Any applicant that is using AI technology should clearly identify all uses in their application, including existing or planned use of AI technology for both development and production phases of the project.
As an equity investor, it is important to the IPF that the chain of title is clear and that the underlying rights are owned and meaningfully developed by Canadians. Applicants must be transparent about any use of AI technology and ensure that any use does not impede copyright ownership of the underlying rights and production.
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, as well as any recoupment from productions it invests in, distributing approximately $3M per year to dramatic series. The Independent Production Fund is CRTC certified and is a fully independent, private, charitable foundation.
An incorporated production company is required to meet the program eligibility. Your incorporation papers will be required as part of your application materials.
Yes, both student films and short films are eligible as credited experience.
One attached producer must have experience producing at least one fictional audiovisual work (short film, short form series, TV series or feature film) or one attached writer must have experience writing a fictional audiovisual work. In the case where the producer and writer are the same person, they must have been credited as a writer or producer on at least one fictional audiovisual work.
You must be able to provide proof of this credit (i.e. IMDB link, or link to the project where there are credits listed). The fictional audiovisual work must have been completed and released online, theatrically, or played at a festival. Projects still in development, production or post-production are not considered eligible experience.
Prior experience as a producer or writer on a non-fiction project (such as a documentary, docu-series, reality show etc.) is not eligible experience.
You can apply with a short form series (also known as web series or digital series). The series must have a minimum of three episodes, with a maximum length of 20 minutes per episode. All genres are eligible.
“Drama” shall be defined as fictionalized live action, or animation programming that meets the CMF’s definition of Drama or Children and Youth Programming. Appendix A https://cmf-fmc.ca/document/appendix-a-definitions-and-essential-requirements/
Docu-series, lifestyle series, reality series, feature films and short films are not eligible in this program.
No. The series must be new and original and being developed for its first season.
A production company/parent company (and any kind of crossed ownership) may only submit one short form series project annually.
An individual producer may only submit one application each year and may not appear in any producer-related role on any other application.
Yes you can resubmit it two additional times.
Yes. In this case, this person must have previous credits as either producer or writer on scripted episodic or short form content.
At least one attached Canadian writer must be attached. However, if additional writers are attached, they can be non-Canadian. Please note that 75% of the project’s eligible expenditures must be Canadian costs.
Yes. You will need a letter of agreement for each writer confirming their attachment to your project included with your application.
No. However, having a platform licence or letter of interest will help with the evaluation of the application.
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.
No. However, having confirmed financing will help with the evaluation of the application. If included, it must be confirmed in writing with your application materials.
It is not encouraged. The Development Program mandate is to support short form series. If during development you attract interest from platforms or other financing to turn the IP into a feature film or TV series, it’s at the producer’s discretion to determine the potential for success in those mediums. If the IP is turned into a feature film or TV series, you would not be eligible to apply for the IPF’s Short Form Series Production Program, the development advance would still be repaid and the IPF would have a stake in the subsequent work.
If you have developed the series to the extent that you are ready to go into production or apply for production financing you are likely not eligible to apply.
If you have already shot a proof of concept video, that alone does not make you ineligible to apply. The development financing can be used for other materials (such as scripts, audience engagement plans, a show bible) or even to shoot a new proof of concept video.
If there have been previous phases of development you are required to provide details in your application.
If you are unsure if you are eligible based on previous phases of development, we recommend you contact us at info@ipf.ca
Yes, you may hire an actor to be in your proof of concept video who is not Canadian. Please note that 75% of the project’s eligible expenditures must be Canadian costs.
Yes. However, it is extremely rare that in the development phase we see either provincial or national co-productions.
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!
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 advance.
Yes, you are required to use this budget template https://www.ipf.ca/wp-content/uploads/dev-budget-template-jan.17-2025-1.xlsx for the Development Program. It can also be found on our Short Form Series Development Program guidelines page and our Useful Tools for Short Form Series page.
A development executive is an experienced professional in the creative industries, particularly in television, film, and digital media, who plays a role in commissioning/selecting projects that are viable for the market.
In the context of the Development Program, their primary responsibility is to guide and support the creative and producing team in refining their concept, scripts, and overall vision to ensure the project has the strongest potential for production and market success.
The story editor or development executive must be a third-party professional, distinct from the producer or writer, and confirmed as part of your application. Their experience and relevance to your project play a critical role in the evaluation process.
To strengthen your application, consider:
- Selecting someone with a background that adds substantial value to the team, ideally more experience than the producer or writer.
- Ensuring their expertise is highly relevant to your project’s genre, story, or creative vision.
- Choosing someone with a strong track record in the specific type of content you’re developing.
No, the story editor or development executive do not have to be Canadian.
