Enterprise Business
The Enterprise Program consists of two programs: Business and People, and two streams within the programs: Generate and Premium.
The Business program has been established to support content creation companies. Applications for Enterprise Business in 2022-2023 will be accepted from Business applicants that work in the following areas of Content:
- First Nations
- Online
- Documentary
- Scripted
The Enterprise program is a comprehensive strategy of support for sector to leverage opportunity for businesses to scaffold toward success and work toward sustainability and growth.
WHY
The aims of Enterprise Business are to:
- Support business strategies for content companies that drive growth and sustainability and capitalise on success, both for companies and the wider screen industry.
- Support businesses to build greater knowledge, capacity and connection for pathways to sustainability in their content, and to support and promote the development of screen culture and screen skills.
- Support a range of businesses opportunities and commercial benefits of equity and inclusion, in addition to platform/format and geography, in the Australian screen industry.
- Support business strategies that drive for quality and capacity in content to meet domestic and global demand, and provide audience and financial return for business.
WHAT
Enterprise Business will support new business proposals that drive growth, quality, capacity and pathways to sustainability, and benefit the screen industry more broadly.
The focus of Enterprise Business in 2022-23 is on companies whose primary business is content development and production.That is, production companies that create content in the following platforms and genres: Scripted, First Nations, and Documentary (One-Off/Feature, Online, Episodic). The primary focus and content output of the successfully funded businesses must meet Screen Australia’s Terms of Trade.
Enterprise Business will consist of two funding streams:
- Generate – for establishing companies; and,
- Premium – for established companies.
Successfully funded applicants will be provided with direct funding of:
- $200,000 for one year for a Generate business
- $200,000 for one year for a Premium business
And in addition to direct funding as listed above, successful applicant companies will also be provided with an:
- individual company creative Mentor and Business Consultant/Strategist; and
- group learning modules appropriate to the Generate or Premium streams (as applicable).
WHO
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Applicants must apply as an Australian entity. You will need to read our Terms of Trade to ensure you are eligible for Screen Australia funding.
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Your entity’s primary purpose is the development and production of scripted or documentary content for domestic and/or international markets, and your output is one or more of the following: Scripted, First Nations, and Documentary (One-Off/Feature, Online, Episodic). More information can be found here.
- Applicant companies for the Generate stream must have some industry experience on commissioned or self-released work that has achieved some critical or commercial traction in short-form or lower-budget long-form produced work. Generally, the applicant company will be in the first ten (10) years of operation in the industry.
- Applicant companies for the Premium stream must have a strong track record or be highly accomplished across multiple longer form productions, some of which may be higher-budget and have achieved critical and/or commercial success and significant audience reach. Generally, the applicant company will be beyond ten (10) years of operation in the industry.
- Both Generate and Premium applicant companies must have reportable credits in the platforms and genres for which they are seeking support.
Applications from companies whose principals and/or key staff are from underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply. For the purposes of this program, Under-represented applicants may include: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; people who are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; people who are Deaf, hard of hearing or with disability; people who are female or gender diverse; people who identify as LGBTQIA+; people located in regional and remote areas; and, any other under-represented community that is brought to our attention.
HOW
Applications for Enterprise Business (Generate and Premium companies) consist of:
- Attendance at the pre-application webinar on Wednesday 14 December, 2022 4pm AEST (or viewing of the recorded webinar which will be made available on this webpage following the webinar) followed by a competitive two-stage application process:
- Stage 1 is for all eligible applicant companies to apply to the program.
- Stage 2 is for only those applicant companies invited to submit to Stage 2.
Applications for Stage 1 open 9 February 2023, and close 5pm AEST Thursday 9 March 2023, and can be made through the Screen Australia application portal with the following materials:
Stage 1:
- a fully completed application form
- a maximum four-minute video pitch (download-enabled)
- identification of what primary content output the company creates: First Nations, Scripted, Documentary, Online
- a business strategic plan which outlines the company’s current business structure and strategy
- details of the company history; structure; vision and/or mission; and details of principals and key staff
- a market analysis including the position of the applicant company in its environment
- a description of the core business proposition and business model of the company
- details of 3-5 projects on the company’s development slate
- an outline of the marketing and sales strategies that the business is or plans on undertaking
- a preliminary business case proposal for the work the company plans on undertaking as part of the Enterprise program, with a focus on one (or more) of the following:
- International Strategy;
- Slate Diversity & Expansion;
- Slate, Creative Skill & Calibre;
- Financing & Partnership;
- Company Structure & Business
Company applicants will self-select on the application form if they are to be assessed as a Generate or Premium company.
