BFI NETWORK England Early Development Fund: Funding for Emerging Screenwriters

The BFI NETWORK England Early Development Fund is offering aspiring screenwriters an opportunity to develop their original feature film or immersive fiction ideas with financial support from National Lottery funding. The fund is designed to help early-career writers turn promising concepts into strong project treatments and take the next step towards a debut long-form screen project.

The first stage offers grants of £3,000 to £5,000 to help writers create a treatment outlining their story, characters, themes and structure, alongside supporting materials such as mood boards or visual presentations. Successful applicants who complete the first stage may also apply for further funding of £8,000 to £12,500 to develop a first draft of their screenplay or equivalent immersive project.

To be eligible, applicants must be based in England, aged over 18 and not in full-time education. They must also have a writing credit for at least one produced work in television, documentary, theatre, immersive media, short film or long-form literature that has received industry recognition. Applicants must meet additional eligibility criteria relating to previous long-form projects and BFI funding.

The fund supports original live-action, animated and immersive fiction projects intended as standalone long-form works. Feature film projects must be at least 70 minutes long, and applicants should not already have a completed treatment or draft screenplay for their proposed project. Applications can be submitted with or without a producer.

Applications for the current funding round opened on 7 October 2026 and close at 11am on Wednesday, 11 November 2026. Writers interested in developing an original idea can review the full eligibility requirements and application guidance on the official BFI NETWORK England Early Development Fund website.