Made in NSW – Local Fund

​​To be eligible, projects must have a total Production Budget between $5 million and $18 million (AUD) and fall into one of the following formats: 

• ​Feature films (excluding documentaries) 
• ​Television drama or narrative comedy, including miniseries and children’s television. 

​Applicants must meet one of the following: 

• ​Be an Australian company based in NSW, actively operating in the state for at least six months prior to the application; or 
• ​Be an Australian company based outside NSW in a genuine co-production arrangement with a NSW-based production company; or the project must be created or substantially driven by NSW-based key creatives; or 
• ​Be a non-NSW-based Australian company with at least 80% of the total production budget spent in NSW or: 
• ​Be a producer based in NSW producing an official international Treaty/MOU co-production .for which more than 50% of the total Australian budget is QNSWPE.

​The applicant must also: 

• ​Own or control the rights necessary to undertake the project (or share ownership/control in a co-production arrangement), including all relevant copyright and participant clearances 
• ​Comply with Screen NSW’s Terms of Trade

The project must:  

• ​Have Significant Australian Content (SAC). [More information on the SAC test is available here.] 
• ​Have at least one NSW based Key Creative (writer, director or producer). 
• ​Be fully financed at the time of application, excluding any pending contributions from Screen NSW or other State or Commonwealth screen agencies being applied to concurrently. 
• ​Have not commenced official pre-production before the date of application. Screen NSW does not fund retrospectively. 
• Be genuinely footloose, meaning the production is not already committed to a specific location and can realistically be undertaken in NSW 
• ​Have the majority of its principal photography take place in NSW. For official international co-productions, the majority of the Australian component of principal photography must be undertaken in NSW. 
• ​Be substantially ready to go into production and have confirmed both domestic and international marketplace commitments that accord with Screen Australia’s appropriate presales or licence fees (see here).  
• ​Have budgeted and planned for the required Production Attachments as follows: 
  • ​Projects receiving $150,000 up to $749,999, must engage one NSW-based paid production attachment (above or below the line). Minimum duration of 6 weeks, plus an additional week for every $50,000 over $150,000. Total duration is capped at 12 weeks. 
  • ​Projects receiving $750,000 or more must engage two NSW-based paid production attachments (above or below the line). Each attachment must be for 8 weeks and funded within the approved budget. 
  • ​All attachments must be paid no less than industry award rates. Based on a 40-hour week, at Level 1 MPPA rate, excluding overtime. 
  • With Screen NSW approval, producers may engage multiple attachments for shorter periods instead of one or two for longer durations. 
• ​Have a minimum contingency of 10% included in the project’s budget. In exceptional circumstances—where all co-investors/co-financiers or broadcasters/streamers agree—Screen NSW may approve a slightly lower contingency. If this occurs, Screen NSW may require the producer to withhold payment of producer overheads until commencement of post-production. 
• ​Fulfil necessary requirements for Authenticity (See A Guide to Understanding Diversity and Creating Authentic Screen Content on Screen NSW’s website).

​For the Regional Filming Fund, the applicant and project must: 

• ​Be filming on location for a minimum of ten shooting days in any part of Regional NSW 
• ​Meet the minimum QRPE: $750,000 for narrative feature films (including telemovies) and scripted drama series (including children’s television).​ 

Screen NSW does not support the following projects under the Program: 

• Projects that are part of assessable materials for a course of study or that will contribute to credits for a course of study 
• Infotainment, infomercials, lifestyle, light entertainment, travel, ‘how-to’; magazine, sports, education, game shows, serials/soaps, music videos, and other programs primarily intended for corporate, educational, training or promotional purposes, or magazine style projects or advertisements; reality television; non-narrative experimental, performance programs (for further clarification see ACMA Documentary guidelines: Interpretation of ‘documentary’ for the Australian Content and Children’s Television Standards) 
• Current affairs and news, community television 
• Shorts, short features (under 60 minutes duration), and interstitials 
• Digital games 
• Art installation projects 
• Projects that attract an R (X18+) or RC (Refused Classification) as described on the Australian Classification website.

Applications will be competitively assessed against the following criteria. Screen NSW will apply weightings to each assessment criteria, which will apply to all eligible applications.

