Overview
The BFI Film Academy courses fund will provide opportunities for talented and committed young people between the ages of 16 to 19 to develop new skills and build careers in the screen industries, regardless of their background, previous educational achievement or personal circumstances.
BFI Film Academy courses must be led by industry experts and cover key areas of the screen industries, enabling young people to develop crucial commercial and cultural knowledge and skills to make those first steps towards a career in the screen industries. Our aim is to find talent with a passion for the screen industries across the UK, and to ensure that the opportunity to work in the screen industries is available to all.
BFI Film Academy Short Courses are designed to be a potential stepping stone to participation on a BFI Film Academy Specialist Course.
BFI Film Academy courses are supported by the Department for Education in England, National Lottery funding awarded by the BFI, with up to £1,052,250 allocated for 2024-25 to deliver 12 regional or national BFI Film Academy Shorts Courses, and up to £640,000 allocated for 2024-25 to deliver eight BFI Film Academy Specialist Courses.
Key dates for funds
| Application launch date | Tuesday 5 March 2024 |
| BFI Film Academy open call funding webinar | 2pm Wednesday 20 March 2024 |
| Application closing date | Midday on Friday 3 May 2024 |
| Decision and offer of funding for Short Courses | Week commencing Monday 10 June 2024 |
| Decision and offer of funding for Specialist Courses | Week commencing Monday 1 July 2024 |
| BFI Film Academy Short Course commences | From September 2024 |
| BFI Film Academy Specialist Course commences | From February 2025 |
What you can apply for
For Short Courses, partners can apply for up to £91,500 per region.
For Specialist Courses, partners can apply for up to £80,000 per course.
See the fund guidelines for a detailed breakdown of what you can use the funding for.
What you need to provide
A full list of what you need to provide can be found in the fund guidelines for each course.
BFI Film Academy open call funding webinar
We hosted a funding webinar on Wednesday 20 March 2024, where we shared information about the BFI Film Academy Short and Specialist Courses guidelines, and what we expect from future delivery partners. You can watch a recording of the webinar below.
Apply for funding
Read the full guidelines for the course you’d like to deliver below. You can apply using the application link in the guidelines.
Making an application to deliver a BFI Film Academy Short Course
This guide gives you advice and recommendations on how to write a good application to the BFI Film Academy courses fund to deliver a short course. This is an application to be a lead delivery partner.
Read this pageMaking an application to deliver a BFI Film Academy Specialist Course
This guide gives you advice and recommendations on how to write a good application to the BFI Film Academy courses fund to deliver a Specialist Course.
Read this page