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Screen NSW Production Fund

Screen NSW Production Fund

  • Production Finance Fund: up to $850,000 per production, capped at a set share of the project’s Qualifying NSW Production Expenditure (QNSWPE):
    • 10% for feature films, documentaries, commissioned online series and interactive online content
    • 5.5% for TV drama, including children’s drama
    • 15% for direct-to-audience series with budgets of $500,000 or less, and 10% for larger ones
  • Regional Filming Fund: up to 10% of spending in regional NSW, capped at $200,000, on top of Production Finance Fund support
    • The Regional Filming Fund has its own budget, which may run out before the Production Finance Fund does
  • Funding is a grant, and the producer keeps full equity ownership
  • Round 99 closes 23 November 2026
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The Screen NSW Production Fund gives Australian production companies up to $850,000 to produce or post-produce film, TV, documentary and online content in NSW, plus up to $200,000 more for filming in regional NSW. Funding is a grant, so producers keep full ownership. Round 99 closes at 5:00 pm on 23 November 2026.

The fund is run by Screen NSW. It aims to create NSW screen jobs, support Australian storytelling and grow NSW production companies. It covers feature films, TV drama and comedy, documentaries, animation, online series and interactive content, but not games.

Key Requirements

Project requirements

  • Have a total production budget under $20 million
  • Have Significant Australian Content or be an official co-production
  • Have at least one NSW-based key creative (writer, director or producer) attached
  • Be fully financed when you apply, apart from Screen NSW’s contribution and any other screen agency funding being considered at the same time
  • Be ready to go into production, with a market attachment from a recognised distributor, broadcaster or streamer that meets Screen Australia’s minimum thresholds. Direct-to-audience and interactive projects can instead show a strong alternative pathway to audiences
  • Not have started official pre-production
  • Include a contingency of at least 10% in the budget
  • Reflect diversity in the creative team

NSW spending requirements

  • NSW-based companies must have operated in NSW for at least six months before applying, and spend at least 50% of the production budget in NSW
  • Companies outside NSW must spend at least 50% in NSW if they’re co-producing with a NSW company or the project is driven by NSW creatives, or 80% otherwise
  • These thresholds don’t apply if NSW spending is at least $5 million, NSW post-production spending is at least $3 million, or all post-production is done in NSW

When rounds are competitive, NSW-based applicants or projects led by NSW creatives are usually preferred.

Regional Filming Fund requirements

  • Film on location in regional NSW for at least 10 shooting days
  • Spend at least $750,000 in regional NSW for narrative features and scripted drama, or $150,000 for documentaries, direct-to-audience and commissioned online series

Applicants must speak with a Screen NSW Investment Manager before applying. Eligible formats and required materials are listed in the Production Fund program guidelines.

What is eligible for funding?

Eligible formats include:

  • fiction and documentary feature films
  • TV drama, narrative comedy and children’s series, including miniseries
  • documentary series
  • adult and children’s animation
  • commissioned online series
  • direct-to-audience narrative, animation and documentary series
  • interactive online content, including AR, VR and XR

Post-production-only funding is available once principal photography is finished. You’ll need to submit at least an assembly edit with your application.

Regional Filming Fund spending covers below-the-line costs in regional NSW, such as location fees, travel and accommodation for cast and crew, catering, local suppliers and services, and salaries for regional cast and crew.

What isn’t funded
Student projects, reality TV, lifestyle, travel, sport, game shows, infotainment, soaps, music videos, promotional content, news, current affairs and community TV. Shorts under 60 minutes, digital games, art installations, and projects rated R18+, X18+ or Refused Classification are also excluded, as are costs incurred before applying. Projects declined twice can’t apply again.

What companies are eligible for funding?

Australian production companies that meet one of the NSW spending pathways, and NSW-based producers making official international co-productions. Applicants must own or control the rights to the project and comply with Screen NSW’s Terms of Trade.

 

Screen NSW also invites established organisations to apply for the Sector Impact Program, which funds conferences, labs and other industry development activities.

Producers developing games rather than film or TV may want to look at the Screen Australia Games Production Fund, which has separate eligibility rules.

Is this grant competitive or entitlement based?

Competitive. Your application will be assessed among other applications by a judging panel.

How can I increase my chances of winning this grant?

By engaging a professional government grant writer consultant. Avant Group is Australia’s largest independent grants advisory firm. With 70% of the score based on quality and feasibility, a well-evidenced finance plan, budget and market pathway can set your project apart. Find out more about our government grant writing and consulting service here. 

How can I get help understanding if I’m eligible for this grant? Or know if I’m likely to win funding?

Avant Group offers a no-obligation assessment of your eligibility for funding and will assess your likelihood of a successful grant application.