Awarding National Lottery funding to support the early research and development of feature length film projects by UK documentary makers.
This Fund will open twice a year
ROUND 1 - Opens at 1PM on Wednesday 24th June, | Closes at 1PM on Wednesday 5th August
ROUND 2
| Opens at 1pm Monday 9th November | Closes at 1pm on Monday 21st December
BFI Doc Society Fund – RAD Fund (Research and Development)
Doc Society is the delegate partner for the distribution of the BFI National Lottery funds for documentaries and non-fiction immersive work via the BFI Doc Society Fund.
Through our dedicated funds, we can fund several stages of a feature project, making a new award at each stage:
Development
Production Fund, supporting:
- Production
- Completion
We only fund a project once per stage from research and development through to completion. The total Doc Society contribution to your project cannot exceed £150,000, and any previous BFI Doc Society Fund support for your project does not factor into the decision-making process of a later application.
What We Support - RAD Fund
We fund independent non-fiction films by UK filmmakers, focusing on ambitious director-led storytelling intended for theatrical release.
The RAD Fund supports first and second time feature documentary makers in the earliest stages of a project’s development, when they are identifying sources, contributors or testing creative methods or devices that will make up the film.
You can apply for funding to
- research the subject matter of your film
- investigate creative methods of telling your story
- spend time working on a compelling treatment
- film test footage of your contributors or story setting
- pay for collaborators to develop your idea with you, including writers, directors, producers and editors’ fees
- secure contributors’ agreements to being filmed
- cost out a proposed production
- secure access to archive footage or other third party contributions to the film
Who can apply
Producers and directors can apply for a grant between £3,000 and £5,000.
You can apply as an individual filmmaker, as a team, or through a company registered in the UK. Further details on eligibility and what the funding can be used for can be found in the guidelines.
How to apply
You can apply online once you’ve read the funding guidelines in full.
The BFI Doc Society Development Fund (open) — read the The BFI Doc Society Development funding guidelines
Application Documents
RAD Fund Application Form Preview
RAD Fund Guidelines
RAD Fund Application Form Preview
RAD Fund Guidelines
BFI Cultural Test for film
You do not need to apply for British certification at application stage
Join our Features RAD & Development Fund Webinar
On Tuesday 30th June at 11am (UK time) we will host a BFI Doc Society Features RAD & Development Funds webinar. We will talk through the fund overviews and guidelines, followed by an opportunity to ask any questions you have about the funds.
Please sign up to the webinar here.
The webinar will last a maximum of 1 hour. This event will have live BSL interpretation.
Get help with your application
We are committed to making our funding accessible to all. You can get help if you need support to apply for funding.
British Sign Language and audio
Introduction to the BFI Doc Society Fund for feature films in British Sign Language and audio.
Coming soon
About BFI National Lottery funding
Since the very first National Lottery draw in 1994, more than £50 billion for good causes has been raised directly through National Lottery ticket sales, funding more than 700,000 projects. As a recipient of National Lottery funding, it is important to publicly acknowledge the source of this funding ensuring that those engaging with your work recognise the value and benefit of this unique Good Cause funding.
If your application is successful, you will be responsible for prominently crediting BFI National Lottery funding and thanking National Lottery players. To communicate this message, you should ensure that the elements of your project which have the potential to engage a broad public audience are capitalised on. More details will be supplied once an award has been made
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