How to Find the Right Funding Opportunity on Screen Australia's Funding Finder

Updated

To find a funding opportunity on Screen Australia's website, use the Funding Finder on the homepage. Select a category first, then a funding type, then a program name, and click Search to see matching opportunities. This works best when you already know what kind of project you have (for example, a documentary or a game) and what stage it is at.

What the Funding Finder covers

The Funding Finder is a filtered search tool rather than a plain list of programs. Its filters are set up in a fixed order, and each one narrows the next.

Filter What you choose Example values shown on the site
Category The broad area your project falls under Documentary, First Nations, Games, Industry Development, International, Narrative Content
Type of funding The kind of support you need Selected after a category (the site prompts "Select a category first")
Program name The specific program Selected after a funding type (the site prompts "Select a funding type first")

The order matters: the Type of funding and Program name menus stay inactive until you pick the level above them. If a dropdown looks empty, it usually means the previous filter has not been set.

Step-by-step

  1. Go to the Screen Australia homepage and locate the Funding Finder section.
  2. Open the Category menu and choose the one that matches your project. The available options are Documentary, First Nations, Games, Industry Development, International and Narrative Content.
  3. Open Type of funding and pick the kind of support you are after. This menu only fills in once a category is selected.
  4. Open Program name and choose a specific program. This menu only fills in once a funding type is selected.
  5. Click Search to return the matching funding opportunities.

Expected result: a set of programs that match all three filters. If you get no matches, widen the search by choosing a broader funding type or a different category rather than assuming no funding exists.

Practical tips

  • Start broad, then narrow. If you are unsure which category fits, try the closest one first and check what programs appear before committing.
  • Use the quick links alongside the finder. The homepage also links to First Nations Funding, Information for Recipients, Funding Deadlines and Funding Approvals — useful for checking timing and past decisions once you have a shortlist.
  • Check deadlines before you draft anything. The Funding Deadlines link is the fastest way to confirm whether a program you found is currently open.
  • Watch the news section for new rounds. Recent announcements on the site include applications opening for the Kids IP Incubator (run with the Australian Children's Television Foundation) and Narrative Content funding for 75 projects — signs that programs open and close on their own schedules.

Common sticking points

  • Empty dropdowns: almost always caused by skipping the category or funding type step. Work top to bottom.
  • No results after searching: the combination may be too specific. Try a different funding type within the same category.
  • Unsure of your category: games and interactive projects sit under Games, while scripted and factual screen projects sit under Narrative Content or Documentary. First Nations funding is a separate category, so First Nations creators may want to check both it and the category matching their format.

The Funding Finder is the quickest route from "I have a project" to "here is the program I should apply to" — provided you set the filters in order and confirm deadlines before starting an application.