Travel Grant Fund Application Guidelines 2026

Making an application for Travel Grant funding

This guide gives you advice and recommendations on how make an application for a Travel Grant for:

• Short filmmakers or feature film producers attending film festivals
• XR creatives attending festivals and showcases
• Producers attending co-production forums
• Filmmakers attending development labs

Contents

1. Fund overview

2. Delivering against the BFI’s National Lottery Strategy

3. Check if you are eligible

4. What can I apply for?

5. Making an application

6. What happens after you apply?

7. Terms and Conditions

1. Fund Overview

The British Council offers early to mid-career filmmakers, and creatives producing XR (including virtual reality, immersive storytelling experiences and installations) the opportunity to apply for Travel Grant funding. This can be used to attend key international film festivals and showcases, training / development and co-production events (referred to collectively as ‘events’ throughout these guidelines). The purpose of this funding is to enable filmmakers to represent their work abroad, develop new contacts and networks, reach new audiences, and increase the exposure of new and emerging UK films and film talent internationally. The British Council’s Film department manages the applications process for these Travel Grants.

*If you have received funds from the UK Global Screen Fund Festival Launch Support, a second grant is available for a separate international event from the Travel Grant Fund. If you have not received funds from the UK Global Screen Fund Festival Launch Support, you can apply for up to two grants from the Travel Grant Fund.

Grants are designed as a contribution towards travel and accommodation costs, participant fees for labs, training and co-pro forums, and XR showcasing. Grants will rarely cover the full cost of attendance and are subject to available funds.

Additional bursaries are available upon application to support costs associated with:

• Access Support
• Green Travel: International Travel Overland

Successful applicants attending European festivals and events can expect a smaller grant than those attending events which require a long-haul journey.

The eligible festivals and events are detailed in two Key Lists:

• Key List: Festivals and Showcases
• Key List: Labs and Co-production Forums

Each list is divided into categories A-B, where category A events are prioritised, and category B events are subject to availability of funding (‘the Events’). A small amount of funding is available for discretionary grants for events not on the key lists. Your project must be able to evidence being in official selection at events on the Key List. See sections 3 and 4 for more detail on eligibility requirements.

Once you have read these guidelines in their entirety, please submit your application on the Travel Grant Fund webpage

The UK Global Screen Fund offers alternative funding opportunities for the sales and distribution of UK feature films in international territories. This includes Festival Launch Support for feature films that have been invited to have their World, International, North American or European premiere in an official category/competition at key A-list festivals.

Find out more about the UK Global Screen Fund

2. Delivering against the BFI's National Lottery Strategy

Aims of Funding

Travel Grants are supported by the British Council and through BFI National Lottery funding.

We consider the following six priorities drawn from the BFI National Lottery Strategy 2023-26 when reviewing our Key Lists, which happens every six months, and how we support filmmakers to attend Events:

1.Equity, diversity and inclusion: people from under-represented groups across the UK access the support they need to develop their careers and skills.

2. Impact and audience: people across the UK access a wider choice of film and the moving image, including stories that reflect their lives.

3. Talent development and progression: creative talent is supported and nurtured, as they emerge and throughout their careers and more people understand how to express their creativity through stories on screen.

4. Creative risk: people are better enabled to innovate and experiment creatively; a wider range of stories on screen are told that otherwise would not be.

5. UK-wide: everyone across the UK should be able to experience and create the widest range of screen culture. They should feel the benefits from the screen sector in terms of jobs and growth too.

6. Environmental sustainability: screen organisations significantly reduce their carbon footprint.

How We Will Measure Success

We will measure the success of the Travel Grant Fund using the following Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

Number of grants awarded per year: 200

Turnaround time: from submission of an eligible application to first payment being made (providing contract has been signed without delay) – 45 days

Minimum number of access bursaries awarded per year: 15

UK-wide activity to promote the fund to filmmakers, in partnership with BFI NETWORK and other sector partners.

Equity, diversity and inclusion

While we cannot influence the UK work that is selected at Events, we regularly assess data and feedback from all Events on our list, to ensure their programming and industry offerings are supportive, inclusive and representative, in line with the focus areas of the BFI Diversity Standards.

