Film & Television Development Grant
The Film and Television Development Grant assists qualified Saskatchewan production companies with undertaking the development of eligible projects and bringing productions to fruition.
Offered by Creative Saskatchewan
Amount
Up to $5,000 or 50% of the total development cash budget, whichever is the lesser (Pre-Development); $25,000 or 50% (First Draft); $15,000 or 50% (Final Draft); $40,000 or 75% (Slate Development), per phase
Quick eligibility check
Who can apply
- Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria defined in the General Guidelines.
- Applicants may be an individual or a corporation ā see the General Guidelines for definitions.
- Applicants must be the owner or co-owner of the project, control copyright, and receive a share of revenue from sales of the project.
- Applicants must demonstrate they have the rights to develop, produce, and exploit the property for a two-year minimum plus a renewal from date of application.
- Applicants must have experience as producers of commercial film or television, or related experience satisfactory to Creative Saskatchewan, and must demonstrate they possess the necessary expertise and resources to complete the proposed production and arrange for its marketing.
- Applicants with insufficient experience for the project scope must secure the participation of an experienced Executive Producer prior to applying to Creative Saskatchewan.
- The production company cannot hold a broadcasting license issued by the CRTC or deal at non-armās length with a corporation that holds a license.
- The applicant company must be incorporated in Saskatchewan or incorporated federally and registered in Saskatchewan. The head office or principal place of business must be located in Saskatchewan, and substantial ownership control must remain with Saskatchewan residents.
- Applicants must be in good standing in all respects with Creative Saskatchewan.
- Applicants who have secured production funding from Creative Saskatchewan in support of a project that has received development funding must complete development activities and reporting prior to the start of principal photography.
Applications must be in support of productions that are in scope with current production incentives offered by Creative Saskatchewan.
There are four streams available to eligible applications:
Pre-Development Stream
Applicants must demonstrate 100% copyright ownership which needs to demonstrate the right to produce the television show or feature film.
- This phase does not require evidence of market interest and does not have minimum production history requirements.
- Applicants and their parent companies are limited to two pre-development grants per fiscal year.
First Draft Stream
This stream supports the continuing development of projects that have secured development monies from a market relevant source (broadcaster, distributor, pay television, or other funding agencies) to a minimum of 10% of the development cash budget. Related-party financing will not be considered as a relevant market source. A long form or similar agreement outlining terms of the agreement is required at the time of application.
Applicants and their parent companies are limited to two First or Final Draft Development grants (or combination thereof) per fiscal year, subject to further budget review.
Final Draft Stream
This stream supports the continuing development of projects that have secured development monies from a market relevant source (broadcaster, distributor, pay television, or other funding agencies) to a minimum of 10% of the development cash budget. A long form or similar agreement outlining terms of the agreement is required at the time of application.
- Applicants and their parent companies are limited to two First or Final Draft Development grants (or combination thereof) per fiscal year. Subject to further budget review.
Slate Development Stream
This stream supports the development of a minimum of two and a maximum of five eligible film or television projects in order to leverage development financing from other funding agencies and private sector investment.
In order to be considered eligible for Slate, applicants must have at minimum one-hour of commercially distributed content (for animation, applicants must have at minimum one half-hour of commercially distributed content) created and made available to audiences in the past two years (applicant companies must demonstrate ownership of the property).
- Projects must demonstrate strong market potential.
- Co-productions can make up to 50% of the development budget. Co-productions must demonstrate that a minimum of 50% of the copyright is owned by the applicant.
- Applicants must demonstrate they have the rights to develop, produce, and exploit the property for a two-year minimum plus a renewal from date of application.
Applicants and their parent companies are limited to one Slate Development Stream grant per fiscal year.
The applicant must be an active practitioner in one of the creative industries identified under The Creative Saskatchewan Act (2013).
a. Book Publishing
b. Craft and Visual Arts
c. Digital Game Development
d. Film and Television
e. Live Performing Arts
f. Music
- The applicant must demonstrate commercial intent within their project in one of the creative industries supported by Creative Saskatchewan, as well as their ambition to grow their business beyond their current status.
- The applicant must be in good standing (defined in the Glossary) with Creative Saskatchewan in all respects.
