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, Glasgow, Scotland
First Features (Short Circuit)
Run by Screen Scotland and BFI NETWORK, delivered by Film City Futures with Glasgow Film
Development money for a first feature script in Scotland, paid to the writer rather than a company. Roughly five projects a year receive up to twenty thousand pounds to take a treatment or an early draft further, assessed in quarterly batches alongside Short Circuit's short film strand, Sharp Shorts.
Grant up to £20,000Open to writers in United KingdomA writer alone
Applications taken any time
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 £20,000Up to GBP 20,000 per project, about five projects a year.
- What it is
- Grant
- To apply
- Free
Who can apply
- Applicant
- A writer alone
- Where you write
- In United Kingdom
- Rules
- Debut feature writers and writer-directors developing an early treatment or a draft screenplay, through Scotland's talent initiative for emerging filmmakers. The Screen Scotland page does not spell out a residency test beyond the initiative being for Scotland-based talent.
- Stages
- Writing and development
- Formats
- Feature
- Language of the application
- English
Its site names no past recipients or funded projects. It is listed because applying is free.
When to apply
Applications are taken at any time; decisions follow in the fund's own rhythm. Applications are assessed quarterly; the Screen Scotland page gives no closing dates.
What it gives besides money
Creative and professional development through the Short Circuit program.
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
Arts Innovator Award
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.