Agility Award
The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon (Ireland)
A first-rung grant for artists the Arts Council has never funded as individuals, to develop their practice, work or skills.
up to€5kGrantbetween rounds
National fund Ireland, Galway
Short film schemes (Focus Shorts and Frameworks)
Run by Screen Ireland / Fís Éireann, Frameworks with RTÉ
Fully funded shorts for Irish teams: live action through Focus Shorts, animation through Frameworks with RTÉ as co-funder and broadcaster. Writer fees are a required budget line, Screen Ireland approves script and cut, and no outside money may be added. Both schemes run once a year.
Grant up to €72,500Open to writers in IrelandA writer with a producer or a production company
Next dates not yet published
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 €72,500Focus Shorts: up to EUR 70,000 for a live action short of up to 10 minutes, with writer, director and producer fees at 8 to 10 percent of the budget. Frameworks: EUR 13,000 to 14,500 per minute for an animated short of two to five minutes.
- What it is
- Grant
- To apply
- Free
Who can apply
- Applicant
- A writer with a producer or a production company
- Where you write
- In Ireland
- Rules
- Producer, director and writer teams, with producer and director different people, applying through a company registered in Ireland. Talent has to be living in Ireland (Irish citizens abroad are considered if they come back for the production). Both producer and director need a previous short in the relevant form; full-time students cannot apply.
- Stages
- Production
- Formats
- Short, Animation
- Language of the application
- English
When to apply
The fund opens once a year. The next cycle's dates are not yet published; we add them when they are. Focus Shorts closed at 1pm on January 30, 2026 and Frameworks at 1pm on May 1, 2026. The 2027 dates are not yet published.
| Round | Closes |
|---|---|
| Focus Shorts 2026 closed | Jan 30, 2026 passed |
| Frameworks 2026 closed | May 1, 2026 passed |
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
A separate festival budget, a festival strategy meeting with Screen Ireland after completion, an information day for funded teams, and for Frameworks broadcast on RTÉ.
Also open to writers in Ireland
Animation Development Loans
Screen Ireland / Fís Éireann
Development loans for animated television series from Irish studios, applied for with a series bible, sample visuals and, if available, a full episode script.
up to€30kRepayablebetween rounds
Authored Works
The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon (Ireland)
The largest of the Arts Council's film awards, for a feature-length film driven by its author's vision rather than a market.
up to€230kGrantbetween rounds
Completion Funding
Screen Ireland / Fís Éireann
Money to finish an Irish feature or feature documentary that was shot without Screen Ireland and has reached a rough cut.
up to€100kRepayablebetween rounds
More production funding elsewhere
AFS Grant
Austin Film Society
Texas filmmakers have their own state fund: cash for features and shorts in production or post, with camera and finishing packages on top.
up to$20kGrantbetween rounds
Minnesota Film Production Grant
Jerome Foundation
The Minnesota twin of Jerome's New York City grant: up to USD 30,000 of production money for early career directors who take creative risks, applied for in two steps each fall.
up to$30kGrantcloses in 23 days
New York City Film Production Grant
Jerome Foundation
A production grant for New York City directors near the start of their careers, in any moving-image form from animation to documentary.
up to$30kGrantcloses in 23 days
BPM Open Call
Black Public Media
Public television's fund for Black nonfiction stories runs one call a year: five projects get USD 20,000 and a place at PitchBLACK, where one leaves with up to USD 150,000 of production…
range$150kInvestmentbetween 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.