Under the new guidelines, all development funding will be offered as grant funding; Screen Queensland will cease to take a copyright interest in Development funds where contracting is finalised after 1 July 2024. No retrospective conversion of investment to grant is possible for existing Development Investment Agreements. 

Development funding is offered in three tiers, depending on the applicant’s stage of development, evidence of marketplace interest and residency status (Queensland or interstate). 

GENERAL NOTES: 

• Under the new guidelines, all development funding will be offered as grant funding; Screen Queensland will cease to take a copyright interest in Development funds where contracting is finalised after 1 July 2024. No retrospective conversion of investment to grant is possible for existing Development Investment Agreements
• Letters of Interest/Intent from marketplace will be assessed in context of the project’s stage of development. Track record of LOI-provider will be assessed
• Applications will not be accepted where minimum creative materials are not provided
• Funds requested must be appropriate for current stage of development and associated deliverables. Please note that applicants may not receive the full funding requested and funding is awarded at Screen Queensland’s sole discretion. 
• Cap of $100,000 of development funding in any form, per financial year per applicant/company/associated company
• Cap of $100,000 total development funding for any one project over its lifetime
• All applications will be assessed according to development budget needs.

Projects that meet eligibility requirements are not guaranteed funding and will undergo a rigorous assessment process against Screen Queensland’s strategic priorities and program guidelines. 

All requests for funding, regardless of eligibility, are subject to limited program budgets within a highly competitive funding environment. 

The Development Fund supports projects with a clearly defined plan to meaningfully progress to the next critical stage on their journey to screen.

The Development Fund is open to anyone who:   

• lives and works in Queensland (and has been a resident of the state for at least six months immediately preceding the application; proof of residency may be required) OR  
• for Interstate applicants, must be an Australian resident working with minimum 50% writers or directors who live and work in Queensland
• can ensure requested funding is directed towards Queensland elements*
• can provide the required detail/documents for the program they are applying for
• owns the rights to the story they are telling.  

*For slate funding only, Screen Queensland may at its absolute discretion support funding budgeted as out-of-state spend, where the applicant can demonstrate clear benefit to the growth of their Queensland-based production business through this spend.

Applicants or key creatives who identify as Queensland residents must have been a resident of the state for at least six months immediately preceding the application (proof of residency may be required).

It is important that your team of key creatives authentically represent the story and characters in your application. If your story includes content or characters from a diverse background, (e.g. female, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people with a disability, or LGBTQIA+ people) then appropriate representation of that diversity must be ensured throughout the production.  

More eligibility criteria is also detailed in the Terms of Trade.  

For all First Nations stories, or stories containing First Nations elements, please see the below additional criteria. 

FIRST NATIONS STORIES/ELEMENTS

If your story is a First Nations story or contains First Nations elements, it is a requirement to develop a Cultural Engagement and Safety Plan. Additional funding may be made available to successful applicants in order to assist with the development of this Plan and meet all necessary Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) requirements, as outlined below. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: The additional funding noted above will be made available for the sole express purpose of ensuring your Cultural Engagement and Safety Plan has been developed in consultation with First Nations peoples and/or communities. If any of the above applies to your application, you must provide evidence of your Cultural Engagement and Safety Plan. These documents must meet a level of standard that satisfies Screen Queensland. Any relevant Cultural Consultant agreements must be noted at application, with full agreements executed as condition of first drawdown, and confirmation of payments as per agreements as condition of final drawdown, for this additional funding. When the applicant has not satisfied these requirements, you will be liable to return funds provided. 

* A “First Nations story” refers to a narrative that originates from the oral traditions of Indigenous peoples, often focusing on their history, culture, spirituality, and worldview. 

** On the other hand, a story that contains “First Nations elements” may incorporate aspects of First Nations cultures, such as characters, settings, themes, or storytelling techniques, but may not necessarily originate from or be deeply rooted in Indigenous traditions. 

# Co-productions are defined as productions wherein both Indigenous and Non-Indigenous producers have a share in the copyright. 

Applicant will be required to provide the following in addition to tier-specific documentation:

Your proposal will need the following.:  

• Logline – your idea in a sentence  
• Short pitch – your idea in one page  
• Creative materials relevant to your current stage  
• Project Plan (one document, min 2 pages) including: 
• Development plan – what is your overall strategy for developing this project?  
• Audience plan – who is your audience and how will you reach them?  
• Development budget – how will this funding request be used to meaningfully advance the project on its pathway to screen?  
• Team – the CVs or bios of the people who have agreed to be part of your project  

Legalities – things you must have:  

• rights to the story – clear chain of title  
• option agreement and/or the approval of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owners of the story (if applicable) 
• writers/key creative agreement

Things to note:   

• applicants may have more than two active submissions at any one time, with multiple applications being to the discretion of Screen Queensland  
• projects must be delivered within three months after funding . 

Please note: If you need to update your documentation to pass eligibility, you will be given 2 business days to do so. If you cannot update your application in this time, you will automatically be withdrawn. This is so we can turn around projects quickly, within our assessment process. Projects unsuccessful twice in a funding program are no longer eligible for further applications to that program. 

Applications will not be accepted where minimum creative materials are not provided. 

Applicants must demonstrate why Screen Queensland’s funding is essential to this stage of development and how the funding will be directed to significantly advance the project.

Your proposal will be assessed against the following criteria:  

• Is the creative material developed to an appropriate stage for the level of funding requested, and is the story likely to engage with its intended audience? 
• Does the applicant have a clear idea of who their audience is and how to reach them? 
• Is the development budget appropriate for the proposed deliverables?   
• How will the proposed support assist the project on its journey to screen?  
• Does the team have a good track record for delivering what it says it will and the skills to make this happen?  
• How will this funding impact the careers of Queensland talent and the state screen sector more broadly? 

Letters of Interest/Intent from marketplace will be assessed in context of the project’s stage of development. Track record of LOI-provider will be assessed. 

We seek to support the creation and growth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander screen practitioners, content and representation across our industry and state.  Additionally, we are committed to ensuring diverse representation across all aspects of the production and development process. As such, diversity in areas of gender, age, culture, ethnicity, language, ability, sexuality, location (such as regional and remote areas) and socio-economic status are encouraged in projects we support. 

Please note: If you need to update your documentation to pass eligibility, you will be given 2 business days to do so. If you cannot update your application in this time, you will automatically be withdrawn. This is so we can turn around projects quickly, within our assessment process. Projects unsuccessful twice in a funding program are no longer eligible for further applications to that program. 

Submission of an application constitutes acceptance of these Guidelines and the application terms and conditions.

Your information will be used in accordance with Screen Queensland’s Privacy Policy which you hereby agree to by submitting this application.

Applicants must notify Screen Queensland in writing if they have an actual, perceived or potential conflict of interest in applying for the Funding and, if so, the manner in which they propose to deal with the conflict.

The applicant retains all intellectual property rights in its submission. The applicant grants an irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty and fee free licence to the Screen Queensland to use, adapt and modify its intellectual property rights in its submission for the purposes of Screen Queensland analysing and evaluating the applicant’s submission.

Screen Queensland’s liability in relation to the application process is limited to $1.

Screen Queensland reserves the right to change any element of the Funding, these Guidelines or the application process at any time and in its absolute discretion.

You must read our Terms of Trade, QPE definition and our corporate and strategic plans before preparing your application.  

• Screen Queensland Terms of Trade  
• Screen Queensland QPE Definition  
• Screen Queensland Strategic Plan 2023–25  
• Screen Diversity and Inclusion Network Charter  
• Screen Australia Pathways and Protocols  

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