British Film Institute Grants
The British Film Institute distributes National Lottery funding for film and the moving image across the UK, alongside government money for specific schemes. Its funds cover development and production, audiences and education, and international work, each with its own rules. Production funding generally expects a project already in development rather than an idea.
British Film Institute has 12 open funds listed here, 6 of which accept applications all year.
Checked daily. Last updated 9 November 2026.
No published award history for British Film Institute. Some funders do not publish their grants data.
What British Film Institute funds
Counted across the 12 open funds on this page.
No deadline listed
Check the funder's current application window before you apply.
BFI National Lottery Audience Projects Fund
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute awards National Lottery funding to organisations that exhibit and distribute nationally significant, audience-facing independent film and immersive projects across the UK. The funder gives no award range, so check the guidelines for amounts. Applications are accepted year-round, with no closing date. Timing rules apply. Single-film distribution projects must apply no later than 10 weeks before the film's release date. All other projects must apply at least 16 weeks before the start date, or the application is declined. Projects must be high-profile and able to attract national press and media coverage. Applicants need experience in at least one area, such as film festivals, film distribution, immersive installations and tours, touring projects, in-venue programmes or seasons, or marketing initiatives. Organisations new to the fund can apply for smaller pilot projects. The BFI also funds sector-facing projects that help the industry adapt and innovate. It strongly encourages applicants to talk to its Audiences team first.
BFI National Lottery Screen Heritage Fund: Project Funding
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute gives National Lottery grants of £10,000 to £140,000 to screen archives and collection networks in England and across the UK that run time-limited screen heritage projects. A total of £8.11 million is allocated in the 2026-2029 Funding Plan. The fund is open all year, so there is no deadline. Eligible work includes widening audience access to collections, filling gaps in what is collected, digital preservation workflows and staff training. Projects must meet at least two of nine fund aims. Costs the BFI lists include collections care, community co-curation, rights clearance, limited digitisation and project evaluation. Equipment is capped at 8% of the amount requested. Capital building work is not covered. Applications sent less than 16 weeks before a project starts are declined. Awards above £140,000 are rare, though the BFI can consider up to £4m for projects of exceptional scale. An optional expression of interest gets eligibility feedback.
BFI National Lottery Screen Heritage Fund
British Film Institute
The BFI National Lottery Screen Heritage Fund awards National Lottery money to support the UK's public screen heritage sector. It has three strands: Project funding, Resilience funding and Individual Skills funding. Project funding and Resilience funding are for legally constituted organisations that run a screen archive, collection network or something similar. You need the remit to collect and preserve screen heritage collections and make them accessible to the public on a not-for-profit basis. Sound, paper and other static formats do not count. Applications can include workforce development, training and skills for staff. Individual Skills funding is for people who work in the UK screen heritage sector now, or who can show they intend to. You must be 18 or over, have a UK bank account and be eligible to work in the UK. Project funding is open all year round. Individual Skills funding is open on a rolling basis. Resilience funding for 2026-29 closed on 31 March 2026, so that strand is not taking applications at the moment. Timing matters. For Project funding, apply at least 16 weeks before your funded activity is due to start. For Individual Skills funding, apply at least 8 weeks before your training or development opportunity begins. All Resilience and Project funded activity must be finished by 31 March 2029. Successful applications need to address the aims of the BFI Screen Heritage Fund. If you are funded, you will need to credit BFI National Lottery funding and thank National Lottery players. Official source: https://www.bfi.org.uk/get-funding-support/bfi-national-lottery-screen-heritage-fund-project-resilience-skills-funding. Last checked by GrantMatch on 28 October 2026.
BFI UK Focus Fund
British Film Institute
The BFI National Lottery UK Focus Fund pays for UK-focused activity at international industry events. It aims to raise the international profile of UK screen talent and content. It also helps UK screen professionals meet their counterparts abroad. The fund backs activity at established international festivals, markets, co-production forums and other industry events or platforms. These must have international reach and be dedicated to screen content. Your activity should build awareness of, and demand for, UK content, talent, expertise and co-production opportunities among international partners and buyers. It should also encourage cultural exchange that leads to more collaboration. The event itself must focus on at least one type of screen content. This can be feature films (fiction, documentary or animation) for theatrical or online release. It can be documentary or animation programmes for broadcast television, video-on-demand or other online release. It can also be narrative-led interactive or immersive media for commercial distribution on digital platforms. Applications are open all year round, so there is no closing date. The page does not state award amounts. One practical point to plan around: you must apply at least 12 weeks before your proposed UK Focus activity starts. Read the funding guidelines in full first, as the online application link sits within them. If you are successful, you will need to credit BFI National Lottery funding and thank National Lottery players. Official source: https://www.bfi.org.uk/get-funding-support/funding-support-international-activity/uk-focus-fund. Last checked by GrantMatch on 16 October 2026.