However, at least one of the writers must be Canadian, and the producing company must be Canadian-controlled as per eligibility requirements and 75% of the project’s eligible expenditures must be Canadian costs.
Yes, a development executive or story editor can work on more than one project applying to the IPF Development Program. However, it’s important to ensure that they have the capacity to dedicate adequate time and attention to your project to provide meaningful contributions to its development.
While the IPF cannot help you find a story editor or development executive, here are some tips you may consider:
Research past IPF-funded projects: Check the credits to identify story editors or development executives who worked on similar projects.
Attend industry events: Professional programming at festivals, networking events, panels, and conferences are great places to connect with experienced professionals.
Leverage your network: Talk to other creative teams or industry colleagues for recommendations and referrals.
One of these roles is required to meet the Program eligibility. However, if you feel it would be valuable to attach both roles, and your budget allows, you are welcome to do so.
If you have to choose between one of these roles, prioritize filling a gap in your writing/producing team’s experience.
Yes, IPF eligibility requirements do not limit the size or number of roles you have in your creative team.
The sustainability checklist asks you to consider sustainable practices and climate storytelling early on in the development of your series. You should only check boxes next to actions you plan to implement on the production of your series. Ensuring these practices are planned from the very beginning increases the likelihood of their practical implementation. This will be the building block of your sustainability plan.
IPF is committed to reduce our environmental impact and increase the sustainability of our industry.
No. Currently, the sustainability checklist is not evaluated. It will be reviewed for feasibility and relevancy to the production and to understand key industry trends and challenges related to sustainable action. This is primarily a document to ensure the producers and core creative team are thinking about climate sustainability and climate storytelling from the very outset of their development of the series.
Recipients of the Short Form Series Development Program will be selected and notified in April.
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.
Evaluators look for originality, quality of written creative materials, the experience of story editor or development executives, their commitment to the project, the experience of the writer/producer team, the overall potential for success and the appropriateness of the budget and activities.
The focus of the Development Program is to support outstanding story-driven content, so IPF does not look for, or prioritize any genre or theme over another.
No. For more details, see the evaluation criteria. https://www.ipf.ca/wp-content/uploads/ipf-evaluation-criteria-2025-one-pager.docx-1.pdf
No, the funding comes in the form of a repayable advance due back to the IPF if you go into the production of your series.
No. You are not liable to repay the advance if your project doesn’t get made.
Yes. In the event that the series is produced without financial participation from the IPF, the advance must be repaid on the first day of principal photography. In addition, the IPF will also receive 10% of the producer’s profit participation in the series, subsidiary rights and subsequent works based on the project developed through the Development Program.
No, but the intent of the Development Program is to fund the creation of the materials necessary to advance a series into production.
You are only eligible for IPF production financing in the calendar year you receive development funding. So if you do not apply to the IPF Production Program in that year, you will not be eligible for production financing from IPF for that project.
Only series that are funded through the current calendar year’s Short Form Series Development Program, and have submitted all required deliverables on time, are eligible to apply to the Production Program in the same year.
No. You are only eligible to apply to the Production Program in the same calendar 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.
No, a platform is not required to meet eligibility. However, having a platform licence or letter of interest will help with the evaluation of the application.
It is not required for the Production Program, but having other sources of confirmed financing will make your application more competitive.
No. We only fund scripted short form series, which are scripted and performed by actors.
A select number of projects will be approved for production financing, with funding provided as an equity investment of up to $250,000 per project.
Yes, it is acceptable to request the full amount of funding, and doing so is not viewed negatively.
Although you are free to use the budget template of your choice, we strongly recommend that you use the IPF production budget template which is commonly used by other funds for short form series.
The proof of concept is a short video that effectively conveys your concept and demonstrates your technical and creative skills.
You do not have to publish your proof of concept video online. However, we do require a robust analysis of audience analytics as part of your application. Most past applicants have found that publishing online and leveraging social media is an effective way to gather this data and engage with a potential audience.
If you choose not to publish online, other approaches can be considered, such as focus groups, private screenings, or sharing the video via a private link with a targeted sample audience to collect feedback and data.
Whatever method you choose, ensure it provides strong and insightful analytics.
No. The purpose of the proof of concept video is to gather meaningful and relevant insights about your target audience and their reception of the project. The quality of the insights is far more important than the number of views. The information you gather should be used to inform your audience engagement plan you are submitting as part of your application.
There is no specific maximum or minimum length required by the IPF. The video should be long enough to effectively convey your concept, demonstrate your technical and creative skills—but we recommend keeping it concise.
Some other funders may have specific length requirements, so you should take this into account if you’re planning on applying elsewhere.
No, you are not required to use your final cast. You may choose to work with your intended cast if possible, but it is not mandatory for the proof of concept video.
