Sector Impact Program

To be eligible for funding under the Sector Impact Program, applicants must:

• Be invited to make an application
• Have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• Legally be able to enter into an agreement with Screen NSW
• Adhere to general eligibility requirements under the Screen NSW Terms of Trade.

Select applicants will be invited to apply to the program following a meeting with Screen NSW staff and submission of a high-level written expression of interest (EOI). All potential applicants should contact industry@screen.nsw.gov.au to schedule a meeting to discuss eligibility and the EOI process. 

More information is outlined in the Application process section below.

Screen NSW accepts proposals for activities that:

• Are well planned and of high artistic quality and/or strategic importance to the NSW screen or digital games industry
• Represent significant benefits to NSW screen or digital games practitioners
• Contribute to the stability and growth of the NSW screen or digital games sector
• Represent value for money and efficient use of Screen NSW funding
• Have adequate levels of financial and/or in-kind support from other funding sources
• Increase industry participation for screen or digital games practitioners from NSW Government key priority areas
• Are designed and delivered by an organisation (and any delivery partner) with demonstrable industry experience.

Please note that any proposed activities involving First Nations content or people will be ineligible for consideration if there is no evidence of appropriate First Nations consultation and/or participation.

Funding is not available for:

• Publications or magazines about screen or digital games, including podcasts (online or print)
• Development, production, or distribution of screen or digital games content
• Business development activities for screen or digital games organisations
• Business travel to festivals or markets
• The development of new technologies including online platforms
• Awards or competition component of a film festival or initiative
• Expos
• School-focused programs.

Applications for Single Year funding cover activities occurring over a single financial year. 

Applications for Multi-Year funding cover activities occurring over multiple financial years, and eligible applicants can seek either 2-year or 3-year funding.

Applicants requesting Multi-Year funding must have a proven funding history with Screen NSW (i.e., at least 3 funded activities that were successfully acquitted in the past 5 years).

Please refer to the Organisational Capacity section of the Assessment Criteria for additional requirements for organisations requesting Multi-Year funding.

Applications should include:

• A clear rationale for the activity including how the activity responds to a clearly identified gap, challenge or opportunity within the NSW screen or digital games sector
• Key activity details including proposed activities, milestones, and dates
• How the activity represents innovation in industry development, engagement, capability building or sector collaboration
• A description of how the activity will deliver measurable industry outcomes
• How the proposed delivery model is scalable, repeatable or capable of generating industry benefits beyond the funding period
• A clear explanation of how the requested funding will be used to achieve activity objectives
• Key result areas, indicators, and targets for the activity.

Applications should demonstrate:

• Well-developed strategies for engaging practitioners across career stages (emerging, mid-career and established) in the activity
• Specific outcomes for NSW Government key priority areas, including measurable participation and engagement targets
• Justification for why the activity should be regarded as a priority for funding i.e., creating innovative engagement opportunities that industry practitioners would not otherwise have access to.

Applications should identify:

• Expected short-term and long-term outcomes for NSW screen or digital games practitioners
• How the activity will strengthen the overall sustainability and resilience of the NSW screen or digital games sector
• How the activity will provide cultural and economic benefits to the NSW screen or digital games industry
• The anticipated scale and reach of the activity, including geographic and demographic impact
• How success will be measured and evidenced beyond attendance numbers.

Please note that when an applicant is located outside of NSW, the activity must be delivered in NSW and/or have a direct and strong benefit for NSW screen or digital games practitioners.

Applications should provide information demonstrating that the organisation has the expertise to deliver the activity, including:

• An overview of the organisation’s core business, aims, objectives, and governing body/committee
• Evidence of specialist screen or digital games experience, including strong participant and/or industry outcomes from previous activities
• Evidence of a strong financial track record
• Ability to collect, evaluate and report meaningful outcome data
• Commitment to inclusion, accessibility and culturally safe practices, including the capability to appropriately engage with First Nations practitioners and communities if relevant to the proposed activity.

Multi-Year – Additional Assessment Criteria

To be considered for Multi-Year funding applicants must:

• Demonstrate an outstanding track record of outcomes in delivering related activities of scale
• Have successfully received and acquitted grant funding from Screen NSW in three of the last five years
• Have a proven impact on the NSW screen or digital games sector
• Provide evidence of organisational stability, leadership continuity and succession planning.

Applicants should submit a budget that:

• Demonstrates value for money and efficient use of Screen NSW funding
• Is cost effective, including realistic income and achievable expenditure targets, as well as adequate provision for insurance and other liabilities
• Includes a majority contribution of additional sources of financial and in-kind support available to deliver the activity 
• Reflects the activity’s size and benefit to the NSW screen or digital games sector.

Explanatory notes should be used where needed.

All potential applicants should contact industry@screen.nsw.gov.au to schedule a meeting to confirm eligibility for the program. 