- An applicant may be a corporation or an individual.
a. Corporations, as defined in The Creative Saskatchewan Regulations:
A Corporation
- That is incorporated or continued pursuant to an Act or is registered pursuant to an Act to carry on business in Saskatchewan;
- The majority of whose outstanding voting shares are owned by Saskatchewan residents;
- That has a permanent establishment in Saskatchewan; and, that filed an income tax return respecting income earned in Saskatchewan for its taxation year preceding the year in which it applies for financial support.
b. A Group of recording/performing musicians, A Non-Profit, or A Collective
- The majority of whose outstanding voting shares are owned by Saskatchewan residents;
- That has a permanent establishment in Saskatchewan; and
- That filed an income tax return respecting income earned in Saskatchewan for its taxation year preceding the year in which it applies for financial support.
c. Individuals, as defined in The Creative Saskatchewan Regulations:
An individual
- Who filed an income tax return respecting income earned in Saskatchewan in the year preceding the year in which they apply for financial support.
- For individuals who have moved back to Saskatchewan recently but have not yet filed income taxes, they can provide a current Saskatchewan driverās license or a Saskatchewan photo identification card via SGI.
About the funding
Pre-Development Stream
Eligible applicants may apply to Creative Saskatchewan for a maximum of $5,000 or 50% of the total development cash budget, whichever is the lesser.
First Draft Stream
Eligible applicants may apply to Creative Saskatchewan for a maximum of $25,000 or 50% of the total development cash budget (for this phase), whichever is the lesser.
Show all funding details
Final Draft Stream
Eligible applicants may apply to Creative Saskatchewan for a maximum of $15,000 or 50% of the total development cash budget (for this phase), whichever is the lesser.
Slate Development Stream
Eligible applicants may apply to Creative Saskatchewan for a maximum of $40,000 or 75% of the total development cash budget (for this phase), whichever is the lesser.
- Funding will be in the form of a grant for projects that proceed into production within Saskatchewan. However, recipients will be required to re-pay the grant in the following instances:
- In the case of dramatic projects, where less than 50% of principal photography and/or 75% of post production occurs within the province.
- For non-dramatic projects, where less than 50% post-production does not take place in Saskatchewan.
- Only financial contributions will be considered when examining the financing structure ā the value of deferrals and in-kind contributions will not be considered part of the overall project financing.
- Grants must be used for the purposes described in the application approved by Creative Saskatchewan.
There is always a āhold-backā on the awarded amount. This is disbursed upon acceptance and approval of a Final Report on the project. If an application is approved, the pay schedule and amount of the āhold-backā will be defined in the Letter of Commitment.
This stream assists with the ļ¬nancing of third-party costs incurred to develop the project sufficiently to present to broadcasters and other ļ¬nanciers.
- Producer fees are eligible and capped at 20% of the base total. No other related-party expenses are eligible to this stream. An exception will be made for full-time employee wages for project-specific work.
- Activities may include writing concept-to-outline and creation of pitching materials.
- Supportable activities include, but are not limited to, taking a script treatment to an outline or first draft.
- Projects may apply to create a non-broadcast demo.
Supportable activities include, but are not limited to, script polish, and preproduction activities.
- The labour of Saskatchewan residents is an eligible expense but must be in accordance with industry standards. An applicantās own or staff labour directly attributed to the project described in the application is eligible as long as a breakdown of hours and rationale for rate is provided. The applicant will also be asked to provide documentation of project payment for self and/or staff in their final report.
- Administration expenses capped at 15% of the proposed budget or $5,000 (whichever is the lesser) are eligible. The cost of contracted services directly attributable to the project described in the application, and in accordance with industry standard rates, is an eligible expense.
- Travel, per diems, and accommodation expenses (if applicable to the activities of the program) are limited to Saskatchewan residents unless otherwise stated. For applicants to the Feature Film & Television Production Grant, please refer to our Saskatchewan screen-based expenditures here.
- All sales taxes other than GST (Goods and Services Tax) or HST (Harmonized Sales Tax).
Similar programs
| Program | Type | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Game Development Grant | Grant | A maximum of $50,000 or 50% of the application's total cash budget per fiscal year, whichever is the lesser | Open |
| Feature Film & Television Production Grant | Grant | Up to 30% of all eligible Saskatchewan expenditures (Saskatchewan Stream) or 25% of all eligible Saskatchewan expenditures up to a maximum of $5,000,000 (Service Production Stream) | Open |
| Made in Saskatchewan Technology Program (MIST) | Grant | Up to $30,000 per startup (lifetime maximum of $30,000 to support pilot projects) | Open |
| Product Development Program | Grant | Up to $20,000 | Open |
