Contents page
1. Overview
These are the guidelines for the International Business Development strand, part of the UK Global Screen Fund (UKGSF), financed by the UK’s government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and administered by the BFI.
Please read these guidelines carefully before applying.
The UKGSF is a three-year scheme that seeks to boost the UK’s international competitiveness by offering additional, targeted support at each stage of the screen content supply chain.
The UKGSF supports international business development, co-production, promotion and distribution activities intended to:
- grow the revenue and sustainability of UK independent screen businesses, across the range of the screen content ecosystem encompassing film, TV, animation and interactive narrative video games, by supporting their international activity
- enable UK independent screen businesses to further grow international partnerships and to develop projects with international appeal for mutual benefit
- increase the reach of UK screen content to international audiences
The International Business Development strand
The International Business Development strand aims to support the development of UK screen content businesses that focus on revenue generation through export and international expansion.
This funding will provide grants for growth strategies that begin in 2025 and span three to five years (see below information on the tracks within this strand), to support companies that have identified opportunities to develop and expand in terms of turnover and scale of Intellectual Property (IP) creation, exploitation and acquisition, with the express aim of enhancing the company’s international revenue, activities and profile.
The aims of this strand are to:
- support the transformation of UK screen content businesses through international activity
- stimulate business innovation, entrepreneurship and risk-taking in the UK screen sector when trading internationally, and in particular to seize new global export opportunities as part of the UK Government’s Global Britain objectives
- support the corporate development and growth of independent companies already operating in the UK screen sector across the four nations of the UK by helping them to capitalise on opportunities in the global marketplace
- assist ambitious, promising companies to reach the next level of their development, and to help them attain investment readiness, based on compelling strategic plans for corporate growth through international activity
The International Business Development strand will achieve these aims by:
- assisting UK companies to develop a strong presence in the international marketplace
- facilitating increased development of quality UK projects and talent aimed specifically at the global marketplace and at global audiences
- supporting the creation of new international business partnerships and alliances
- supporting the development of new international revenue streams and increased levels of private sector investment
- assisting UK companies in developing and implementing targeted development, production, sales, distribution and marketing strategies which exploit new opportunities in the global digital and online realm
The International Business Development strand offers two application tracks:
- International Business Development – General Track: for eligible companies from any of the screen sectors looking to expand their revenues, audiences and reach through internationally-focused growth strategies over a three-year period
- International Business Development – Film Transformation Track: for eligible applicants with a track record in the independent film sector, who wish to embark on an internationally-focused transformational business strategy related to independent UK film over a three to five year period
The Film Transformation Track is offered in recognition of the specific challenges facing the sustainability and growth of the independent UK film sector (also reflected in the findings of the recently published Economic Review of Independent Film), largely as a result of worldwide shifts in economic and consumer dynamics arising from the emergence of new technologies and the proliferation of non-traditional distribution channels. These ongoing challenges require the industry to review their traditional business models and find new and innovative approaches to the business of developing, financing and exploiting independent UK films, which is the core focus of the Film Transformation Track.
In order to be considered for the Film Transformation Track, the applicant company will need to demonstrate:
- an internationally-focused business transformation strategy relating specifically to the development, production and/or distribution of independent UK film
- the ability to capture additional value from the production/distribution/exhibition value chain through focused international activities
- the ambition to develop a sustainable film-focused business and not simply the pursuit of one-off IP extension and monetisation opportunities
- how its business transformation plan will promote sustainability and innovation specifically within the independent UK film sector
Companies applying under either Track will be assessed against the criteria outlined in the Assessment section of these Guidelines, but applicants to the Film Transformation Track will be assessed only against other applicants to that track; the same will apply for General Track applicants from all screen sectors.
In recognition of the longer time horizon required for business transformation strategies, applicants under the Film Transformation Track may apply with international growth strategies which deliver substantial results over a longer business plan period of five years. However, all awardees, including companies awarded under the Film Transformation Track, will be expected to show progress against their stated strategic aims within the first three year reporting period in order to receive their full awarded amount.
