Frequently Asked Questions

SECTION A – SHORT FORM SERIES DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND SHORT FORM SERIES PRODUCTION PROGRAM

1. What do you fund?

a) The Independent Production Fund provides non-interest bearing repayable advances to independent producers to create high quality scripted short-form series, by providing the opportunity for intensive creative and business development.

b) The Independent Production Fund provides equity financing for scripted short-form series.

c) The IPF funds television drama series through the IPF’s Cogeco Production Program, thanks to BDU contributions from Cogeco Communications.

d) The IPF’s Industry Development program supports industry development activities for industry organizations that undertake training and promotional programs to further develop dramatic production skills and recognitions with a focus on short form series.

2. Who is eligible for funding? (Short Form Series Development Program)

You must be a Canadian independent producer.  You must have a confirmed Canadian writer, script editor or development executive attached to the project.

3. Who is eligible for funding? (Short Form Series Production Program)

Only series that are selected to participate in the Short Form Series Development Program, and have submitted all required deliverables are eligible to apply to the Production Program.

4. Are subsequent seasons eligible for the Short Form Series Development Program or the Production Program?

No. The series must be new and original and in its first season.

5. How many proposals can a single production company submit?

You may only submit one short form series project per production company/parent company annually.

6. What about the “Proof of Concept” video?

If you are a successful applicant in the Short Form Series Development, the “Proof of Concept” video is a required deliverable. In order for the project to complete this stage of development and to be ready to be presented for pitching and/or apply to the Production Program, it is required to be submitted with an analysis of analytics.  The “Proof of Concept” video must be available to the public for at least a month during the development stage.

7. Do we have to use our finalized cast in the “Proof of Concept” video?

No. You may want to use your cast but it is not necessary.

8. Will the “Proof of Concept” with the most views get Production funding?

Not necessarily. Views are just one of the factors that are considered in the evaluation of applications.

9. Can I upload my “Proof of Concept” video to multiple websites?

Yes. However, please make sure you tell us all the URLs. If we do not know all the places where the video is uploaded we won’t have a complete picture of total views and comments.

10. Can you explain in greater detail what the meaning of a Vision Document is?

A vision document is a place for the creator to sell their short form series to the evaluators beyond the three page creative document. It is an outline of the passion to create the series – why does it need to be made now, what drives you to create it – and what you hope it will accomplish when it is created and released to audiences. Inspire us with your enthusiasm!

11. Does broadcaster or digital platform involvement help?

Any other sources of confirmed funding, including broadcasters, digital channels, portals, sponsors, etc. will help in the evaluators of the application.

12. Can I re-apply with my project if I am unsuccessful in receiving financing from the Short Form Series Development Program?

Yes, if you are unsuccessful in receiving development financing in your first attempt, you can re-apply with the same project to the Short Form Series Development Program on the following deadline.

13.  If I receive financing for my project in the Short Form Series Development Program, and are unsuccessful in the Production Program, can I reapply to the Production Program the following year?

No, if you receive financing from the Short Form Series Development Program, you are only eligible to apply to the Production Program in the same calendar year.

14. What is the time-frame between the application deadline and decision?

Recipients of the Development Program will be selected and notified in early April.

Successful applicants of the Short Form Series Production Program will be notified in November.

15. How do you judge applications?

Applications for the Short Form Series Development Program will be initially evaluated by a Selection Committee overseen by the IPF with final decisions made by representatives from the IPF and the CMF. Applications will be assessed based on the quality of the creative concept, the creative team and the appropriateness of the budget and development activities.

An industry jury and the Board of Directors will evaluate the Production proposals. Projects are assessed based on analysis of creative materials and production team, production strategies, scheduling, budget and financing, business and distribution strategies, marketing, promotion and audience engagement plans, revenue projections and recoupment potential ad any confirmed financing, distributors or streaming platforms.

16.  How much money do you invest?

The maximum funding available for each eligible project in the Short Form Series Development Program is $30,000. Funding will be in the form of a repayable, non-interest bearing advance.

