BFI Development Funding
BFI (British Film Institute), National Lottery
The main public route for developing a British fiction feature, from treatment through to a screenplay ready to finance.
VariesGrant or repayableany time
Regional fund United Kingdom, Cardiff, Wales
Feature Film Development
Run by Ffilm Cymru Wales, National Lottery via Arts Council of Wales and BFI NETWORK
Development money for a single feature, documentary or animated film with a Welsh writer, director or producer at its head, and a lone writer may apply. Two tiers exist, one for a stage of work under ten thousand pounds and one up to twenty-five thousand, reviewed three times a year.
Grant or repayable, up to £24,999Open to writers in United KingdomA writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production company
Review deadline Feb 2, 2027 (closes in 93 days)
That closing date has passed. We check the funder's page every day and add the next dates once they are published.
The money
- Amount
- Up to £24,999Small awards up to GBP 10,000 or large awards up to GBP 24,999 for one stage of development: a first draft, further drafts, proof of concept or packaging. The page does not say whether awards are recouped.
- What it is
- Grant or repayable
- To apply
- Free
Who can apply
- Applicant
- A writer alone, a writer with a producer or a production company
- Where you write
- In United Kingdom
- Rules
- Lone writers, writer-directors or writer, producer and director teams in which at least one lead role is held by someone born or based in Wales. The applicant must hold the rights, and each core team member needs a creative track record in film, television, theater or another narrative form.
- Stages
- Writing and development
- Formats
- Feature, Documentary, Animation
- Language of the application
- English, Welsh
Its site names no past recipients or funded projects. It is listed because applying is free.
When to apply
The next closing date is Feb 2, 2027. The dates below are the current cycle's, as the funder states them. Applications are taken at any time and reviewed around deadlines at midday: July 2 and October 2, 2026 and February 2, 2027.
| Round | Closes |
|---|---|
| Review deadline | Feb 2, 2027 |
Dates are as the funder states them. Check the time of day and the time zone on the official page.
What it gives besides money
Access support including BSL interpreters, scribing and alternative formats for applying.
Also open to writers in United Kingdom
BFI Doc Society Fund: features development and production
Doc Society for the BFI (British Film Institute), National Lottery
The UK's National Lottery money for feature documentaries, run by Doc Society.
range£150kGrantcloses in 50 days
BFI Filmmaking Fund: Discovery and Impact feature funding
BFI (British Film Institute), National Lottery
Production money for British features in two strands split by budget and by the director's experience.
up to£1.3MGrant or repayablecloses in 45 days
Made of Truth (BFI Doc Society short film fund)
Doc Society for BFI NETWORK (British Film Institute), National Lottery
A yearly grant for short documentaries by UK filmmakers at the start of their careers, in live action or animation.
up to£25kGrantbetween rounds
More writing grants elsewhere
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Artist Trust
Two Washington artists a year receive USD 25,000 for pushing at the edges of their field, with no project report attached.
range$25kGrantbetween rounds
Creative Accelerator Fund
Illinois Arts Council
Illinois pays working artists USD 10,000 by lottery rather than by jury: show an active practice with two work samples and the state lottery draws the winners region by region.
range$10kGrantbetween rounds
Fellowship Awards
Artist Trust
Washington State's merit award for working artists: USD 10,000 with no strings, judged on the body of work rather than a project.
range$10kGrantcloses tomorrow
Grants for Artist Projects (GAP)
Artist Trust
Small, fast and plentiful: 65 Washington artists a year receive USD 2,500 toward a specific project, from research travel to a first draft.
range$2.5kGrantbetween rounds
Also useful
Where Creative Europe's development money goesEvery MEDIA development grant since 2014, by country, company and year.Fellowships and labsPrograms that pick a few writers and work with them for months, on the events pages.How to write a treatmentThe document a development application is built on, step by step.Screenwriting eventsContests, labs, festivals and conferences, with their deadlines.