Companies applying under the Film Transformation Track should have a track record in the production/distribution/exhibition of independent UK film and be looking to grow their revenues through export and international expansion activities related to independent UK film, which would be transformative to their current business models, and which may take between three to five years to generate significant business outcomes.
Companies considering whether to apply to the Film Transformation Track should consider the following questions to guide decision-making:
- Is my company currently engaged in the production/distribution/exhibition of independent UK film?
- If no, apply to the General Track
- If yes, you may be eligible to apply to the Film Transformation Track and should consider the below additional questions
- Is my company looking to grow its revenues through export and international expansion activities which are incremental and additional, but not transformative, to my current business model?
- If yes, apply to the General Track
- Is my company looking to grow its revenues through export and international expansion activities, which would be transformative to my current business model but are not related to independent UK film?
- If yes, apply to the General Track
Prioritisation
In making awards through each of its strands, the UKGSF is seeking to ensure a UK-wide benefit and address geographic imbalance within the industry.
This means that as part of our assessment, and irrespective of whether you apply under the General Track or the Film Transformation Track, we will consider:
- where the applicant company is registered
- where the applicant company staff is based and work is being undertaken
- how the work that the applicant company creates, acquires, and/or exploits reflects the culture and talent of Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the English regions outside Greater London
- any other proposed UK-wide benefits within the application
Any queries about the Fund or the application process should be directed to ukglobalscreenfund@bfi.org.uk.
2. Check if you’re eligible
In order to apply to the International Business Development strand, whether under the General Track or the Film Transformation Track, a company must be able to tick all of the following before submitting an application for funding.
Your organisation
A company will be eligible if it is a limited company registered and centrally managed in the UK and is either a micro business, or a small or medium-sized company according to the definitions used by the UK Government.
A company is considered micro if it fulfils any two of the below:
- less than 10 employees
- an annual turnover under £632,000
- less than £316,000 on your balance sheet (meaning the total of the fixed and current assets)
A company is considered small if it fulfils any two of the below:
- less than 50 employees
- an annual turnover under £10.2 million
- less than £5.1 million on your balance sheet (meaning the total of the fixed and current assets)
A company is considered medium-sized (due to the need to engage time-limited roles for the specific requirements of production of a game or animation) if it fulfils any two of the below:
- less than 250 employees on average
- an annual turnover under £36 million
- no more than £18 million on your balance sheet (meaning the total of the fixed and current assets)
The eligible company:
- is also not a company controlled by any one or more of the following third parties, and/or in which more than 25% of its shares are held, directly or indirectly, by any one or more of the following third parties:
- a non-UK corporate entity
- a television broadcaster/SVOD platform or operator
- a video games publisher
- any company defined as a large company under the Companies Act 2006 (for example, if the company has at least two of the following criteria: a turnover of more than £36 million, a balance sheet total of more than £18 million or more than 250 employees)
- has at least two years of accounts filed at Companies House
- has at least one director who has been a director of the company for more than two years
- is engaged in creating, acquiring and/or exploiting IP in at least one of the following categories:
- feature films intended for theatrical and/or online release in the genres of fiction, documentary and/or animation
- programmes intended for broadcast television, video-on-demand services, or other forms of online release in the genres of fiction, documentary and/or animation
- interactive narrative video games for commercial digital platforms, revenue-generating from the public consumer market
You’ll be asked to provide a corporate ownership chart detailing all direct and indirect ownership interests, and corporate domicile of all related entities.
The eligible company should also have:
- a company credit leading on the creation, acquisition and/or exploitation (or equivalent experience) of at least one project that falls within these categories, which has had commercial distribution, exploitation and/or release in the UK or internationally, within the last three years; or
- (in the case that the company is less than 4 years old) a slate of projects in third-party funded development which have not yet been commercially distributed but are expected to be so in the next three years
- achieved a minimum £35,000 gross profit average over a three-year period including current year forecast and the past two historical years (gross profit is defined as revenues less cost of sales, before any other company overheads such as salaries and wages, rent, and other expenses)
You may still apply to the International Business Development strand if your company is involved in other elements of the value chain and/or genres of content in addition to those set out in the applicant eligibility criteria above. Any International Business Development strand support that you receive must however only be applied to support the eligible aspects of your company’s activities, as outlined in Section 3: What you can use the funding for.