If eligibility is confirmed, applicants must submit a high-level written EOI via Screen NSW’s secure grants application portal, SmartyGrants. The EOI must outline the proposed activity, the amount of funding sought, and how the activity meets the objectives of the Sector Impact Program.

If Screen NSW considers an applicant’s EOI to be aligned with the objectives of the program, they will be invited to submit a formal application.

If invited, applicants must submit a formal application via SmartyGrants.

Applications made using any other format will not be accepted. 

Regarding the Assessment Criteria, applicants must prepare responses to all questions and submit all core materials listed on the application form, including:

• Description and rationale of activity, including any proposed delivery partners
• Demonstrated demand for activity
• Activity engagement and participation, including target demographics and inclusion of any NSW Government key priority areas
• Location/s for delivering the activity
• Budget, including other sources of financial and/or in-kind support
• Organisational capacity to deliver activity, including key team members
• Marketing strategy and target participants
• Milestones, outcomes, and key performance indicators
• Relevant support material (see information below).

Support material

Support material plays a vital role in how we understand and assess applications. Please submit high-quality support material that is concise, current, and directly relevant to the proposed activity.

Support material for proposals involving the First Nations arts and cultural sector and/or First Nations people, organisations and cultural material must include letters of support and confirmation of involvement from the relevant communities and/or organisations (see NSW Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Protocols).

Other support material may include:

• A program of activities
• Relevant and recent examples of delivering similar activities
• A brief biography or CV for any key collaborators involved in the activity (maximum one A4 page per person)
• Confirmation letters and/or letters of support related to your activity (provided as one document), such as from partners, venues, key sector contacts or other funding agencies.

Please submit support material in the amount and format required, including:

• Combined files not exceeding 25MB
• Up to five minutes of video or audio recording
• No zipped or compressed files
• Documents in PDF format where possible
• Links for externally hosted work only.

When an application has been submitted, applicants will receive an email from SmartyGrants confirming receipt of your application. 

Please note that applicants cannot edit or modify an application once it has been submitted.

Applications will be initially assessed by Screen NSW staff to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria, and that all application materials are acceptable. 

Applications deemed ineligible will be informed of any such reasons within 14 days of this outcome.

Eligible applications will proceed to formal assessment by an assessment team, which includes a minimum of one Screen NSW staff member and one external screen industry assessor.

Grant funding allocation under the program is non-competitive. This means that the assessment team will assess applications individually, without reference to the comparative merits of other applications to the program.

The assessment team will also evaluate applications against the:

• Assessment criteria
• Availability of Screen NSW funds.

The assessment team will assess and score an application on its own merits and will convene to discuss whether the application should be recommended for funding.

The assessment team will recommend successful applications to the designated decision-maker, which is the Executive Director, Screen NSW.

The designated decision-maker will review, consider, and approve successful applications based on recommendations from the assessment team.

All applicants will be informed of their application outcome via email.

Application outcomes will typically take up to 4 weeks after submission.

Successful applicants will enter into a funding agreement with Screen NSW, which will include all deliverables and acquittal requirements in addition to the process for dealing with any variations to the funded activity.

For Single Year applications, funding will be paid upon receipt of a signed funding agreement and valid tax invoice. 

For Multi-Year applications, the first year of funding will be paid upon receipt of a signed funding grant agreement and valid tax invoice., Payment for subsequent years of funding will be paid upon receipt and approval of satisfactory acquittal materials and forward plan (if required).

Screen NSW will not enter into a funding agreement with an organisation that has not acquitted any previous funding or is in breach of any funding obligations it has with Screen NSW.

Any variations to the funding agreement, including activity scope or activities, location or timeframes must be submitted in writing for approval from Screen NSW. Failure to do so may result in the withdrawal of the grant offer.

Screen NSW has the discretion to approve or reject any written variation request from a grantee where the funding agreement has already been executed.

To submit a variation request, or if you are unsure if your enquiry qualifies as a variation, please contact industry@screen.nsw.gov.au. 

After delivering the activity and before the end of the funding period, successful applicants must provide a final acquittal report detailing the outcomes of the activity. Specific acquittal materials will be identified in the funding grant agreement between Screen NSW and the successful applicant, but will typically include:

• Overview of activity
• Engagement with target participants and any NSW Government key priority areas
• Delivery locations
• NSW employment outcomes relevant to delivering the activity, including volunteers
• Budget (actuals)
• Evaluation of activity compared to identified outcomes and key performance indicators
• Marketing and publicity.

All acquittal materials and final reports must be submitted via SmartyGrants.

Failure to comply with any acquittal and reporting requirements may impact an applicant’s eligibility to apply for future Screen NSW funding.

Any conflicts of interest will be managed in accordance with the 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
• 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
• 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 via email at industry@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 as per DCITHS’s Code of Ethics and Conduct and the Guide.