VIC Regional Location Assistance Fund (RLAF)

VIC Regional Location Assistance Fund (RLAF)

The Regional Location Assistance Fund (RLAF) offers subsidies to encourage Victorian, interstate, and international film and television productions to choose regional locations within Victoria for their production activities.

Key Requirements

The RLAF aims to achieve the following objectives:

  • Attract production activity to regional Victoria
  • Increase business and employment prospects for regionally based companies and residents.
  • Showcase regional Victorian locations to audiences beyond the borders of Victoria.

The RLAF is seeking screen projects that will increase filming activity and employment in regional Victoria. Productions must allocate a minimum of AU$100,000 towards Qualifying Regional Victorian Expenditure and ensure crew accommodation in the regional location for a minimum of five nights. Furthermore, projects must demonstrate genuine marketplace interest for commercial release or distribution and engage screen industry practitioners who are residents of Victoria.

What is eligible for funding?

To be eligible for support, projects must meet the following criteria:

  • Project types: The project must fall under one of these categories: Fiction (feature film, telemovie, mini-series, pilot, or series), Documentary (feature film, television one-off, or series), or Light entertainment series (including reality or lifestyle programs) that prominently feature regional Victorian locations, culture, and lifestyle, with the potential to boost the visitor economy.
  • Regional Victorian locations: Production teams must utilise regional Victorian locations for a minimum of five days during principal photography, with most of the cast and crew being accommodated near the filming location.
  • Minimum qualifying expenditure: Projects must demonstrate a minimum qualifying expenditure of $100,000 in regional Victoria for approved elements.
  • Market interest: There must be genuine marketplace interest in the commercial release or distribution of the project.
  • Budget compliance: The budget should incorporate, at the very least, the minimum Australian industry award rates for industry practitioners involved in Victorian work.

What can you secure funding for?

  • The RLAF grant amount is determined as a percentage of Qualifying Regional Victorian Expenditure on the project, encompassing payments to regional Victorian residents or companies for goods or services, salaries (adjusted for the period of regional filming) and other expenses incurred by regional Victorian residents during activities close to their regional residence, fees for production and other services provided by regional Victorian companies, and per diems, accommodation, and associated living-away-from-home costs borne by the production company.
  • It’s important to note that if an RLAF grant is included in the project’s financing plan, it must be integrated into the cash flow since it is not disbursed in full until the final delivery stage.

What companies are eligible for funding?

A production company or studio engaged in the production of an eligible project in regional Victoria may qualify for support under this program. Regionally-based production companies engaged in filming within regional Victoria, provided they meet all the specified criteria, may also be eligible for support. Assessment of eligibility will be conducted on a case-by-case basis.

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 an accredited government grants consultant, such as Avant Group.

Competitive grants often require significant business case development and project analysis to support the application, this may include detailed presentations supporting the project’s merit, projected sales, cost-benefit analysis and more.

As part of your engagement with Avant Group, your account manager will assess the required documents and will provide the following as needed to support your grant submission.

Grant application writeup including a detailed presentation illustrating how the grant funding will contribute to your project, how the funding will contribute to the project’s budget, a project milestone plan, delivery timeline, impact on employment if applicable and a breakdown of the management and leadership team for the project

  • Industry analysis presentation
  • Competitor Analysis Presentation
  • Marketing and Sales Analysis Presentation
  • 3-5 year Cashflow Forecast
  • 3-5 year Balance Sheet Forecast
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis of Grant Funding
  • End-to-end grant application including information collating, analysis and application writing
  • CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) cost-benefit analysis
  • Stakeholder relations and Risk Mitigation Plans
  • Any other relevant forecasting that will support your application

How can I get help with my application? 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.