Applications based primarily around news and current affairs programming, factual entertainment, reality TV, game shows, social networking or match-making sites (unless creating original screen content, of the types listed in the table above, for distribution via social networking platforms), e-commerce, websites that are not platforms for the creation or distribution of screen content, or event management etc. will not be considered for support. This list is not exhaustive and if you are unsure about whether your business is eligible please contact ukglobalscreenfund@bfi.org.uk.
3. What you can use the funding for
You can apply for an award of between £50,000 and £200,000 over the period of the Business Plan (with payments being made to successful applicants over a three year period). The level of funding sought should be justified in your Business Strategy and you will be required to submit a breakdown of proposed expenditure, identifying the activities to be funded.
The International Business Development strand will provide funding to support and accelerate an Eligible Applicant’s international growth strategy (the Business Strategy) as outlined in the application form and as evidenced by an ambitious, export-focused three-year or, in the case of Film Transformation Track applications, three to five year business plan (the Business Plan) that is objectively achievable with our support.
Support from the International Business Development strand will be in the form of non-repayable grants.
The total amount awarded cannot be more than 25% of the applicant company’s aggregate annual turnover, including turnover of related SPVs which are wholly or partly owned by the applicant company or by any one or more of the applicant company director(s), over the three-year period during which the award is paid out.
This 25% limit of grant to turnover must be reflected in the financial projections of the submitted Business Plan, the validity and viability of which will be assessed against the company’s accounts for the previous two years.
Separately, the applicant’s perceived ability to secure additional funding for use during the period of the Business Strategy will be scored in the assessment process. This contribution can include debt or equity funds from external sources (public or private), as well as self-generated funds (i.e. revenues derived from prior and ongoing activities).
The amount requested must also comply with UK subsidy legislation. The International Business Development strand of the UK Global Screen Fund is being operated within the terms of the minimal financial assistance exemption (MFAE) which requires that the applicant company and any company within its Group of companies (as defined in the Companies Act 2006) must not receive more than a combined total sum of £315,000 from this strand or from any other source of public funding also labelled as MFAE over a three-year fiscal period. If you are successful in this application you will be required to sign a declaration confirming that you will monitor all MFAE subsidies received within your Group of companies to ensure that this cap is not exceeded. For the purposes of determining whether your Group has received other MFAE subsidies please note the following:
- any other funds awarded to you under the other UKGSF strands will not count as MFAE
- any other funds awarded to you under the BFI’s National Lottery schemes will not count as MFAE unless you have been notified a payment is MFAE (e.g. Film Export Fund)
This means, for example, that your Group could potentially be offered an award of £100,000 from this strand and within 6 months also receive cumulative awards of £300,000 under the other two UKGSF strands or other BFI National Lottery schemes (unless notified as MFAE) without exceeding the MFAE cap of £315,000.
However, a further limit on the UKGSF funding programme as a whole, in order to ensure proportionality, is that no Group of companies can receive more than £625,000 in combination from any or all of the UKGSF funding strands over a three-year fiscal period.
When reporting other subsidy income, if you are unsure as to whether MFAE applies please list the subsidy and mark ‘unsure’ against MFAE and we will verify this with you.