We prioritise Events that:

• specifically focus on filmmakers/creatives with protected characteristics including Black and LGBTQIA+ voices, and disabled filmmakers/creatives. We recognise the value to filmmakers/creatives of showing work in safe, supportive spaces.
• maximise sales, career development and international opportunities for under-represented filmmakers/creatives.
• offer a broad global perspective on career development and networking opportunities.
• The diversity of applicants receiving a Travel Grant will be monitored against the BFI inclusion targets.

3. Check if you are eligible

The Travel Grant Fund can support the following individuals to attend eligible festivals and events:

Short Film Festival Grants

• new/emerging writers or directors (those who have yet to have a feature film produced and distributed in the UK)

• producers of any experience level

Feature Film Festival Grants

• lead producers

Interactive/immersive/XR Grants

• XR creatives

Lab Grants

• XR creatives

and those working on a feature film, including:

• producers
• writers
• directors

Co-Production (‘co-pro’) Forum Grants

• producers with feature projects
• producers with XR projects

To apply, you must meet all of the following basic eligibility criteria:

• Age/Residency: Over 18 and a UK resident or citizen
• Project Type: Must be a short film, feature film or XR project that is an official UK production or co-production, and is listed as such in the Event programme
• Invitation: You must have been invited to an event on the "Key Lists" or be seeking a Discretionary Grant for an unlisted major event
• Official Selection: Your project must appear in an official selection category at an eligible Event. Sidebar programmes and retrospective programmes do not qualify.
• Timeline: You must apply at least 2 weeks before the event starts
• Short Films: Must be new films under 60 minutes
• Feature Films: Budget must be £15M or less; project completed within the last 12 months or currently in production

Number of grants available

• Only one application per project per event

You cannot receive more than:

• two separate grants per short film
• two grants per feature film (or one if you have been a recipient of the UK Global Screen Fund Festival Launch Support for the same project)

You cannot receive more than

• one Large XR grant for an XR project or more than two separate standard travel grants. If you have received a Large XR Grant you can only receive one additional separate standard travel grant.
• One Lab grant per filmmaker or project
• Up to two Co-Production Forum grants for producers

We will give priority to feature, lab, co-pro forum and XR grants to filmmakers/ creatives and projects who have not previously received a British Council Travel Grant.

Please note that applications for participation at IFFR Pro and Creators Labs at International Film Festival Rotterdam specifically must be submitted through our open call in October. The British Council is a nominating partner for UK participants at IFFR Pro.

4. What you can use Travel Grants funding for

If you’re registered for VAT, your figures should not include VAT that you can claim back. If you’re not registered for VAT, or you’re registered for VAT but cannot fully recover the VAT you incur on costs, your figures should include irrecoverable VAT. Grants we make are ‘outside the scope’ of VAT and should be listed in your accounts as a grant and not, for example, as a fee for any services supplied to the British Council. You should get financial advice from your own accountant or the relevant tax office.

Environmental Sustainability and Green Travel Grants

All filmmakers/creatives applying for a Travel Grant need to plan their travel with the environment and the climate crisis in mind. We encourage filmmakers to consider sustainable travel options where possible. If you are able to travel to an Event over land or sea - by rail, car, boat etc - please let us know in your application (there is a specific question dedicated to this in the application form).

Standard travel grants can be supplemented with an additional Green Travel Bursary to support additional costs, which will range between £150-£350.

We offer guidance through our Greener Travel Guide (developed in consultation with Julie’s Bicycle) to best help filmmakers to make informed and responsible choices for greener methods of travel and to highlight the role of film festivals in being accountable and proactive cultural leaders in sustainability.

Access Support and Bursaries

We can help if you need support to make an application, or if you have specific access needs to participate in your Event.

Application support

We are committed to making our funding accessible to all. We can help if you need support to make an application.

For example you can ask for:

• our funding guidelines in other formats, like large print or audio
• support to understand these guidelines
• support to complete an application form

You can find an audio version of our guidelines and key information under each fund.

Access bursaries

If you have access requirements associated with attending an Event, you can apply for additional funding to cover costs such as:

• Travel with a BSL interpreter or access worker
• Any other costs directly associated with your access requirements as a disabled filmmaker

Please share your individual access requirements in the application form.

Caring responsibilities

If you have caring responsibilities that would prevent you from attending an event without additional support, you may be eligible for a bursary contribution. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis and is available to sole carers.

If applying for childcare support, please explain why you would be unable to attend without it. Please note that childcare costs are classified as a taxable benefit by HMRC. While we can contribute to these costs, you are responsible for reporting this benefit in your tax return.