Made in NSW – Local Fund

Regional Filming Fund

Other relevant factors and risks may also be considered, as determined by Screen NSW, in its sole discretion, including:

• The availability of funding for the program and the perceived funding requirements of an applicant’s project 
• The diversity of slate of applications Screen NSW receives in a financial year  
• The geographical distribution of funding, the composition of the team and alignment to the Screen NSW Priority Areas 
• Assessment of the applicant’s management, its directors and officers and entities or individuals that exercise control over an applicant against the eligibility criteria  
• Assessment of other factors that may cause applicants to be unsuitable for support, such as any personnel or business activities that could cause reputational or other risk to the NSW Government. 

Familiarise yourself with the requirements set out in these guidelines and determine if you are eligible.  

If you consider your production to be eligible, or require further clarification on eligibility, contact Screen NSW at investment@screen.nsw.gov.au to discuss your application in further detail. Made In NSW - Local and Regional Filming Fund are run in parallel with the Production Finance rounds. Please see here to see dates for upcoming rounds. 

Complete and submit your Application via the SmartyGrants portal. 

As part of your application, you will need to provide the following documents:

1. Completed SmartyGrants application.
2. A copy of the project finance plan:
   • If the finance plan for a project includes, if relevant, Screen Australia finance, evidence that Screen Australia is concurrently considering the project for finance, or Screen Australia’s finance has already been confirmed.
   • Written evidence that reflects the proposed finance plan by way of signed Deal Memos/Letters of Offer/Short or Long Form Agreements that need to specify the commercial terms and the level of financial commitment to the project. 
   • If the finance plan includes finance from overseas, then the producer must provide Screen NSW with written assurances about how they plan to address any currency fluctuations. 
3. For projects accessing the Producer Offset:
   • a copy of the Provisional Certificate for the Producer Offset or a copy of the completed application form, if available, or written assurances that the producer will provide a copy of the Provisional Certificate for the Producer Offset as a Transaction Document for the first drawdown, should the Production Finance Fund application be approved 
   • distribution and broadcast agreements that meet the criteria for public exhibition in relation to the Producer Offset, 
4. Sales agent estimates.
5. If the application is based on an underlying work, evidence that an appropriate option agreement is in place and current.
6. Evidence that allowances for production attachments are included in the Production Budget.
7. Other documents as outlined in Annexure A.

Please note these guidelines should be read in conjunction with the application form which provides details of requested supporting documentation.  

Acknowledgement of receipt of application will be via return email. 

Note: If you intend to apply to both the Made in NSW - Local and the Regional Filming Fund for your project, you must submit these applications concurrently (within the one form). 

Note also: Applicants should check the contracting timeframes of all funding agencies whose contributions appear in their finance plan and build these timeframes into their schedule for closing and cashflow.

Screen NSW staff are available to provide technical advice and general information to potential applicants on the interpretation of these guidelines, including the types of activity eligible for funding and support with the online application process.  

For further information or clarification, please contact Screen staff on: investment@screen.nsw.gov.au.  

Screen NSW staff cannot help directly with your application. To maintain a fair and equitable process, staff cannot edit or correct any applications or provide advice on the content or choices required against the Assessment Criteria.

Your application will be checked by Screen NSW for eligibility against the published Eligibility Criteria. If eligible, your application will proceed to the next assessment stage in accordance with the Assessment Criteria. If ineligible, you will be advised via email within 10 business days and your application will not proceed to assessment.  

Screen NSW reserves the right to provide applicants with an opportunity to provide clarification or additional information regarding the Eligibility Criteria provided the principles of probity are not breached.  

Incomplete applications will be deemed ineligible unless otherwise determined by Screen NSW.

Stage 1

Eligible applications will be assigned to a Screen Investment Manager and a member of the Screen Industry External Assessor Pool, who will assess them against the published Assessment Criteria and other relevant factors outlined in the guidelines. The Screen Investment Manager will then present the project to the Screen Investment Committee. 

The Screen Investment Committee includes members of the Screen Investment team and the Senior Manager Content Investment.. When appropriate, an independent probity advisor may also attend committee meetings

To support decision-making, the Screen Investment team engage external industry specialists to conduct assessments or provide reports. For instance, if a project involves diversity-related considerations, Screen NSW may seek input from an independent expert.