Eligible costs
International Business Development strand funding can only be spent on the Eligible Costs listed below, in order to deliver the proposed Business Strategy. Eligible Costs are those costs connected to creating, acquiring and/or exploiting IP in at least one of the following categories:
- feature films intended for theatrical and/or online release in the genres of fiction, documentary and/or animation
- programmes intended for broadcast television, video-on-demand services, or other forms of online release in the genres of fiction, documentary and/or animation
- interactive narrative video games for commercial digital platforms, revenue-generating from the public consumer market
Such costs can include, but are not limited to, expenses associated with international revenue growth through:
- hiring salaried or freelance personnel and advisors to deliver the activity set out in the Business Strategy
- other business operating costs concerned with expansion into new markets and business areas and/or, in the case of Film Transformation Track applicants, business model change strategies
- internationalisation and enhanced monetisation, as well as, in some cases, early stage development activities for interactive narrative video games (where such have been deemed innovative and with considerable international audience potential)
- establishing relationships with international partners
- research and development of, and investment in, new business areas
- innovative strategies to distribute/publish/exploit IP via digital platforms
- development of additional content for existing/upcoming projects related to your international growth strategy
You will be required to itemise proposed spend in your proposed budget (the Budget) using the template provided and, in your application, identify how such expenditure will deliver the Business Strategy.
Generalised expenditure items that cannot be linked to your proposed activity or Business Plan and that do not provide detail on total amounts allocated (e.g. freelance staffing as a total with no detail of rate x days) will result in your application being less likely to receive support.
Ineligible costs
The following costs shall not be considered eligible:
- corporate restructuring costs
- across-the-board staff cost contribution not tied to an international growth strategy
- cost of consultants hired to prepare the company for investment
- slate development support (including core development costs of interactive narrative video games) not directly tied to the proposed international growth strategy
- return on capital to shareholders
- debt and debt service charges
- provisions for losses or debts
- interest owed
- doubtful debts
- exchange losses
- contributions in kind
- excessive or reckless expenditure
- any costs incurred by the beneficiary that are recoupable from third parties
- property rental costs
- litigation costs outside of the scope of services required to secure IP
This is not intended as an exhaustive list. We reserve the right to discount any costs identified in your application and proposed Budget which are not directly relatable to the specific activities set out in your Business Strategy or for which other third party funds are available.
Please note that retrospective costs i.e. costs already incurred prior to the date of application, cannot be covered by funds awarded by the UKGSF (although, as a proportion of turnover, costs from the current year may be counted towards the required 75% financial contribution).
To the extent that the Eligible Applicant subsequently receives any other funding in respect of any costs already covered by an International Business Development award (e.g. third party content development funding), then the Eligible Applicant will be required to immediately repay an equivalent amount of the grant to UKGSF.
4. How to apply
Applications open at midday on 4 April 2024 and close at midday on 28 June 2024.
We reserve the right to open a further round for UKGSF International Business Development applications according to demand and UKGSF resources.
Submitting an application
If this is your first time applying for a BFI fund since 1 November 2022 you will need to create a new applicant account.
Click create an account to do this and make your application online. You can save your application and return to it later.
Make sure you complete all the sections as incomplete forms will be automatically ineligible.
You can view a PDF preview of the application form:
If you need additional support using the application form, please contact us at ukglobalscreenfund@bfi.org.uk.
Please remember that we will review a considerable number of applications and have to turn down many more applications for funding than we are able to support, so it is important to be detailed and specific with your application.
Speculative submissions
We will only consider funding projects that have been submitted to us through the formal application process. This means that we cannot accept, or read, informal submissions such as scripts or application materials submitted by any means other than via the online application portal.