Discretionary Support

In exceptional circumstances, there is a limited amount of funding set aside to support travel to selected events not currently appearing on either Key List (‘Discretionary Grants’). This includes international travel to the Oscars award ceremony (for short films only) where a filmmaker has a work that has been nominated, as well as festivals, labs or forums not currently on the Key Lists. Professional development and potential for exposure on the international stage are key factors we take into account when considering whether to make someone a Discretionary Grant.

Priority is also given to significant festivals and showcases in the Global South and regions that are currently less well represented by the key lists.

All discretionary granting is subject to assessment criteria and eligibility checks. With every discretionary grant offer, we require a written report from the grantee to share their experience of the event.

If you would like to enquire about a discretionary grant, please contact films@britishcouncil.org

5. Making an Application

Applications for the Travel Grant Fund are accepted on a rolling basis year roundyear-round, subject to available funds.

To ensure that we can assess your application in advance of the Event taking place, it is important that you apply as soon as you receive your Event invitation. Applications must be received no less than 2 weeks prior to the Event start date. Applications made within 2 weeks or after an Event has started will not be considered.

Applicants will be required to complete an online application form and provide evidence of an invitation to the Event.

Applications can be made by a director, producer or writer of the project depending on the requirements of each funding strand as detailed in section one. Within the application form you will be asked to confirm that you are eligible for funding and to include:

• Project details where travel is to attend a screening of a film or XR work (key personnel, synopsis, technical information, cast etc)
• Your contact details
• A CV/Filmography of all individuals benefitting from the grant
• Details of the event you have been invited to attend
• An explanation as to why you want to attend and why you need public funding to enable your attendance
• A breakdown of the costs of attendance (confirming how much you wish to be covered by the Travel Grant and how much is being met by other means including the festival or event)

Following your application, you must provide written evidence of acceptance into the Event by sending your invitation to films@britishcouncil.org

Equality Monitoring

All Travel Grant Applicants are required to complete an Equality Monitoring Form when submitting an application. The Equality Monitoring Form is anonymous and, on receipt, will be processed separately from your application. The data is managed confidentially and processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act, is not personally attributable and has no bearing on your application or decision-making on grant offers. The data we receive from Equality Monitoring Forms is aggregated to provide Fund-level Inclusion Data.

Submission:

6. What happens after you apply?

Even where standard grant applications meet all eligibility criteria, grant offers remain subject to the availability of the fund. Grants cannot be guaranteed, but we strive to make offers of funding to all eligible applications for Events on our Key Lists.

We assess all Standard Grant applications within 2 weeks and will notify you by email within this time whether your application has been successful or if it is ineligible for funding.

If your application is eligible but there is a mistake, or we need more information before making a decision, we will contact you by email to resolve this within 2 weeks.

Please get in touch with the team for enquiries about events not on the key list films@britishcouncil.org. Discretionary funds are not guaranteed and invitations to apply are subject to available funds.

7. Terms and Conditions

When you submit your application you are also confirming your acceptance of the following Terms and Conditions.

1. Travel Insurance - You will be responsible for obtaining and paying for your own travel insurance for the Event.

2. Publicity - This Travel Grant programme is made possible through the British Council and National Lottery funding. We will publish the names of all successful applicants including on the British Council and BFI’s websites. When selection of applicants is announced for Events we may publish your name(s) and possibly brief biographies. By accepting an offer, you will be acknowledging that you are providing British Council and the BFI with permission to do this. Once the announcement has been made, we ask that you and all other successful applicants warmly and energetically find ways of acknowledging this support from the National Lottery. You will be required to take frequent opportunities to highlight not just the fact of the Travel Grant but also the good work that is possible through National Lottery.

3. Refunding grants - If you withdraw from attending the Event, you will on request refund to British Council any funding already advanced.

4. Behaviours - The British Council acting reasonably and at its sole discretion will be entitled to terminate the offer of funding and require reimbursement of the costs of your participation if for any reason your behaviour falls below the standards reasonably expected of a professional in the industry or if it brings the National Lottery, the Event organisers and/or British Council or BFI or our programmes into disrepute. The British Council and BFI have Anti-Bullying, Harassment and Racism guidelines and principles in place, and are committed to providing a safe, welcoming, accessible and inclusive work environment for all National Lottery recipients, partners, organisers and staff, in-person and online. Our expectation is that every applicant to this programme, as well as every member of the BFI and British Council teams, will behave in a respectful, responsible and reasonable way towards colleagues. Any kind of discrimination, abuse, harassment, harmful behaviour or bullying, including use of offensive or discriminatory language, intimidating behaviour, or micro-aggressions has no place on our programmes and anyone not observing these principles will have their offer of funding withdrawn.

