Equity and Emerging Development Program – Canada

Creators can receive a grant to cover the cost of bringing together a development team to do research, develop a concept or write a script. The grants are available for a wide range of content including scripted feature length films or series, animated features or series, and documentaries/factual one-offs or series.

The goal of this program is to support equity and diversity in B.C.’s domestic motion picture sector by increasing access to funding for underrepresented filmmakers.

Objectives

• To uncover new and diverse voices who may not have previously benefited from the mainstream media funding landscape;
• To support projects during the development stage that reflect and enhance the cultural diversity of the province; and
• To provide opportunities for developing commercially ready and market viable projects.

Funding Information

• Funding Per Project: $10,000 development funding per project.
• Overall Funding Envelope Available: Up to $250,000 will be committed in this Round 2 funding cycle.

Project Eligibility 

• Eligible Project Types: Scripted feature length films or series, animated features or series, documentary/factual one-offs or series.
• BC owned and/or controlled projects from all genres, lengths, formats and intended commercial distribution are encouraged to apply, with a few exceptions.
• Projects that receive funding must ultimately be produced in British Columbia – although it is not a requirement that the subject matter is BC-based, nor that the project is shot in BC.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applications will be accepted from either individuals or production companies. Key Roles (Writer, Director, Producer) must be either/both from a systemically excluded group or an emerging filmmaker.
• Each applicant may only submit one application to this program and should not be attached to multiple applications in different key roles.
• Individuals applying must:
  • Be a B.C. resident – either a Canadian citizen or a Permanent Resident who has resided in British Columbia for at least 200 of the 365 days prior to the application, and
  • Have filed income tax returns in B.C. for the taxation year prior to the application.
  • To apply as an equity seeking filmmaker, you must actively self-declare within one or more of the systemically excluded groups (Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, LGBTQ2S+, Women, Non-binary or people with disabilities) during the application process;
  • To apply as an emerging filmmaker, you cannot have more than one professional credit in the Key Roles you are applying for as: director, writer and/or producer.
• Companies applying must:
  • Be an audiovisual company incorporated in British Columbia or Canada with its head office in British Columbia.
  • The primary owner/majority common voting shareholder(s) of the applicant company must meet the individual criteria.
• Whether applying as an individual or company:
  • 100% of the copyright of the project must be owned, controlled, or optioned by the applicant (except for inter-provincial or international treaty co-productions).
  • You must be in good standing with Creative BC.
• To confirm you are from a systemically excluded group, during the application process you will be asked to complete a SELF-ID form in which you must self-declare belonging to one or more of the following groups: Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, LGBTQ2S+, Women, Non-binary or people with disabilities.
• To confirm you are an emerging filmmaker, during the application process you must declare that you have no more than one (1) previous professional credit in the key role(s) you hold in the project: director, writer and/or producer.

Ineligible

• The following projects are not eligible to apply:
  • Web series
  • Short films
  • Excluded productions as defined by the Film & Television Tax Credit Regulations including, but not limited to: pornography, talk shows, news, live sports events, game shows, and advertising.

For more information, visit Creative BC.