Funding Assessment Process and Procedures

Here you will find details on Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland's process for assessing funding applications.

Full details and criteria can be found in our Production Guidelines and Development Guidelines, and we are happy to answer any further questions via info@screenireland.ie.

Development Funding Assessment Process

All submitted projects will be assessed by members of the production and development team. This meeting may also include members from Business Affairs, Distribution and other departments as required and will be chaired by the Chief Executive or designate.

Funding decisions for development funding of up to €75,000 are made at a Development meeting and are ratified by the Screen Ireland Board at the following board meeting. Funding decisions for development funding of over €75,000 will be approved by the Screen Ireland Board at the following board meeting, on foot of recommendations from the Production, Development & Distribution Team.

Once final decisions are confirmed, all applicants will be notified. Applicants must get in touch with the Legal & Business Affairs Coordinator – Development within two weeks of this offer. If an applicant does not follow up the project will be expired, and a full re-application will be required.

Applicants can request feedback by contacting Development@screenireland.ie. Applicants will then be sent a paragraph of feedback which outlines the reasons for the decision. Screen Ireland is not in a position to provide individual feedback on unsuccessful projects beyond this feedback.

Development Funding Conditions

Development funding is provided in the form of loans which are repayable on the first day of principal photography of the developed project. Screen Ireland development awards do not carry interest, no premium is charged at the time of repayment, and Screen Ireland does not receive a profit share in return for its development funding.

Screen Ireland will not fund retrospective development costs.

Unless otherwise agreed, copyright in the funded screenplay remains with the writer(s) or producer. Screen Ireland may require a share of copyright in the project.

Chain of Title: It is the responsibility of the Producer to ensure that clear chain of title documentation (option agreement, writer’s agreement, directors agreement and a co-development agreement (if applicable) is in place and meets Screen Ireland’s minimum contractual requirements. Screen Ireland cannot and will not provide funding to projects without this essential paperwork.

Co-Development: In cases where production companies wish to seek support for projects that fall within co-development agreements with international producers, funding can only be requested to cover the cost of the Irish creative elements. The priority of Screen Ireland is to support the development of Irish creative talent and stories and this will be reflected in decisions taken. Within a co-development arrangement, there must be a clear share of copyright between the parties (including the applicant) and Screen Ireland will usually require match funding from a co-producer or third party.

Screen Ireland development funding can only ever be a contribution towards the development costs of a project and generally Screen Ireland is not in a position to cover all development costs. It is the responsibility of the Producer to negotiate professional rates with talent reflecting the industry experience and produced credits of the talent they wish to engage.

Production Funding Assessment Process

A project will be considered for production funding by Screen Ireland only if it is submitted by an independent production company which is resident in the State, or is resident in an EEA State other than the State and carries on business in the State through a branch or agency which must:

• Be tax compliant in the Republic of Ireland,
• Make an ongoing significant contribution to the culture and development of the Film and TV industry in the Republic of Ireland,
• There must be a company director committed to making the film or TV project.

Applications will be assessed by members of the Project Group utilising Screen Ireland Principles & Criteria at a funding meeting comprising of members of the Screen Ireland Production, Development & Distribution team, members of the Legal & Business Affairs team and, on an ad hoc basis, consultants drawn from a small pool of non-Screen Ireland professionals retained for their specific skills. The decisions taken by the Project Group will be expressed as recommendations to the Board of Screen Ireland and will then require endorsement by the Board of Screen Ireland to give effect and thereafter be communicated to Applicants.

Following an unsuccessful decision by the Board, a project may be re-submitted to Screen Ireland only if significant, material changes have been made to the package (i.e. to the screenplay, to key creative elements such as casting, or to the production cost). Screen Ireland will only consider a project submitted to a funding programme twice – if an application is unsuccessful following a second submission, it is no longer eligible within that funding programme.

Production Funding Conditions

1. Funding is provided in the form of limited-recourse loans recoverable from a share of revenues from the exploitation of the project and also entitling Screen Ireland to a share of net profits.
2. In making funding available, Screen Ireland pays close attention to the previous work of all individuals involved (including producers, co-financiers, sales agents and distributors) taking into account their creative abilities in audio-visual media as well as their professional competence and reliability. Screen Ireland production funding is generally provided during production in accordance with an agreed cashflow. Before starting to fund, Screen Ireland will need to be satisfied that all other providers of finance to the production are contracted and securely committed, and that the amount of finance available is sufficient to cover the entire budget.
3. On all productions with a global production budget in excess of five (5) million euro it is a strict requirement of Screen Ireland that an approved completion guarantor has been engaged in relation to the production where Screen Ireland’s funding is to be made available during production.
4. The appointment of an approved collection agent is a normal requirement of Screen Ireland.
5. Screen Ireland funding may only be incurred on Irish costs (see guidelines on Admissible Irish Creative Expenditure below).
6. Screen Ireland contractually requires that all rights relating to a project (especially a documentary) be cleared worldwide and in perpetuity across all media. This includes rights in all underlying materials, performers, music, archive footage etc.
7. All projects in receipt of funding must be eligible for Errors & Omissions insurance and have an allowance for this within the submitted production budget.
8. All projects in receipt of Screen Ireland funding must provide and allow for a contingency of 10% of the submitted production budget. Exceptions may be made in relation to documentaries on a case-by-case basis.
9. Screen Ireland will require viable theatrical windows for all feature film projects especially those involving Broadcaster support. In the case of documentaries, Screen Ireland requires a minimum twelve-month theatrical window from the date of first festival screening. In the case of feature films, Screen Ireland requires a twenty-four month theatrical window from the date of the first theatrical screening.
10. Projects supported by Screen Ireland Creative Co-production funding must be approved as official co-productions under a bilateral treaty or the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production. Where in exceptional cases Screen Ireland agrees to waive this requirement, the project must still be structured as a bona fide co-production in which ownership, rights and revenues are shared among the co- producers. All co-productions with the UK, supported by Screen Ireland must be approved as official co-production. Screen Ireland will not waive the requirement for official status in respect of co-productions with the UK and as a result Screen Ireland cannot become involved in projects which have EIS or SEIS funding as part of their financing.
11. In relation to Animation TV Production, the maximum amount available is predicated upon the production of the maximum number of standard episodes in a series (e.g. 52 x 11’). Where a fewer number of episodes are proposed, Screen Ireland investment is likely to reflect this.
12. Any individual found in breach of their contractual obligations to Screen Ireland is not in a position to sign the Declaration of Compliance requirement when submitting an application.
13. Screen Ireland will impose strict sanctions on any individual found in default of a contract which may involve precluding them from making any further funding applications to Screen Ireland for a designated period of time and reducing or cancelling any outstanding payments owing on a project.
14. Each company will have to provide their Policy Suite to Screen Ireland as part of the conditions precedent to include - (i) health and safety policy, (ii) dignity in the workplace policy, (iii) grievance procedures, (iv) child protection policy, (v) diversity and inclusion policy, and (vi) sustainability policy.