Creative Enterprise is a scheme to help England’s creative businesses become more sustainable. Rather than working project to project, which isn’t a reliable way to earn money or retain employees, we want to help you start a business or to keep your current business active with the potential to grow.
Applications now open
New Ideas Fund
Creative England is able to offer small seed funding to sole traders, start-ups and small businesses for their creative business ideas. Our previous investment schemes have been aimed at established companies but we want to change that with our New Ideas Fund. We want to find untapped talent and fund new ideas.
What is the fund?
Through BFI-Lottery funding, we are able to offer investments between £500 and £15,000 for emerging and new screen based storytelling business proposals. Newer companies and proposals looking for lower amounts are likely to receive grants whilst higher-value proposals and more established companies are likely to be offered loans. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Who is it for?
- Screen based storytelling businesses in the English regions.
- Your idea must be for a screen based industry; i.e. film, television, animation, games, immersive media or tech that supports these industries.
It is not for:
- Companies working in corporate video or advertising, e-learning or training (unless you want to start a screen based storytelling arm.)
- Charities, non-profits or CICs (unless you want to set up a corporate arm relevant to the screen based industries.)
For more information on who can and cannot apply, please read our Guidelines.
What can I use the money for?
The fund is to help you with business costs, improve your offering and diversifying revenue streams.
The fund can be used for: seed funding, set up costs, hiring office space (e.g. for a group of producers to work together), conducting market research, diversifying your current business into the screen based industries, R&D, testing out new and exciting elements of immersive media to help your business, employing someone new into your team, building IP, equipment etc.
The fund can’t be used for: just creating content, e.g. short films, feature films, slate funding, talent development, production costs. We need proposals to focus on developing a sustainable business rather than a specific project.
For more information on what you can and cannot apply for, and where to go for alternative funding, please read our Guidelines.
When is the deadline?
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis but we’d encourage you apply soon.