BFI Development Funding
British Film Institute
BFI Development Funding awards National Lottery money to help develop original live action and animated feature films. It is for distinctive fiction projects from adventurous storytellers, across a range of genres, approaches and perspectives. The BFI wants to support a wide range of voices and backgrounds. The aim is to help filmmakers and their producers develop a project to the point where it is viable to seek production funding. This is money for the early stage, before a film moves into production. Producers apply through their production company. The company must be a limited company registered at Companies House. Full eligibility criteria are in the funding guidelines, so read those first. Applications are open all year round, apart from an annual closure window from 1 April to 30 April. The BFI may add other closures during periods of high work intensity or holiday dates. It says these will be clearly signposted ahead of time, so plan your submission with that in mind. You apply online. Read the funding guidelines in full first, as the application link is inside them. If you have questions about the funding or your application, you can email the BFI. Help is also available if you need support to apply, as the BFI says it is committed to making its funding accessible to all. One practical point: if you are successful, you will need to prominently credit BFI National Lottery funding and thank National Lottery players. The BFI will share more details once an award has been made. Official source: https://www.bfi.org.uk/get-funding-support/create-films-tv-or-new-formats-storytelling/development-funding. Last checked by GrantMatch on 16 October 2026.
BFI NETWORK
British Film Institute
BFI NETWORK supports, develops and funds early career filmmakers across the UK. It is made possible through National Lottery funding. The programme works with film organisations and leading cultural venues to offer short film and early feature development funding, industry-backed professional development and networking support. It is for producers, writers and directors aged 18 and above who are at the start of their careers. Right now the page promotes the BFI NETWORK England: Early Development Fund. It is open to writers and supports debut long-form projects. You can apply for up to £5,000, and the page carries an "Apply now" link. Beyond that fund, BFI NETWORK points you to other short film and early feature development funding for new UK writers, directors and producers. It also lists talent labs, programmes, mentorships and travel grants for filmmakers. There are BFI NETWORK teams across the UK, so you can find talent development and networking opportunities in your own area. You will also find free filmmaking toolkits and resources on inclusion, diversity and sustainability in short films. You can sign up for BFI NETWORK emails to hear about new opportunities. One practical point: the £5,000 Early Development Fund is aimed at writers with a debut long-form project. If you are a director or producer, look at the wider BFI NETWORK funding opportunities listed on the page to see what suits you. The page does not state a closing date for the Early Development Fund. Official source: https://www.bfi.org.uk/get-funding-support/bfi-network. Last checked by GrantMatch on 28 October 2026.
More grants
UK Global Screen Fund: International Distribution (P&A Support)
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) funds prints and advertising (P&A) costs for UK films released in cinemas outside the UK, through the UK Global Screen Fund. Grants go up to £100,000 per award. The funder's website lists a £1 million total pot and a £1 minimum award. The scheme is national. It opened on 1 April 2023 and closes at 11:59pm on 31 March 2028. Grants are non-recoupable. Funding can cover the P&A costs of a grouping of international distributors releasing a UK film. A single international distributor can be supported only if the film is an animated feature or a documentary feature. The BFI favours films with clear appeal to identified international audiences and strong potential for commercial success. The applicant must be the UK-based sales agent appointed to sell the film internationally. If no sales agent is appointed, the lead UK producer applies instead. Apply online through the GOV.UK Find a grant service.
See all 2 rounds of UK Global Screen FundProgrammes British Film Institute runs in rounds
Miss one round of these and there is another.
Where this funding goes
Frequently asked questions about British Film Institute funding
How many British Film Institute grants are open right now?+
12 grants from British Film Institute are open on GrantMatch today, of which 6 have no fixed deadline. The list is checked daily.
When is the next British Film Institute deadline?+
The nearest deadline is 24 November 2026, and the furthest is 31 March 2029. Always check the funder's own page for the final date before applying.
How do I apply for British Film Institute funding?+
Each grant on this page links to the British Film Institute application page for that fund. Read the funder's own eligibility criteria before you start, since terms differ between funds.