Projects requiring a First Nations assessment will be evaluated by a First Nations assessor, using Screen Australia’s Pathways & Protocols: A Filmmaker’s Guide to Working with Indigenous People, Culture and Concepts. A First Nations Cultural assessor is responsible for providing an assessment and feedback to the Screen Investment team on applications that contain significant First Nations content.

Based on the outcomes of this assessment, the Screen Investment Committee will shortlist projects for progression to Stage 2 of the assessment process.

Stage 2

Shortlisted applications will be reviewed by the Screen and Digital Games Industries Advisory Sub-Committee (SDGIASC) at the next available meeting. Information about SDGIASC members can be found  Information about SDGIASC members can be found here, and meetings dates are published here.

The SDGIASC will assess all projects shortlisted by the Screen Investment Committee. Their considerations will include the program’s assessment criteria, and the Program’s available budget. 

In reviewing the applications, the SDGIASC will evaluate factors such as distribution, range, and scale. They may prioritise projects and activities that best align with the Program’s objectives, promote equity, and deliver strong outcomes for NSW Government funding. 

The SDGIASC may also recommend funding amounts that are lower than those requested in the application.

Decision Making

Screen NSW will forward the SDGIASC’s recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport—or their delegate—for final review, consideration and approval.

 Applicants will be notified of the outcome within four weeks of the SDGIASC meeting.

Applicants can seek feedback on their application from Screen NSW by emailing investment@screen.nsw.gov.au.

The Grants Administration Guide (Guide) requires that certain information is published in relation to grants awarded no later than 45 calendar days after the funding agreement takes effect (see section 6.5 of the Guide and Appendix A to the Guide).  

This information is also open access information under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA Act), which must be made publicly available unless there is an overriding public interest against disclosure of the information.  

In accordance with these requirements, relevant information about the funding awarded will be made available on the NSW Government Grants and Funding Finder as soon as possible after the funding agreement is executed.  

All records in relation to this decision will be managed in accordance with the requirements of the State Records Act 1998 (NSW).

Successful applicants will be required to enter into a Production Grant Agreement with Screen NSW. The Production Grant Agreement will set out the obligations of the recipient of the funding, including but not limited to copyright, monitoring and reporting, project completion, and payment.  

The NSW Government makes no binding funding commitment to an applicant unless and until both parties sign a Production Grant Agreement.  

Contracting can take up to 12 weeks, however this period is contingent upon receipt of valid transaction documents identified in the Production Grant Agreement Screen NSW provides to successful applicants and the review timeframe(s) of any third-party project financier(s), as applicable. Screen NSW does not guarantee that contracting for the project will close within 12 weeks, although Screen NSW will use reasonable endeavours to finalise the SNSW Production Grant Agreement within this period.

The following will apply to successful funding applications:

• Funding is provided as a grant. Offers will specify how the grant will be cash-flowed and the deliverables required by Screen NSW. 
• Commitments made in the application regarding minimum QNSWPE and QRPE (if applicable) and employment will be a contractual obligation. Screen NSW reserves the right to require repayment of funds in certain circumstances where the Applicant has not met the NSW (and other) contractual obligations. 
• The Applicant must demonstrate they have made best endeavours to employ all heads of department from NSW unless this has been discussed and agreed with your assigned  Screen NSW Screen Investment Manager. 
• Projects receiving Screen NSW funding must engage people as paid production attachments, in accordance with the Program Guidelines but at a minimum: 
  • For projects receiving funding of $150,000 up to $749,000, 1 NSW-Based production attachment to any above or below the line position paid for from the approved budget for a minimum of 6 weeks, plus an additional week for every $50,000 over the $150,000 threshold (capped at 12 weeks);
  • For projects receiving $750,000 or more: 2 NSW-Based production attachments to any above or below the line position paid for from the approved budget for 8 weeks each.
  • on no less than industry award rates (for 40-hour weeks, Level 1 MPPA rate, not including scheduled or standard overtime)
  • If Screen NSW agrees, the producer may engage several people as production attachments for shorter periods instead of one or two people for a longer period.