Information you need to provide
You will be required to submit the following information:
Proposal and team
Applicants will need to set out their Business Strategy by providing the information requested by the online application form, which includes the following:
- a short company history and description of the company’s current position in the marketplace
- aims and strategy for the company’s international growth over the next three years (defining the opportunity and target market); or for Film Transformation Track applicants, the nature and proposed impact of the outlined film transformation plan and the further opportunities for international growth that would be unlocked through this over the next three to five years
- identification of outcomes and additional value to the company linked to the funding received from the International Business Development strand
- a narrative description accompanying the proposed Budget of how the funding will be used in the Business Strategy and how you will use it to meet the outcomes identified
- summary details of relevant projects currently in development
- key team members’ track record and relevant experience
- how the company proposes to address the BFI Diversity Standards, both as a company and within the IP that it creates, acquires and/or exploits
- your commitments to environmental sustainability as a company and through this activity
- how your Business Strategy innovates in order to address new opportunities and challenges in the marketplace — for example, new approaches to working post-COVID, new business models, new international relationships or partnerships
- details of any other public subsidy received in the last 3 fiscal years that constitutes, or may constitute (i.e. you are unsure) MFAE
Attachments
At the end of the form you will be asked to attach:
- two years of annual (statutory) accounts
- your most recent set of management accounts not more than twelve months old (note that these should include a balance sheet and a profit and loss account)
- corporate ownership chart indicating direct and indirect ownership interests (%) and domicile of related entities, if applicable
- a Business Plan (template provided) demonstrating the company’s projected turnover for the next three to five year period, including project pipeline and any back up documentation supporting the assumptions behind the plan
- a detailed budget (template provided) showing the Eligible Costs requested, cash flowed over the period of funding, and how the balance of the costs of your proposed activity will be funded
- details of content involving the applicant leading in creating, acquiring and/or exploiting IP for Eligible Content, including metrics of success such as: audience data, box office receipts, player numbers, user and social media analytics, metacritic scores, awards, ratings or other sector-specific metrics from the past five years (template provided)
Further documentation may be requested during the assessment process, if necessary for us to evaluate the application.
Download the Budget, Business Plan and previously produced content templates below.
We have created additional guidance to help you complete the budget and business templates.
Equality monitoring
You’ll be asked to complete an equality monitoring form when you submit your application. The form asks for demographic information on the staff working on your project or in your organisation. The data that you submit on this form will be confidential and anonymous and not seen by the staff assessing your application. However, we will not be able to put forward your application for assessment until you have completed the equality monitoring form.
BFI Diversity Standards
As part of your application, you must complete the BFI Diversity Standards tab so we can understand your intentions around diversity, inclusion and representation for your project. This means detailing how you will address industry under-representation in relation to disability, gender, race, age, sexual orientation, religion, socio-economic status and geographical location.
Please read the guidance on completing the Diversity Standards section of your application form.
If successful, you will need to report following the conclusion of your activity, evaluating how you have delivered against the aims of the Diversity Standards in practice.
If your plans are not fully developed at the point of application, then please state the stage you are currently at and explain how you will turn your aims into actions. If we are interested in supporting your project we may ask you to further develop your ideas before we make a funding decision.
If your team or organisation has a long-standing commitment to diversity, enabling you to meet the BFI Diversity Standards by continuing your current practice, your application should outline how you will build on past achievements and show leadership to the wider industry.
Successful applicants will be required to submit an Equality Monitoring Form. If you have questions or concerns about your ability to meet the standards or would like to discuss approaches to meeting the criteria, you can contact the Diversity Standards Manager in the BFI Certification Unit on 020 7173 3273 or email diversitystandards@bfi.org.uk.
Environmental sustainability
You will be asked to describe your approach to environmental sustainability, including efforts to reduce carbon emissions and negative environmental impact and any specific actions you will take in the activity you are seeking funding for.
If you have questions or would like to discuss approaches to improving environmental sustainability, you can contact us for advice at ukglobalscreenfund@bfi.org.uk.
5. What happens after you apply?
You’ll get:
- confirmation we received your application within 1-2 working days
- confirmation of eligibility within 4 weeks of the application deadline
- a decision within 16 weeks of the application deadline
Once submitted, we will review your application and if necessary, may write to you or request to meet with you to obtain more information about your application. If we need additional information from you, it may take us longer to confirm your eligibility and reach a decision on your application.
We will check that your application is eligible for funding. Incomplete applications will be considered ineligible so please ensure that you complete all sections of the application form with the information requested. When completing the templates provided, please do not manually override or remove the automatic formulas.
