Apply for Scripted and Factual funding Mō ngā tono Tuhinga Totoko, Mōhiohio Pono

Given the high percentage of Factual and Scripted funding that has already been allocated in the current financial year, as previously advised, the March round is considering applications for a limited number of initiatives.

March funding round priorities:

Factual

• Applications to the Factual RFP for Pan-Asian Creatives (up to $2m) – details of the RFP can be seen here

Scripted

• The priority focus for scripted applications this round is Newer Storytellers – see our Scripted Roadmap for further detail on this funding stream.
• We have notionally allocated $1m with the intention of funding 2-3 projects. Given the limited funding available we recommend discussing potential applications with a Funding Advisor prior to submission.

Development

• Our Content Development funds have been fully expended for both supported and diverse development. Therefore, we will not be accepting any Content Development applications in this round.
• Industry Development applications will be considered as well as new Cultural Sector Capability Funding applications

Please note: The shortlisted applications to the Te Māngai Pāho Co-Fund will also be considered in this round. Only applications that have been advised they have been shortlisted can submit a full proposal in this round. All eligible applications should be submitted via Te Māngai Pāho’s online application portal Te Pūahatanga.

Important dates

15 December 2020, 4pm - Funding round opens.

14 January 2021, 4pm - Application deadline. Round closes.

3 March 2021 - Applicants notified. This date may be extended at NZ On Air's sole discretion.

To capitalise on New Zealand’s current production advantage and support the sector with employment opportunities, the Premium Fund / Te Puna Kairangi will have up to $50,000,000 available to invest. This is a significant one-off opportunity to drive a step-change for the sector by allowing production at a scale and ambition not previously possible.

Read the full announcement from Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Hon Carmel Sepuloni about the Premium Productions for International Audiences Fund here.

There will two rounds of production funding decisions, the first available for submission in the 2020/2021 financial year and with the second before the end of the 2021/2022 financial year.

The first round is intended to provide financial support to production ready projects to help mitigate impacts of COVID-19 for New Zealand production companies in the short term.

The second round will be for projects with longer production lead times and additional guidelines for this, if necessary, will be published closer to the time.

The amount of funding available for any one round of production financing is flexible.

The NZFC will be responsible for administering the Premium Fund / Te Puna Kairangi, and all applications must be made through the NZFC’s online portal. The portal can be accessed through the funding page on NZFC’s website.

The deadline for applications for the first round of production financing is 1pm, 17th February 2021

The NZ On Air 2020 Diversity Report found a consistent under-representation of Asian creatives in core creative production roles. In this financial year, NZ On Air has earmarked up to $2m of contestable funding to support the creation of Factual content by Pan-Asian led teams.

We are seeking proposals of up to $600k per application for high-quality Factual productions, with free-to-air outcomes as well as the potential for the film festival circuit. Proposals for Factual series or one-off shorter-form Factual content may also apply.

The Assessment process for this RFP will be carried out in collaboration with the Pan-Asian Screen Collective (PASC). Pan-Asian stories and experiences are encouraged just as much as proposals featuring Pan-Asian perspectives on other/broader issues.

A limit of two applications per production company/team will be accepted for assessment.

Authenticity of the storytelling perspective will be a priority in the assessment process. Two of the three key creatives (producer, director and writer) must be Pan-Asian. In cases where the producer or production company of a proposal are not Pan-Asian, demonstration of meaningful collaboration with the creative team will be expected (i.e. how the partnership came together, nature of the collaboration, potential sharing of Intellectual Property ownership).

Proposals that factor in capacity building and talent development amongst a diverse range of practitioners on your production will be viewed favourably. Proposals should also include a cultural strategy document detailing what principles and processes you intend to have in place to ensure authentic and inclusive representation (where relevant) in front of and behind the camera.

Important dates

10 December 2020 - Funding round opens.

All applications must be made through NZ On Air’s online application system. Applications not submitted through this system will not be accepted. You must submit a request to register with our online system well in advance of the application deadline day.

14 January 2021, 4pm - Application deadline. Round closes.

Late applications will not be considered. In very exceptional circumstances, for time-sensitive projects agreed prior by the Head of Funding, we may consider an out of time application. But we won’t be generous.

3 March 2021 - Decisions confirmed, applicants notified the following day.

This date may be extended at NZ On Air’s sole discretion.

This RFP seeks Scripted and Factual proposals made for diverse digital platforms including linear television, OnDemand and online viewing.

We expect the investments in this round to provide audiences with diverse Māori perspectives and original, new and engaging content.

The funding round will include a two-stage assessment process to make it easier for producers and allow them to put ideas forward without having to spend a significant amount of time creating full proposals.