The attachment should reflect the theme or content of the project: for example, Screen NSW’s Priority Areas (e.g. First Nations, People Living with Disability, LGBTQIA+, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse, Regional NSW, Western Sydney) OR be targeted at providing experience to emerging practitioners. Please discuss potential attachments with your Screen Investment Manager.

The Production Grant Agreement will outline the process for the recipient to receive milestone payments during the production process. 

Screen NSW will cashflow the Made in NSW – Local Fund grant as follows:

• 60% on signature of the Production Grant Agreement; 
• 30% on SNSW’s receipt and approval of the rough cut (for a series, rough cut approval applies to all episodes); and  
• 10% on delivery of all contracted delivery materials, 

subject to the further payment conditions set out in the Production Grant Agreement. 

Screen NSW will generally cashflow the Regional Filming Fund grant as follows: 

• 90% on signature of the Production Grant Agreement; and 
• 10% on delivery of all contracted delivery materials,

subject to the further payment conditions set out in the Production Grant Agreement.

Underspend (or unspent funds) must be returned to Screen NSW in accordance with the Production Grant Agreement. Screen NSW is entitled to an underspend share calculated on a pro rata pari passu basis with equity investors.

Successful applicants will be required to submit project progress reports to Screen NSW as outlined in the Production Grant Agreement.  

Recipients will be required to:

• Provide the acquittal documentation as outlined in the Production Grant Agreement.  
• Provide a final project completion report including final cost report or audit via SmartyGrants after the completion of production. 

The Program will be evaluated to measure how well the outcomes and objectives have been achieved. We may collect and use information from your application and reports for this purpose. We may also interview you or ask you for more information to help us understand how the Program impacted your organisation and to evaluate how effective the Program was in achieving its outcomes.  

We may contact your organisation up to three years after you receive the final payment associated with the Program for more information to assist with this evaluation. Screen NSW and the Audit Office of New South Wales reserve the right to undertake an audit of Program funding and support within seven years.

Any variations to the Production Grant Agreement, including project scope or activities, location or timeframes must be submitted in writing for approval from Screen NSW. Failure to do so may result in breach of the funding agreement. 

Screen NSW has the discretion to approve or reject any variation request. 

To submit a variation request please contact the Screen Investment Manager assigned to your grant. 

If you are unsure if your enquiry qualifies as a variation, contact the Screen Investment team at investment@screen.nsw.gov.au.

Any conflicts of interest will be managed in accordance with the NSW Government Grants Administration Guide.  

A conflict of interest, or perceived conflict of interest, may be identified if staff, any member of a committee or advisor and/or you or any of your personnel:

• Has a professional, commercial, or personal relationship with a party who can influence the application selection process, or  
• Has a relationship with or interest in, an organisation, which is likely to interfere with or restrict the applicants from carrying out the proposed activities fairly and independently, or   
• Has a relationship with, or interest in, an organisation from which they will receive personal gain because the organisation received funding under the program.

If you identify an actual, apparent, or perceived conflict of interest at any time, you must inform Screen NSW immediately. Screen NSW staff can be contacted by email: investment@screen.nsw.gov.au.  

NSW Government staff, committee members and other officials including the decision maker must declare any conflicts of interest and ensure they are managed according to the DCITHS Code of Ethics and Conduct and the Grants Administration Guide.

Details on how Screen NSW handles complaints, access to information and your private information is available here.

Qualifying NSW Production Expenditure (QNSWPE) 

QNSWPE the following costs where they are directly incurred in NSW:

• Payroll subject to NSW Payroll Tax, excluding payroll to non‑NSW residents 
• NSW workers’ compensation payments 
• Payments to suppliers of goods and services whose principal place of business is in NSW, including independent contractors not subject to NSW Payroll Tax 
• Payments to suppliers based outside NSW that have an office or branch in NSW supplying the goods or services, including fees and charges relating to the use of land in NSW 
• For NSW residents undertaking interstate or international travel: 50% of the return fare, where purchased from a supplier whose business/company is registered in NSW 
• For inbound interstate or international travel to NSW: 50% of the return fare, where purchased from an eligible supplier 
• Travel and accommodation costs for non‑NSW residents, only after the individual has been continuously working in NSW on the production for two weeks (wages and fees are excluded) 
• Inbound freight to a NSW destination 
• Fringe Benefits Tax relating to benefits provided in NSW 
• Lender legal fees where the lender’s principal place of business is in NSW