If your application is ineligible, we will send you an email to inform you of this within four weeks of the application deadline. If you then realise you’ve made an error on your application which has rendered it ineligible, please tell us at this point, as we may still be able to assess it.
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive a unique ID number and an automated confirmation of receipt. If you do not receive this, please email us on ukglobalscreenfund@bfi.org.uk to let us know.
How your application is assessed
Our assessment will score applications against the following criteria:
International growth strategy 25%
- Quality of the Eligible Applicant’s three (General Track) to five year (Film Transformation Track) Business Strategy, especially the specific planned activity intended to increase international growth and revenues
- Quality of the Eligible Applicant’s overall strategy for creation, acquisition, marketing and/or distribution of IP in the international marketplace
- Quality of the Eligible Applicant’s plan to achieve clearly defined and specific outcomes focused on increasing company revenues relating to international business activities, increasing international audiences and developing further international partnerships
Finance plan and resources 20%
- Robustness of the financial projections in the Business Plan, which must demonstrate at least 75% of turnover coming from sources other than the International Business Development award
- The level and nature of additional funding (debt or equity) secured or anticipated from external public or private sources
- The level of resource invested or reinvested into the business by the company
- Reasonable and detailed allocation of expenditure across planned activity clearly demonstrating how the Business Strategy will be delivered
Funding outcomes 20%
In addition to the planned activity and quality of the Business Strategy, we will assess the associated projected outcomes including:
- Potential impact of the stated outcomes resulting from the International Business Development strand funding on international revenues and financial sustainability, partnerships and audiences
- Visibility and measurability of results within the Business Plan period
- Innovation within the strategy, for example new approaches to working post-COVID, new business models, new international relationships or partnerships
- Quality of narrative detail of what the International Business Development strand funding will allow you to do (e.g. targeted hires, skills development, acquisition, development and production of IP) and how this is tied to the planned international activity and to the strand’s objectives
- Expected release date and monetisation of Eligible Content enabled by the Business Strategy
Additionality 10%
The additionality that the funding will bring to your business (e.g. defining new areas of activity, how the Business Strategy extends and adds to core business activity)
Track record and experience of the team 15%
- Overall previous creative, financial and managerial achievements
- Existence of business relationships with relevant entities, including international ones, which will allow the Business Strategy to be achieved
- Previous success in Eligible Content as defined by these guidelines, in terms of domestic and international audience data, sales, ratings and awards
- Relevance of skills and experience to successful delivery of the Business Strategy including, where applicable, proposed appointments
UK-wide benefit 10%
- Where the applicant company is registered
- Where the applicant company staff is based and work is being undertaken
- How the work that the applicant company creates, acquires and/or exploits reflects the culture and talent of Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the English regions outside Greater London
- Any other proposed UK-wide benefits within the application
Over-arching priorities, reviewed across all BFI open funds: Not scored, must be fully addressed
- The quality and ambition of plans to address the BFI Diversity Standards Feasibility and impact of company’s intentions for activity to be more environmentally sustainable
Assessment
All applications will be assessed by the UKGSF team at the BFI. We may choose to consult external reviewers and internal BFI colleagues with relevant expertise during the assessment process.
The Fund will seek to support applications for Business Strategies that are in clear need of public funding and that make a case, including measurable indicators of success (which will be further formalised in agreed KPIs, in the case of successful applications), for achieving significant results against the stated aims of the UKGSF.
This is a competitive fund and therefore it is in the applicants’ interest to clearly address and be consistent with the UKGSF priorities.
You may be invited to a meeting or phone call to discuss the application further. It is important to understand that having a meeting with us does not mean that we have made a commitment to fund your company. The meeting is an opportunity for us to discuss the proposed Business Strategy with you in more detail. You may need to supply further information after the meeting and we will need to review that before we can make a final decision.
If we don’t receive any further materials or information from you within four weeks of our requesting it, your application will automatically be marked as ‘withdrawn’. This will not affect your ability to apply for other BFI funds or other strands of the UKGSF.
