This fund is now closed.
If you have applied for the fund, we aim to notify you of the outcome of your application by 29 May 2020.
The vision of FAN is to build a wider, more diverse cinema audience with a richer appreciation of British and international film.
As of 20 March 2020, the achievement of these aims has been put at risk due to the Government directive to close cinemas, cultural venues and other places of gathering across the UK which, along with the mass cancellation of film festivals, has severely impacted on the ability of FAN members to deliver this brief.
Whilst audiences are at the heart of everything FAN does, its ability to reach those audiences in a collective setting is entirely dependent on the sustainability of the cinemas, festivals and other organisations that make up the Film Audience Network.
We do not know how long venues will remain closed but once they are able to open their doors again, it will be vital that buildings are still fit for purpose, core cultural assets have been retained and that they can benefit from a continued connection with the local communities that support them during the period of closure. For cultural organisations that do not operate from a publicly accessible venue the challenges may differ, but are still significant, and FAN will seek to alleviate pressure on its members in some way during this time of extreme difficulty.
The BFI FAN Covid-19 Resilience Fund has been launched with the intention of helping FAN members to maintain connections with audiences during the closure period and to be in a position to reopen and re-engage those audiences once the crisis has passed.
In the first instance please read the application guidelines for the fund. If you have any questions about your eligibility to apply please contact us at filmhubse@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk.
Once you have read through the guidelines please download and fill out an application form and cash-flow budget form.
Once completed, please email them to filmhubse@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk
The deadline for applications to the Fund was 6pm on Wednesday 6 May 2020.
Who is this fund for?
It is for BFI FAN members seeking access to resilience support during the Covid-19 lockdown period – starting on 20 March 2020.
What can the funding be used for?
The purpose of this Fund is to support activity that will help FAN member organisations respond to the financial impact of the Covid-19 emergency. This might include:
- Helping to maintain FAN member’s estate – buildings and other infrastructure such as IT – so that it is fit for purpose and ready for use once venues can re-open e.g. through assistance with rent, utilities, insurance and maintenance costs etc
- Retaining cultural or intellectual assets such as staff that cannot be furloughed (e.g. leadership staff) or who are able to work on the organisation’s longer term sustainability e.g. through fundraising, audience engagement programmes etc
- Offering short term support to meet irrecoverable costs incurred in planning or delivery of programmes that are now suspended
- Audience engagement activity (including online) during the period of closure that will enhance Members’ ability to connect with its audiences and continue to contribute to FAN aims
Eligibility
Applicants must be FAN members that can demonstrate:
(i) Prior to 20 March 2020 a track record of substantive audience facing activity in line with BFI FAN priorities; AND
(ii) Immediate financial need;
Organisations that have been awarded BFI Audience Fund ‘Organisational Awards’ for 2020/21 are not eligible to apply even if they meet the above criteria.
How much funding is available?
The total amount available is up to £1.3m. The BFI FAN Covid-19 Resilience Fund repurposes National Lottery funding originally allocated to each Hub for the purposes of supporting in-venue and other audience facing film activity over the next 6 to 9 months. Each Hub will therefore have a different amount of funding available within this overall total to offer in support of its Members.
Whilst the criteria and guidelines outlined below will apply across FAN, each Hub will have its own needs to meet and we expect this Fund to be heavily over-subscribed. As such it is estimated that the average grant per organisation will be in the range of £5,000 to £15,000 and that grants over £20,000 will be exceptional. Grants must be used within 6 months of being offered or otherwise should be repaid.
There are no formal match funding requirements for this Fund but we will expect to see clear evidence that you are actively seeking support from other appropriate sources.
How to apply
This fund is now closed.
If you have applied for the fund, we aim to notify you of the outcome of your application by 29 May 2020.
In the first instance please read the application guidelines for the fund. If you have any questions about your eligibility to apply please contact us at filmhubse@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk.
Once you have read through the guidelines please download and fill out an application form and cash-flow budget form.
Once completed, please email them to filmhubse@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk
What happens next?
We will assess your submission alongside all other applications received. We will contact you to discuss outstanding issues prior to sharing our recommendations with the BFI who will look at all proposals in order to ensure a broad consistency of approach across FAN.
Please note, in some instances, we may share your application documents with external specialist advisors in order to ensure a speedy response and accurate evaluation of your position. This will be done on a strictly confidential basis.
We will aim to notify you of the outcome of your application within 3 weeks of the submission deadline – this might be delayed if there are complexities or outstanding questions associated with your request.