who are looking to expand and build on their creative ambitions, develop talent, target a diverse and expanding creative slate and support their business with the adequate skills and capabilities needed to enable increased opportunity and growth. The design of the fund is based on 3 strands:
- International Strand – Creative Capability
- Direct Slate Support
- Next Stage Strand – Creative Capability
Developing a slate involves strong creative instincts and capabilities as well as the management of talent and timelines. The Creative Futures Slate Fund is about building strength and depth in in-house creative teams. It is about enhancing access to expert development capability for project and talent and business development to ensure the longer term creative and cultural expansion of the company. It is also about building a pipeline of projects that can be developed by the creative team in place.
The total fund is €2,500,000 and up to 35% will be ring-fenced for companies based in and operating from the regions. The Creative Futures Slate Fund is in the form of a loan which will recouped from projects that go into production.
A company can apply for one of the following strands:
1. International Strand (Funding up to a max of €200,000)
Targeting creative international expansion and support for established production companies who already have limited or early-stage international creative business growth and experience.
Increasing scale and ambition of slate and growing creative footprint (via further expansion of development, creative and business affairs teams) into broader international production opportunities with key stakeholders and potentially company investors.
Alongside building a creative team, a company can allocate a percentage (up to 25%) of funding to slate developments such as options, talent, and concept development.
2. Direct Slate Support (Funding up to a max of €200,000)
Previous Creative Futures Slate Fund recipients and companies with a clear creative team and development structure in place can target a 75% slate investment, with a 25% investment targeted at development / business affairs personnel (not general overheads). The company will need to demonstrate clear creative targets with clear and robust rationale around talent development including a robust and thought-out strategy on diverse and inclusive talent. Screen Ireland will need to be satisfied that there is a strong team in place to ensure the slate delivery along with their Creative Futures Slate Plan as indicated below.
Companies who apply for the 75% slate fund are not eligible for single project funding and will be benched until the fund is expended.
3. Next Stage Strand – Creative Capability (Funding up to a max of €100,000)
Targeting a spectrum of emerging and smaller established companies, enabling an increased growth trajectory, introduction of full-time development and business affairs teams that ensure, directly or indirectly, a solid foundation of creative ambition and slate development.
Alongside building a creative team, a company can allocate a percentage (up to 25%) of funding to early / seed stage developments such as options, talent and concept development.
Creative Future Plan
Submissions should include a three-year Creative Future Plan. The Creative Future Plan should outline, clearly the following:
- The company Creative Vision, Mission and Values.
- Talent Development Strategy and Slate Targets incl. Diversity and Inclusion
- The intended markets / end users which the company intends to produce for.
- Creative partnerships (national and international) – in the case of small companies we encourage collaboration, resources sharing, joint ventures and consolidation.
- The creative and business team to support this vision including track records.
- Other Funding sources.
- Budget setting out the costs of enhancing the creative capacity of the company.
Note: The Creative Futures Fund can only support additional activity not current activity.
Double funding from other Irish State Agencies is not permissible and must be disclosed, but funding from other market sources is encouraged and will certainly make an application stronger.
Funding and the Creative Futures Slate Fund Scheme overall is subject to state aid guidelines and funding awards may be adjusted to ensure that companies sit within the Cinema Communication and GBER Guidelines.
Criteria for Assessment
- Clarity of Vision in relation to Creative Future Plan, aligning to a realistic, yet ambitious growth trajectory
- Talent Development Strategy - Proposed creative team and investment structure that enhances and enables acceleration in creative ability and expertise
- Strength of the overall proposal - Understanding the key challenges and opportunities within the market
- Key Stakeholder and Creative Partnership targets of benefit to the sector (national and international)
Eligible Costs and Budget
The Company should submit a budget setting out the full annual costs of the Creative / Development and business costs in the company. This should include the existing costs and the proposed additional costs under the Creative Future Plan. This should clearly show the Company contribution and the proposed request for funding. The Board can fund up to 50% of the Business Affairs costs and up to 100% of the creative development costs.
Costs that are funded under the Creative Futures Fund are ineligible to be included in Development Budgets for funding.
Recoupment
- International Strand - Creative Capability - 25% Slate and 75% Creative Capability: 50% of the full amount of the loan is recoupable from the first four projects that go into production* at a rate of no less than €25,000 per project. Companies can choose to repay at a greater rate at their own discretion. Amounts expended as development (idea, concept, options) will be recouped in the normal course of development recoupment if the project proceeds to production.
- Direct Slate Support - 75% slate and 25% Creative Capability: Slate amounts will be recouped in the normal course of development if the project goes into production.
- Next Stage Strand: 50% of the full amount of the loan is recoupable from the first four projects that go into production* at a rate of no less than €12,500 per project. Companies can choose to repay at a greater rate at their own discretion.
- Amounts expended as development (idea, concept, options) will be recouped in the normal course of development recoupment if the project proceeds to production.
*this includes projects that Screen Ireland may / or may not be involved and applies from the date of signature of long-form contract between Screen Ireland and the Production Company.
Reporting
The Production Company will be required to report on progress on a six-monthly basis as set out in the Loan Agreement between Screen Ireland and the Production Company.
Contracting and Cashflow
Initial contracting will be on the basis of a long-form offer letter and 85% will be payable on signature.
Application Process
Applicants must fill in the application form (available via Screen Ireland website) to include detailed creative business plan and submit via email to applications@screenireland.ie (Subject Line: Creative Futures Fund Submission) by the deadline.
Screen Ireland aim to process a decision within thirty working days of the deadline for applications. Decisions will be based on the application form and creative vision set out as part of the submission, which should grow diverse and ambitious opportunity and ensure a continued growth trajectory for the organisation.
The deadline for receipt of applications is 5pm, Friday, November 18th, 2022.
*Consideration for support will only be processed on receipt of a completed application form.
*Decisions will be administered by a panel of both internal and external assessors.
(See Terms and Conditions for further detail)
Other Terms & Conditions
- Funding is open to companies registered in the Republic of Ireland which have an established minimum term of 2 years in business.
- Companies should be actively developing a Film, TV Drama, Documentary and/or Animation slate.
- All proposed investment should be additional, with no crossover funding.
- Applications in respect of retrospective costs or activities will not be accepted.
- Match-funding is accepted once there is a clear demarcation in terms of the specific additional spends.
- Submissions should be only made into one of the specific investment pots and clearly marked and indicated on all communication. Robust rationale and evidence should also accompany this selection.
- All documentation and publicity related to this initiative and investment funded by Screen Ireland must state that the activity is “supported by Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland” and must contain the Screen Ireland logo which is available on request.
- Any effort to influence a panel member will immediately disqualify.
- Incomplete applications will not be considered and will be returned to the applicant. Incorrect information may lead to delays in processing of applications.
- Screen Ireland reserves the right to suspend and/or cancel the funding where, in its view, a successful submission is not meeting the required commitment as set out in the contract.
For more information on the scheme please contact development@screenireland.ie