Projects which are not progressing beyond the assessment stage will be declined by email. This email will state that we have reviewed your application and are not considering it further and that your application is now closed.
6. Getting a decision
Following assessment by the UKGSF team, all applications which are deemed appropriate to be recommended for funding will be submitted to the BFI Finance Committee for final approval. This committee is made up of members of the BFI Executive Board and other staff members who make funding decisions in line with the BFI Grant Funding Policies and Procedures handbook.
We will aim to provide a funding decision in writing within sixteen weeks from the date of the application deadline. We strongly advise you to discuss your application with us at the earliest opportunity, and to submit it to us as soon as possible within the application window.
If you’re successful
You’ll:
- receive a written offer of funding
- need to sign the offer of funding and return it to the BFI within 14 days
Your offer of funding will set out details of how you’ll receive the funding, how to use it and how we expect you to report to us.
If you’re unsuccessful
We may have turned down your application because we determined that the proposal:
- did not fit our funding objectives and outcomes
- did not demonstrate a strong enough commitment to one or all of the following principles: equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI); environmental sustainability; UK-wide
- was too ambitious for the budget
- did not demonstrate enough relevant experience
- was not yet developed enough
- did not demonstrate sufficient need for UK Global Screen Fund support and should be financed by other means
- did not meet with the BFI Diversity Standards
Resubmission
No resubmissions can be made to the International Business Development strand for applications that are declined unless there is a substantial and significant change in elements, or where an application has been withdrawn from the previous funding process by the applicant.
If you meet either of the above criteria, please contact us to confirm whether you are able to apply. If you then submit a new application for the same project, please ensure that you identify any revised project elements clearly in the new application.
Feedback
We aim to make the application process as transparent as possible but please note that, as a result of the volume of applications we receive, we do not have the resources to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
This means that if we are unable to support your application, you will receive a standard email from us that states this outcome without providing further information about the decision. If we met with you to discuss your application as part of the assessment process and you were then unsuccessful for funding, we may give you feedback on the decision by either phone or email.
We welcome constructive feedback from you on our application process, so we can continue to improve.
7. Conditions of funding
In addition to the BFI General Funding Conditions, if your application is successful, we will send you a written conditional offer of funding. The offer of funding must be countersigned and returned to the BFI within 14 days of issue or it will automatically lapse.
Before we make any payments to you, you will be required to enter into an agreement with the BFI which sets out the funding Terms and Conditions. These conditions will include the following (but may also include others specific to your application):
1. Any award must be used exclusively for the purpose for which it was requested, as set out in your application.
2. The award is a grant that is not recoupable by the BFI.
The amount offered may be reduced, withdrawn and/or the agreement terminated if this UKGSF award will result in your Group of companies exceeding the MFAE threshold of £315,000 over 3 fiscal years.
The UKGSF Award should not exceed 25% of the Company’s total turnover (which may include turnover of related special purpose vehicles (SPVs) as reflected in the Business Strategy). In the event that the Company’s total turnover is less than provided in the Business Plan and results in the UKGSF Award being higher than 25% of the Company’s total turnover, the BFI may reduce or waive the final payment and/or require repayment of a portion of the UKGSF Award to the BFI.
3. Your progress against your Business Strategy will be monitored by the UKGSF team and, as a minimum, we will require regular progress reports from the date of funding, as follows:
- at the end of year 1: interim report including expenditure against Budget
- at the end of year 2: interim report including expenditure against Budget
- at the end of year 3: final report including expenditure against Budget
Companies awarded under the Film Transformation Track may be asked to submit further information relating to results achieved against the agreed KPIs at the end of year 5 and/or during UKGSF evaluation, as appropriate.
BFI will review performance on receipt of each interim report and the funding agreement may be terminated if company turnover or expenditure of grant is materially less than projected or if, in BFI’s reasonable opinion, it becomes apparent that the Business Strategy cannot be successfully delivered. Any funds not spent on Eligible Costs will need to be reimbursed to BFI upon any such termination.
The agreement will also attach the final Budget and Business Plan template, and an agreed set of KPIs.
