Nunavut Filmmakers Funding — Nunavut Spend Incentive Program
Highlights
This program is designed for your business to thrive in the film, television, and digital media industry. By participating, you can receive a rebate of up to 27% on eligible production costs for goods and services purchased and consumed in Nunavut. This financial support can significantly reduce your production expenses, allowing you to allocate more resources to creative and operational needs.
Key Benefits:
- Financial Rebates: Up to 27% rebate on eligible costs.
- Additional Bonuses: Up to 3% for employing and training local key creative personnel.
- Language Incentive: Up to 10% bonus for producing or versioning content in Inuktut.
Why Apply?
- Cost Savings: Substantial rebates reduce your overall production costs.
- Support for Local Talent: Enhance your production by employing and training local talent, which can also increase your rebate.
- Cultural Impact: Gain additional funding by producing content in the local language, promoting cultural preservation.
Applying is straightforward, and the benefits are substantial, making it easier for your business to produce high-quality content while managing costs effectively.
Financing Details
Type of Financing: Rebate
Repayment Terms and Interest Rates:
- There are no repayment terms or interest rates as this is a rebate program.
Eligible Expenses:
- Production goods and services purchased and consumed in Nunavut.
- Film and tape or digital recording stock.
- Production insurance.
- Versioning.
- Closed captioning.
- Legal, accounting, and audit services.
- Completion guarantor fees.
Ineligible Expenses:
- Fees for key creative provided by producers on projects over $1 million.
- Non-production related expenses such as advertising and commercials.
- Projects produced primarily for industrial, corporate, or institutional purposes.
- Stock footage (other than documentaries).
Fees:
- No fees are associated with applying for or receiving this rebate.
Qualifications
- Must be a production company incorporated pursuant to the laws of the Territory of Nunavut or Canada whose primary activity is developing and producing film, television, and/or digital media content.
- Must own 100% of copyright in the eligible production, or have the first option to adapt the underlying property and acquire copyright ownership.
- Must be in good standing with the relevant Corporate Registry.
- For Stream II applications with budgets exceeding $500,000: must provide written evidence of an agreement with a licensed Canadian broadcaster or bona fide distributor.
- At least one of the Individual Producers named in the application must be a resident of Nunavut.
- Individual Producers must be central decision-makers and directly responsible for the creative direction, financial control, completion, delivery, and exploitation of the eligible production.
- Must be contractually entitled to reasonable, verifiable, and commensurate monetary participation in budgeted Producer fees and net profits.
- Must be contractually entitled to receive on-screen credit as a Producer, Executive Producer, or Co-Producer and be identified in the production as such.
- Must maintain a registered head office in Nunavut (for Stream I) or a registered office in Nunavut (for Stream II).
- For Stream I: at least two of the eight key creative positions must be filled by residents of Nunavut, or one key creative position and two trainee key creative positions.
- For Stream II: at least two of the eight key creative positions must be filled by residents of Nunavut, or one key creative position and two trainee key creative positions.
Officers and Directors of the applicant company, who are residents of Nunavut, must participate in the management of business activities (for Stream II).
Disqualifications:
- News, current events, or public affairs programming.
- Programs that include weather or market reports.
- Talk shows.
- Sports events or activities.
- Gala presentations or award shows.
- Projects that solicit funds.
- Pornography.
- Advertising and commercials.
- Projects produced primarily for industrial, corporate, or institutional purposes.
- Projects, other than documentaries, which substantially consist of stock footage.
Description
This program offers your business a rebate on eligible production costs for goods and services bought and used in Nunavut. If your production spends more than $25,000 in Nunavut, you can apply for this rebate.
You can receive up to 27% back on your total eligible costs if your business is majority-owned by Nunavut residents. If your business is equally or minority-owned by Nunavut residents, you can get up to 17% back. Non-profit production companies can also apply but will receive a 17% rebate, capped at $75,000 for the first six months of the fiscal year.
Additional bonuses are available. You can get a 1% bonus for each additional key creative personnel hired from Nunavut, up to a maximum of 3%. If your production is in the Inuktut language, you can get a 10% bonus of the Nunavut spend, up to $40,000 for original productions, or a 5% bonus for versioning, up to $20,000.
The rebate is paid in three parts: 40% upon signing the Contribution Agreement, 40% upon securing full financing, and 20% upon completion and delivery of the production. This program is a great way to reduce costs and invest in local talent and resources.
Program Steps
Gather Required Documentation: Prepare the following documents for your application:
- Budget (dated and signed, including summary top-sheet)
- Financing Plan
- Brief narrative history of the project development
- All creative content developed to date (e.g., screenplay, teleplay, series bible, episodic scripts, documentary treatment, digital media proposal/design plan/prototype)
- Chain of Title document(s)
- Letter of Reference
- CVs of all Key Personnel and Trainees
- Brief Bios for Key Personnel
- Eligible Costs Worksheet (estimated costs of goods and services to be purchased and consumed in Nunavut)
- Production Schedule
- Corporate profile(s) of Applicant and Co-Applicant
- Applicant's Certificate of Incorporation
- Certificate(s) of Officer (Schedule A) for Applicant, Co-applicant, and any Affiliates
- Co-applicant's Certificate of Incorporation (if applicable)
- Example of previous work (for Applicant, Producer(s) & Director)
- Commitment letters and/or financial agreements
- Written Agreement with Canadian Broadcaster or bona fide distributor (for Stream II applications)
Complete the Application Form: Fill out the application form, ensuring all sections are accurately completed. This includes providing details about your company, project, key personnel, and funding requirements.
Submit the Application: Upload all required documents and submit the completed application form through the designated submission portal or email address provided by the program.
Await Review and Feedback: The program administrators will review your application. Be prepared to provide additional information or clarification if requested.
Sign Contribution Agreement: If your application is approved, you will receive a Contribution Agreement. Review and sign the agreement to formalize the funding arrangement.
Receive Initial Funding: Upon execution of the Contribution Agreement, you will receive the first installment of the funding (40%).
Provide Proof of Financing and Agreements: Submit a copy of a fully executed agreement with a broadcaster or bona fide distributor, along with verifiable commitments for full financing, to receive the second installment of the funding (40%).
Complete and Deliver Production: Finish the production and deliver the final product as per the agreed terms.
Submit Final Reports: Provide an audited statement of total production costs and a completed Economic Impact Report to receive the final installment of the funding (20%).
Acknowledge Program Support: Ensure that the completed production includes the required on-screen credits and acknowledgments as specified in the Contribution Agreement.
