This FAQ is designed to cover some of the questions that members may have about the FAN Film Exhibition Fund.

If you have access requirements, you can access support from BFI and/or contact the Film Hub team via email: filmhub@watershed.co.uk

Where I can see full guidelines for the FAN Exhibition Fund?

These can be downloaded here.

Do I need to meet all the audience development priorities to be eligible for an award?

No, we don’t expect applicants to address all of the priorities, but we would expect one or more to be a key focus of any proposal.

Is it possible to get additional support to help with my application?

If you have access requirements, you can access support from BFI and/or contact the Film Hub team via email: filmhub@watershed.co.uk

Additional advice and support may be available to projects with strong inclusion aims, that specifically address:

–  Economic barriers and/or engagement of working-class audiences

–  Disability

–  Engaging children, families and young audiences

Proposals that focus on one or more of these areas may be shared with specialist FAN freelancers, who will review a select number of projects, from across the UK wide network. Any eligible applicants will be contacted to discuss what, if any, support might be of use. If you require more information, please contact us.

How many years can I apply for? 

Your application should be based on a single award during the period of June 2025  until 15 March 2026.  

Can I apply for organisational development funding, training or film production through this fund? 

This fund must be directed towards audience facing cinema exhibition activity in line with the fund’s priorities, however some training for staff to support this work and an allocation of overheads and existing staff towards the delivery of this project may be included.

How long does it take for a decision to be made on my proposal?

We are hoping to turn around decisions within 5 weeks of the final deadlines. Please allow good time for your project delivery with this in mind.

What happens if I miss the deadline?

The deadlines for this fund are final and we will not be able to accept applications after those date. If you anticipate your proposal cannot be submitted in time, please contact us to discuss the situation.

Can I apply for support if we are in receipt of Arts Council funding?

Yes, as long as you can make a clear delineation between activity supported by the Arts Council and the programme of activity you are seeking support for.

What proportion of funding can I request?

In all proposals, we would expect to see an element of match funding through other funders, partners, in-kind support or generated income through box office. As a guide, we would expect to see match funding in your proposal of 20% of the total budget.

Can I apply for activity that has previously been supported by Film Hub South West?

This fund is aimed at supporting Film Hub members to reach out and develop their audiences. We do not expect this activity to be new, though we encourage increased focus on access and inclusion. We also expect any outstanding activity and reporting of projects from the previous year to be completed before applying for this fund.

Can I submit more than one proposal to this fund?

We will not accept more than one application from the same organisation per financial year.

What costs are eligible?

Your budget should include all costs directly relating to the specific proposal. This can include salaries and overheads which are directly attributed to the proposal, and costs that support the development and delivery of an activity. See guidelines for more details. 

What costs won’t you support?

We will not support any activity which does not meet the aim of this fund. We will not support any costs not directly relating to the proposal. This includes any filmmaking, core-funding or other activity which does not support your project directly. See guidelines for more details.

If you have any questions not covered here, please contact us with ‘FAN Exhibition Fund FAQ’ in your subject field.