A sustainability plan is a document containing a list of actions that will help to minimize a production’s impact on the environment. Actions related to travel and transport, materials, food, energy use, locations, accommodation, waste and more should be included.
The plan should be detailed, complement your production schedule, and you should ensure that you are taking actions that make a noticeable emissions difference, are feasible and contain steps to make it a natural integration into your existing production cycles. You should be building on the checklist you submitted as part of your development application, and figuring out how to make those commitments actionable.
No. You may use any template that suits your production’s specific needs, combine templates, or create your own.
If you would like examples of pre-existing templates, you can find CBC’s here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kFUBNTdSXIvFcSeRMlIYS5exhqD6kgdC/view, CMF’s here https://cmf-fmc.ca/document/sustainability-plan/ and Telefilm’s here https://telefilm.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Project-Financing-Sustainability-Plan-Template-May-2023-EN-Examples.pdf.
A draft carbon footprint is important as it helps you see which areas of the production are likely to have the highest carbon impact. You can use your budget and schedule (where possible) to complete the draft.
Once you have your draft carbon footprint, you can use your sustainability plan to tackle the highest sources of emissions. The goal is that by the end of production your final footprint is lower than your initial draft.
No, currently the sustainability plan and draft carbon footprint are not being evaluated. They will be reviewed for feasibility and relevancy to the production and to understand key industry trends and challenges related to sustainable action. This is primarily a document to prepare the producers and core creative team for the sustainable action and climate storytelling they will take during the production of their series. Both the plan and draft footprint will be used as comparison to report against after the completion of production.
Applicants of the Short Form Series Production Program will be notified in November.
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 and any confirmed financing, distributors or streaming platforms.
The primary criterion for acceptance by the Funds will be the quality of the project.
No.
No, it is in the form of equity investment. As an equity investor, the IPF will participate financially via a percentage of profits made from the series or any subsequent works.
Yes, if you repay your total investment, the IPF will continue to participate financially as long as the series or any subsequent works makes revenue.
No, any revenue is distributed on a pro rata basis to all equity investors at the same time.
Upon confirmation of funding, you will be issued a commitment letter that will detail the terms of the financing. This letter will contain a schedule of IPF’s expectations.
In the Cogeco TV Production Program, only independent producers can apply for funding. They must have a broadcast licence for every project submitted, and must have two years of previous production experience and have already produced one broadcast dramatic series.
The Production Program provides an equity investment for the production of dramatic series and mini-series that qualify under the CRTC regulations with a minimum of six out of ten points for Canadian content certification.
No. Series must be 60 minutes (or less for children’s/youth series)
No. We only fund scripted (or fictional) series, which are scripted and performed by actors.
Yes, if there are “significant changes”. We do recommend that you contact the Fund for feedback on the original application before resubmitting.
Yes, a production company may submit more than one application per deadline.
No. You must have a broadcast licence from an eligible Canadian broadcaster.
No.
Yes. In the case of official co-productions, have a Canadian participation of not less than 50% and should demonstrate favourable sales and recoupment potential for the Fund.
No. The series must have not started principal photography before the application deadline.
Funding for series will be determined on a case-by-case basis.The Cogeco TV Production Program typically contributes $100,000 of $250,000 per series.
Note that the financial participation of IPF will never exceed that of the broadcaster.
Yes, we could award 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’s offer or not.
We announce funding decisions in June.
Measures of success can include but are not limited to audience numbers (for a previous season), international sales, series revenue, critical acclaim, awards, third party financing, continued market interest, international distribution, etc.
Cogeco Communications is a cable company that makes annual contributions to the IPF program to finance the production of dramatic television series.
The IPF Cogeco TV Production Program is separate and distinct from the Cogeco Fund.
The IPF’s equity investment is repayable according to a negotiated recoupment schedule, based on revenues generated from the production. In general, the IPF prefers a first tier position at a level to be negotiated.
No. Funding may be pending, with the exception of your broadcast licence which must be confirmed at the time of application.
No. Individuals are not eligible to apply for Industry Development Partnerships.
No. Travel Bursaries or travel to markets or festivals are not eligible.
If you want to submit your project or event, please complete the form available by clicking here. Our team will review the proposals twice a year, in June and December, and will contact applicants via email during these times.
It is recommended that applicants request funding approximately 6 months in advance of their event.
No. Please reach out to your IPF contact regarding future funding.
Industry Development grants for series will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Activities that reflect the objective of the Fund and enhance the quality and availability of Canadian scripted, dramatic short form series will be prioritized.
Yes.
You can find prior examples of funded organizations and events in our Annual Reports: https://ipf.ca/about/annual-reports/