5. Evaluation - After the Event, you may be required to participate in an evaluation of this Travel Grant programme and may be contacted by British Council or the BFI one or more times in the three year period after the event

6. Personal Injury - The British Council shall not be liable to you for any personal injury, illness, disease, ailment or your death arising out of, or in the course of, your participation in the Event (including whether due to COVID-19 or otherwise), except to the extent the same was due to the negligence of the British Council or to the extent that such exemption from liability may be unlawful by statute. You accept your participation in the Event with full and complete knowledge of the currently known and potential risks involved (whether or not those risks are set out in this Offer).

7. Travel Guidance - You will keep up-to-date with all relevant legislation and government guidance and advice relating to travel within the country hosting the Event and will comply with all such guidance and advice.

8. Reputational Risk - The British CounciI will not support applications from an applicant which acts in a way or holds business connections (or receives funding from a third party which undertakes activities or holds business connections) which damage or which could reasonably be expected to damage the reputation of the British Council or the funding programme or the National Lottery .

9. Freedom of Information - The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives members of the public the right to request certain information held by the British Council. This includes information held in relation to applications to the British Council’s National Lottery funding programmes and other schemes. Therefore, if you choose to apply to the British Council, you should be aware that the information you supply, either in whole or in part, may be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act.

10. Data Protection - Part or all of the information you give us will be held on an internal grants management system for the administration of applications and awards. We may also use this information for the evaluation of our programmes. We may provide copies of the information in confidence to further individuals or organisations who are helping us assess applications or monitor funding or to our auditors or the National Audit Office. We may be required to disclose information by the operation of UK law. We may use a credit reference agency to validate information you have provided in your application. This is not a credit check and will not affect your ability to receive credit from other organisations. The credit reference agency we use may keep a record of the information and may disclose the fact that a search of its records was made to its other clients, in order to stop fraud. By submitting an application, you are providing your informed consent (permission) for the British Council to run such an identity verification check, including its access, use and storage. If you have knowingly provided false or inaccurate information to us at any point, we may provide details to fraud prevention agencies. Part, or all, of the information you give us will be held on an internal grants management system for the administration of applications and awards. We may also use this information for the evaluation of our funds. We may provide copies of the information in confidence to further individuals or organisations who are helping us assess applications including the BFI, directly managing British Council programmes or monitoring funding.

11. Conflict of Interest - To ensure that measures can be introduced to prevent a conflict of interest arising between those assessing an application and the applicant, the British Council is required to identify all relevant financial or personal interests that may exist between applicants and British Council Trustees, advisory panels, partners or employees. The Conflict of Interest covers the interests of themselves, their partner, a close family member or a person with whom they have a close personal relationship, whether or not living in the same household.

12. Complaints and Appeals - Inevitably applications will be turned down and applicants may be disappointed by this result. Formal appeals against the final decision will not be considered unless the applicant has good cause to believe that the procedures for processing the application were not adhered to, or applied in such a way as to prejudice the outcome of the application.

13. Monitoring and Evaluation - The British Council takes an evidence-based approach to distributing funds and we monitor delivery and impact to make sure our funding is working as hard as possible. All applicants, regardless of the outcome of your application, may be asked to participate in evaluation conducted by us or on our behalf while the programme is open and for a reasonable time after it closes. We will conduct and publish evaluations of programmes which, if you are successful in your application, may include project details and summary information from reports provided to us by you.

14. ID Checks - We may use a credit reference agency to validate information you have provided in your application including an identity check on the people named in your application. This is not a credit check and will not affect the ability of those checked to receive credit from other organisations. The credit reference agency we use may keep a record of the information, and may disclose the fact that a search of its records was made to its other clients, in order to stop fraud. By submitting this application, you are providing your informed consent (permission) for the British Council to run such an identity verification check on the people named in your application, including its access, use and storage. If you have knowingly provided false or inaccurate information to us at any point, we may provide details to fraud prevention agencies. If you are a company this will include the names of the Company Directors at the time of the fraud. You must undertake to inform all Directors, Trustees and Committee members of this notice.