Production companies may submit up to a maximum number of three proposals in order to manage demands on the fund. We want your best ideas.

Important dates

5 Oct 2020 - RFP Published

17 Nov 2020, 5 pm - Deadline for 1 – 3 page(s) pitch submitted via Te Māngai Pāho’s online application portal Te Pūahatanga

30 Nov 2020 - Shortlist confirmed with shortlisted projects being invited to submit full proposals. Unsuccessful projects also notified.

15 Jan 2021 - Deadline for full proposals submitted via Te Māngai Pāho’s online application portal Te Pūahatanga

16 Feb 2021 - Recommendations to our respective Boards and Decision Letters distributed.

Overview

In an environment where there are more applications than available funding, we want to show you how to submit an application and how it will be assessed. More specific information is published prior to each round about the applications we are seeking.NZ On Air’s funding strategy is founded on core public media principles.These include enriching the New Zealand cultural experience, improving diversity of media content in many forms, ensuring content is accessible, strengthening community life, and promoting informed debate.The resource below walks you through:

• Applying online
• General expectations of production applications
• Qualifying platforms
• Business case expectations such as co-investment
• The different levels of application requirements depending on the level of funding requested
• Applying for development funding
• How we assess proposals
• The fine print.

This guidance sets out NZ On Air’s approach to funding the production of podcasts.

With increasing interest in this content format, this policy is intended to help podcast producers determine whether to apply for production funding.

Overview

All applications to the NZ Media Fund must be able to confirm the platform where the content will appear.
This maximises the likelihood of funded content being completed and found by an audience.

NZ On Air’s funding strategy is founded on core public media principles.

These include enriching the New Zealand cultural experience, improving diversity of media content in many forms, ensuring content is accessible, strengthening community life, and promoting informed debate.

For more detail on the strategy which underpins the NZ Media Fund please read the Funding Strategy.

We also issue specific information for each round and guidelines to assist funding applicants.

The resource below walks you through what you will need to consider such as:

• Your financial contribution to the budget
• Free availability of the content
• Confirming support for a project
• Providing audience data
• Fine print

Overview

Development funding is for researching or writing scripts or treatments.
We mostly contribute to drama; and occasionally to documentary development.

To extend the range of scripted drama and comedy development projects we now offer a pathway for a limited number of eligible projects to access first-stage development funding without the support of a platform.

To apply for development funding you must first register as an applicant with our online application system which you can do here.

Once you're registered you can manage your applications through your personal dashboard, nominate supporting platforms and update your business information.

Overview

Your content proposal is your pitch where you describe and define the content you want to make, how and who will make it, and how you plan to reach your intended audience.

You do not need to follow this structure directly but you should address the aspects relevant to your application.

As a general rule, the higher the level of funding requested the more developed and detailed we will require your application to be.

That said, less is often best. Be clear and succinct - there are no prizes for applications with the most pages.

Make sure you refer to the round information that we will issue for each funding round.

The resource below walks you through what you will need to consider such as:

• The quality of the idea
• The platform your content will be on
• How the content will be promoted
• Budget
• Measuring success
• How the proposal meets NZ On Air's goals.

Overview

This document clarifies NZ On Air’s expectations around acceptable budget/line-items for funded projects. It should be read in conjunction with the advice given in our resources for producers, particularly the contract initiation form and the producers and cost reporting documents.

This document will be reviewed and updated regularly, so please do refer to it when preparing your application budgets.

NZ On Air tries to limit the number of rules we have around acceptable budget/line-items, as we accept that every project has its own unique situation. However there are some line items we will not accept within any funded budget. There are also some specific expectations around how certain line items should be treated.

NZ On Air’s role is to provide a production subsidy for content creation, not provide a means for commissioning platforms to defray content acquisition expenses.

Overview

As there will be more applications than available funding, assessment stages are tiered so that ultimately the most work and resources are spent on the applications with the most likelihood of success.

We will assess proposals using the nine investment principles set out on page 11 of the NZ Media Fund.

These investment principles allow us to assess the business case for each application alongside the application’s cultural case and how it contributes to NZ On Air’s three funding goals:

• Quality content: New Zealand audiences enjoy well-made local content that matters.
• Diverse content: New Zealand audiences value local content made for a range of communities.
• Discoverable content: New Zealand audiences can find and appreciate local content.

The resource below walks you through each step of the process. It covers:

• Preliminary step - confirm eligibility
• Stage 1 Assessment- groups of individual assessors assess applications while considering the nine investment principles
• Stage 2 Assessment - funding recommendations are prepared
• Stage 3 - Decisions by the Staff Investment Committee or the Board.

Overview

This funding assessment exemplar sets out the criteria we use to assess individual applications.

Download the exemplar to see the criteria we will use to assess your application.