Company applicants will self-select on the application form their primary content output and if they are to be assessed primarily or in any combination of a First Nations, Scripted, Documentary, and/or Online.
Personal information collected from your application or interview will be handled in accordance with Screen Australia’s Privacy Policy. By submitting your information, including any personal information, you will be agreeing to Screen Australia’s collection and handling of your personal information.
Applications for Stage 2 will be by invitation only. Invited Stage 2 applicants will be sent a private link on/or about 21 April, 2023 to complete the second stage application by the deadline of 5pm Thursday 11 May, 2023.
Stage 2:
Those invited to Stage 2 will be provided with an individual company Business/Strategic consultation to prepare toward their second stage application. Screen Australia will provide the Business/Strategic consultation and costs of the Consultant. These consultations will occur between 24-28 April, 2023.
Application materials for Stage 2 invitation only applicants will focus on the submission of a detailed business case for the work the company plans on undertaking as part of the Enterprise program. A template will be provided to invited Stage 2 applicants when the private link is provided.
assessment process AND CRITERIA
Both Stage 1 and Stage 2 applications will be competitively assessed by a mix of Screen Australia executives and external industry specialists as required.
Stage 2 applicant companies may be asked to attend an interview as part of the assessment process.
All applications will be assessed against the aims and criteria of Business Enterprise and the strengths and capabilities of the applicant entity.
The aims:
- Support business strategies for content companies that drive growth and sustainability and capitalise on success, both for companies and the wider screen industry.
- Support businesses to build greater knowledge, capacity and connection for pathways to sustainability in their content.
- Support a range of businesses opportunities and commercial benefits of equity and inclusion, in addition to platform/format and geography in the Australian screen industry.
- Support business strategies that drive for quality and capacity in content to meet domestic and global demand, and provide audience and financial return for business.
The assessment criteria:
- How is the proposal strategic and viable in terms of the entity’s strategic and business planning and business case?
- How is the proposed activity contributing to businesses opportunities and commercial benefits of equity and inclusion in addition to platform/format and geography in the Australian screen industry?
- How does the content and platform focus of the company’s output drive growth for the company and contribute to the wider Australian screen industry?
- How does the proposed activity build greater capacity toward a pathway to sustainability?
Recommendations will be made to an internal committee comprised of the Screen Australia CEO, COO and Head of Content. Final decisions will be made by this committee.
We aim to make the application and assessment processes as transparent as possible, but given the volume of applications we receive, we do not have the resources to provide feedback on each proposal.
Applicants will be advised of the outcome of Stage 2 in writing by 26 June, 2023.
Terms of Funding
If you are successful at Stage 2, you will need to enter into a Screen Australia grant agreement with specific non-negotiable core conditions.
Funding will be in the form of a non-recoupable grant.
Drawdowns:
- For successfully funded Business companies: 60% on signing, 35% on receipt of mid-term narrative and cost report; 5% on receipt of final narrative report and cost report.
Reporting Obligations:
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For successfully funded Business companies, it will be a requirement of the funding agreement to maintain and report at regular annual intervals for a period of 3 years after the completion of the funded activity. Any personal information collected from Reporting Obligations will be handled in accordance with Screen Australia’s Privacy Policy.
See the FAQs for further information.
In addition to these guidelines and the application form (available 9/2/2023), the pre-application Webinar is the primary source for information on Enterprise Business.
If, after reviewing these guidelines and application form, the FAQs, and attendance or viewing of the pre-application Webinar, you have questions, please contact Program Operations on 1800 507 901 or via email: Enterprise. Please note that we are unable to provide creative advice or suggestions to strengthen your application.
WEBINAR