A select number of projects will be approved for production financing in the form of an equity investment of up to $200,000 per project.

17. The IPF may offer you less funding than requested, depending on the budget of the project, the funding available, and the number of approved projects. You may decide to accept the IPF offer or not.

18. Do I need to have confirmed financing?

In the Short Form Series Development Program, if you are including any other source of financing, it must be confirmed in writing.

It is not required for Production, but it is preferable if you have other sources of confirmed financing.

19. Do you require a specific budget template for the Development Program?

We recommend that you use this budget template for the Development Program. It can also be found on our Short Form Series Program guidelines page and our Useful Tools for Short Form Series page.

20. Do you require a specific budget template for the Production Program

Yes, we strongly recommend to use the production budget template that you can find on the Useful Tools for Short Form Series page on our website. This template has been chosen by several Canadian Funds to be used in common for the short form series program.

21. Do you fund any type of documentary or documentary series?

No. We only fund scripted short form series, which are scripted and performed by actors.

22. How do you define Dramatic Series?

“Drama” shall be defined as fictionalized live action or programming that meets the CMF’s definition of Drama or Children and Youth Programming. Appendix A

23. Where does the money come from?

In 1990 Maclean Hunter Limited made an endowment in perpetuity to encourage Canadian television drama programming. The Independent Production fund now operates with this endowment, valued at $34,000,000.  The interest from this endowment, as well as recoupment from productions, provides approximately $2M per year for investments in series. The Independent Production Fund is a completely independent, private foundation with charitable status.

Does the IPF fund dramatic television series?

Yes! As of January 2018, thanks to BDU contributions from Cogeco Communications. The IPF continues its Web Drama Series Program as well.

Can a producer re-apply if they are unsuccessful at one deadline?

Yes, if there are “significant changes”. We do recommend that you contact the Fund for feedback on the original application before resubmitting.

What is Cogeco?

COGECO Inc. is a Quebec-based diversified communications company. Through its various subsidiaries, COGECO provides cable, internet and telephone services to customers in Ontario and Quebec, and also holds interest in various television and radio stations.

What does the Cogeco TV Production Program finance?

The Production Program provides an EQUITY INVESTMENT for the production of dramatic series and mini-series.

Where does the funding come from?

Cogeco Communications makes annual BDU contributions to the IPF, as required by the CRTC, to finance this program.

How much money can I apply for?

The Cogeco TV Production Program generally contributes a maximum of $250,000 for series.

Do you ever award less money than requested, or is it an all-or-nothing process?

ou less funding than requested, depending on the budget of the project, the funding available, and the number of approved projects. You may decide to accept the IPF offer or not.

Which office do I submit my application to?

The Toronto Office manages English-language programming for all of Canada. The Montreal Office manages French-language programming for all of Canada. You may submit your application to either office, but note that your file will be transferred to the appropriate office (ie – if you are based in Montreal, submitting for an English project, you may send your file to the Montreal Office, but it will be forwarded to the Toronto Office for evaluation, and administration if your application is successful).

When do I repay the IPF?

Production EQUITY INVESTMENTS are repayable according to a negotiated recoupment schedule, based on revenues to the production. In general, the IPF prefers a first tier position at a level to be negotiated.

Who is eligible to apply?

In the Production Program, only independent producers can apply for funding. They must have a broadcast licence for every project submitted, and should have previous drama series experience.

When are the funding decisions announced?

We announce funding decisions approximately 6-8 weeks after the deadline dates.

How many applications can a production company submit?

In the Production Program, you may submit multiple projects per deadline, but if there are a large number of eligible projects, you will, in effect, be “competing against yourself”.

Do you give preference to bilingual projects?

Yes. Certainly we have funded numerous projects in only French or English, but if your proposal is in both languages, that is a definite advantage.

Do you fund DEVELOPMENT?

Not at this stage

What are your measures of success?

Measures of success include but are not limited to:

• Audience numbers
• international sales
• revenues
• critical acclaim
• awards
• third party financing
• continued market interest
• licences