QNSWPE excludes:

• Goods or services sourced from outside NSW from non‑NSW suppliers, even if used in NSW 
• Remuneration for non‑NSW residents 
• Financing costs, including administration and interest 

Where a project is also applying for the NSW PDV Rebate:

• QNSWPE must reflect Made in NSW expenditure only (excluding NSW PDV spend) 
• QNSWPE % of budget: Must reflect Made in NSW expenditure only (excluding NSW PDV spend). 

Contingency

• Where expenditure includes goods or services from suppliers outside NSW, only a proportion of the contingency can be claimed as QNSWPE. This proportion must reflect the share of NSW‑based spend in the total budget (excluding contingency). 
• For example, if 75% of the budget (excluding contingency) qualifies as QNSWPE, then 75% of the contingency can also be claimed as QNSWPE. 

Currency exchange

• Where production expenditure is incurred in foreign currencies, the applicable exchange rate is the Reserve Bank of Australia rate averaged across the period in which QNSWPE is incurred. 

Further information

• Refer to the Screen NSW Terms of Trade for detailed guidance on QNSWPE.

Regional NSW Definition 

Regional NSW means all of New South Wales except for the local government areas of Bayside, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Burwood, Canada Bay, Canterbury-Bankstown, Camden, Campbelltown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Hunters Hill, Inner West, Ku-ring-gai, Lane Cove, Liverpool, Mosman, North Sydney, Northern Beaches, City of Parramatta, Penrith, Randwick, Ryde, Strathfield,  Sydney City, Sutherland, The Hills, Waverley, Willoughby, Wollondilly and Woollahra.. More information is available at https://www.olg.nsw.gov.au.   

Qualifying Regional Production Expenditure (QRPE)

• QRPE is the total of below‑the‑line costs directly related to filming and post‑production activities undertaken in Regional NSW. 
• Eligible QRPE does not include any above-the-line expenses (including development expenses), indirect costs, company overheads and contingency.

QRPE is limited to:

• Location fees 
• For required cast and crew travelling from other parts of NSW
  • Travel costs 
  • Accommodation 
  • Per diems 
• Local suppliers and services (e.g. construction contractors, security, traffic control etc.)  
• Catering 
• Salaries for Regional NSW-based below-the-line cast and crew 

Also see the glossary published at https://www.screen.nsw.gov.au/resources/glossary-of-terms for non-program specific definitions.

1. Story Materials 
   • One page synopsis 
   • Features: Script; TV: At least 2 scripts and the outline or series bible 
2. Legal
   • Certificate of Incorporation for company
   • Key Chain of Title documents
3. Completion Guarantor
   • Letter of Interest from Completion Guarantor or letter from applicant requesting waiver of the requirement for a Completion Guarantor
4. Cast Agreements (where finance is cast dependent)
5. Finance
   • Finance Plan
   • Sales projections 
   • Recoupment waterfall and narrative
   • All documents/contracts evidencing different sources of finance as per finance plan 
   • Terms of cashflow providers and/or accountants letter verifying solvency of company to cover cashflow in Finance Plan 
6. Marketing & Distribution Agreements 
   • All deal memos, agreements and draft agreements re. marketing, distribution, license agreements and presales, aligning to finance plan
7. Investment, Loans and Gap funding
   • All deal memos, agreements and draft agreements
8. Budget
   • Detailed budget and summary – must include QNSWPE, QPES (if applicable), Qualifying NSW PDV Expenditure (if applicable) and QAPE as separate columns 
9. Co-Production
   • Australian Budget with QAPE 
   • NSW Budget with QNSWPE 
   • Screen Australia Report or notes on official co-production status 
10. Creative Statement 
11. Key production personnel – CVs  
12. First Nations Content
    • Statement regarding First Nations consultation and consent
    • Written confirmation of the willingness of subject(s) and the community
    • First Nations consultant’s CV