4. Schedule of payments:
Unless otherwise agreed or required by the UKGSF team, awards will be paid in accordance with the following payment schedule:
- up to 60% of the grant will be paid to the Eligible Applicant on signature of agreement providing it has met, or can demonstrate it is able to meet, all of the conditions precedent to the award (if any) set out in the agreement
- at least 20% of the grant will be paid to the Eligible Applicant at the end of year 1, subject to our receipt and approval of the year 1 progress report and provided that it is evidenced that the first payment has been spent in full
- at least 20% of the grant will be paid to the Eligible Applicant at the end of year 3, subject to our receipt and approval of a final report, submitted no later than 36 months after the date of signature of the funding agreement, and receipt and approval of any interim reporting required by the BFI. We may require evidence of expenditure by way of copies of receipts/invoices covered by the funding. Should your final accounts show that the required 75% of turnover coming from sources other than the grant has not been achieved, or if your final expenditure is less than the originally agreed Budget, we reserve the right to reduce or waive final payment, or require a portion of the grant to be repaid.
5. The final report must include, at a minimum, the following:
- an analysis of expenditure against the approved Budget in respect of which the grant was made
- actual figures against the approved Business Plan in respect of which the grant was made
- actual figures against KPIs set for the funding by the UKGSF and the company (e.g. increase in international turnover and profitability)
- a narrative report against the original outcomes in the submitted Business Strategy
Successful applicants will be issued with guidance on final reporting, which will cover any information required to be provided to UKGSF in addition to the above and appropriate formats for providing such information.
6. Successful applicants will be required to submit an Equality Monitoring Report before payment of the final funding instalment. This will detail the BFI Diversity Standards criteria that the completed funded activity addressed and will request information on the individuals participating/contributing to the funded activity. If you do not hold equality monitoring data for key staff working on the funded activity, we advise that you send out anonymised equality monitoring forms prior to the funded activity commencing so that you have the information to hand when completing your final report. The information will be used to measure achievement against the BFI Diversity Standards. Please note that the information provided by applicants within both their Diversity Standards and Equality Monitoring forms will be anonymised and used to help inform future funding decisions, research and strategy.
7. Successful applicants will be required to take part in formal evaluation of the UKGSF if contacted by an independent evaluator, and/or provide further information on the funded activity to inform this evaluation. This could include, but is not limited to, project information for case studies, quotes from the Eligible Applicant benefiting from the award, and visual materials relating to the funded activity.
8. Successful applicants will be required to grant, or use reasonable endeavours to procure the licence to each of the BFI and DCMS of the right to use stills and clips from any content developed, produced and/or acquired using the UKGSF Business Development award for the purpose of promoting the UKGSF in any media throughout the world for a period of at least five years from signature of the funding agreement.;
9. The offer of funding may be terminated and any funding already advanced may be required to be repaid in the event that any of the requirements set out in these guidelines are breached.
10. The BFI may withdraw any offer of funding or terminate the funding agreement if it has reasonable concerns relating to the financial status and/or good standing of the company and/or the terms of any third party corporate or project finance or if the Eligible Applicant operates in any manner which might bring the BFI or DCMS into disrepute.
11. Successful applicants will be issued with detailed branding guidelines that set out the requirements for acknowledging this funding and the UKGSF as a Department for Culture, Media and Sport fund administered by the BFI. We require award recipients to increase the visibility of the government’s support by:
- promoting and displaying the UK Global Screen Fund logo
- assisting in communicating the benefit of the fund to ensure its value and impact is recognised and understood by key stakeholders
- making themselves available to take part in promotional activities and encouraging the participation of talent connected to the funded activity
It is therefore an important condition of UKGSF funding that the source of the funding is prominently acknowledged through use of the UKGSF logo and through agreed verbal and written acknowledgement. Also that partners and beneficiaries take opportunities to highlight not just the fact of the funding but why it is funded and therefore the increased opportunity that is possible through the government’s support.