Travel Funding

• To support professional Indigenous screen-based creators in national and international industry events and opportunities;
• To build on the Indigenous screen-based capacity at festivals, conferences, training opportunities, and new market opportunities;
• To recognize the need for Indigenous screen-based creators to learn and develop their skills professionally with their communities, and through in-person conversation, sharing, and learning.

Applications must be completed in the ISO portal. Projects will be assessed on a continual basis until funding for the program is depleted or until March 22nd, 2024, whichever comes first. Projects will be assessed as quickly as possible, with notifications provided within 1-2 months. Please expect delays for holiday closure in December.

Please allow at least 4-6 weeks before the proposed travel date in order to allow the ISO sufficient time to review the application and proposed activities.

Note: Applications who submit less than 10 business days prior to travel will not be considered.

Please note the spirit and intent of ISO funding is to support Indigenous creators and companies that are controlled by Indigenous people, who have decision-making authority and creative control.

For the purposes of ISO programs, “Indigenous” is defined as status and non-status First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples of Canada. All applicants must be residents of Canada.

Please consult the Building Trust and Accountability: Report on Eligibility in the Indigenous Screen Sector which informs the ISO in regards to Indigenous identity, relationality, and access to funding programs.

Individuals (including sole proprietors):

• Are a First Nations, Inuit or Métis person residing in Canada and who is a citizen or permanent resident of Canada who has resided in Canada for at least eight months over the last one-year period;
• Working in screen-based content, including TV, film, web, gaming, apps, and XR (VR, AR);
• Can deposit a cheque in the name of the applicant;
• Is not in a state of bankruptcy within the meaning of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada).

Individual Applicants:

Please be advised the Canada Revenue Agency considers this funding as taxable income. Please keep all expense receipts related to these funds to offset your tax obligations. If you are incorporated as a sole proprietor, you must apply under your business name for the funding to be deposited to your business bank account. The funding will not be deposited to an account in any name other than the applicant name.

Companies:

• Indigenous-controlled (minimum 51% ownership by person/s who are First Nations, Inuit or Métis);
  The project is under the financial and creative control of Indigenous persons, two of the three key members of the creative team must be Indigenous;
• Registered as a corporation with its head office in Canada, complete incorporation documents must be uploaded to ISO Apply;
• Bios for each owner of the company must be provided, as well as their individual percentage of ownership;
• Main activity of the organization is the production or support of screen-based content, including TV, film, web, digital narrative content, and XR (VR, AR).
• Is not insolvent or bankrupt, or in the course of the re-organization of its business within the meaning of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada);
• Can deposit the cheque in the name of the applicant/the name of the company listed on the application.

OTHER ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• You must be in good standing with ISO;
• Applicants cannot apply to fund the same proposed travel in another budget submitted to the ISO Funding Programs;
• Applicants cannot fund the same portion of the proposed travel through another organization (including band offices, arts councils, etc);
• Production companies may apply with more than one (1) person in an application;
• Applicants applying to travel to a workshop or program that requires prior admittance must submit their letter of acceptance/invitation from the hosting organization;
• Applicants cannot apply as a Production Company and an Individual in separate applications;
• Applicants may include a maximum of two (2) proposed trips per fiscal year. Cannot exceed yearly maximum of $4,500.00.

Purchasing travel and medical insurance is at the discretion of the applicant and the ISO is not responsible for ensuring insurance has been acquired. The ISO is not liable for any lost, damaged, or stolen belongings of the applicant.

If a trip has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, the Applicant must return the portion of the unused funding to the ISO, with proof of payment for costs incurred prior to the trip. Funds can only be used for the trip(s) specified in the application, you can not reassign funds to another trip.

• Costs associated with travelling for post-secondary courses;
• Development, production and post production related travel costs;
• Travels costs covered in other budgets submitted to ISO Funding Programs;
• Reimbursements for travel costs incurred before the submission date.

• Air (economy class)
• Ground transportation (trains, bus, cabs, uber, car rental, etc.);
• Mileage $.55/km for personal vehicles only, up to a maximum of $400;
• Airport transportation;
• One checked baggage fee;
• Event registration;
• Accommodation, up to a maximum of 6 nights for a maximum of $250 per night;
• Per diem, up to $100 per day for a maximum of 6 days;
• Child care costs up $100 per day for a maximum of 6 days (this applies uniformly, regardless of the number of children);
• Other costs associated with the proposed travel.

*Note applicants may receive less than the request amount as determined by the assessment committee.

Requirements for this program include:

• CV/bio(s);
• Description of opportunity and rationale for selection of activity;
• Travel budget (template provided in application portal) and project budget (if applicable);
• Letters of interest/support for meetings/community invitations (if applicable);
• Official invitation for market opportunities and conferences, program enrolment confirmation, festival registration, relevant correspondence, or other application specific information should be provided;
• Provide references for prices of flights, accommodations, car rentals, etc. (with corresponding dates of travel);

• Articles of incorporation, and/or relevant ownership agreements, individual percentages of ownership;
• Company overview, owners bios/CVs, information about previous success at festivals/markets/workshops and action plan for proposed activities.

The ISO reserves the right to request additional information regarding the proposed travel.

ISO staff will internally assess each application in line with the program focus and the assessment criteria as follows:

• Strength, clarity and feasibility of plan, activities and outcomes;
• Impact, including the career development of the applicant or company growth;
• ISO strategic goals and funding availability.

The following priorities may be considered as part of the assessment process:

• Regional representation;
• Representation of diverse Indigenous perspectives and intersections including women, non-binary and 2SLGBQTIAP+ people;
• Emerging voices.

The Travel program has a rolling deadline, and therefore applications are assessed as they are submitted. Funding is allocated until the funding for the fiscal year has been depleted. Once the funding has been depleted, the ISO will:

• Close the program in ISO Apply;
• Update the website, and announce the closure on social media.

If applicants wish to access the application in the portal, they must contact funding@iso-bea.ca within 10 business days of the program’s closure. The ISO will provide a downloaded copy if requested. Otherwise, all in-progress applications will be deleted 10 business days after the program has been officially closed.

The ISO provides up to $500.00 CAD in additional funding to cover accessibility costs incurred during the stages of applying, completing a project, and writing your final report.

If you have barriers to access including but not limited to language, internet or physical barriers, please contact the ISO to discuss accommodations and support at funding@iso-bea.ca.

All applicants to ISO programs must confirm they have read the General Funding Guidelines prior to submitting an application.

An initial review for eligibility and missing documentation will be conducted by the Program Manager. The ISO will reach out if additional information is needed and applicants will be given a short period (maximum 10 business days) to submit any outstanding documents.

*Ineligible or incomplete applications can be withdrawn at any time in the process. Applicants will be notified by the ISO when the application is withdrawn.

If at any time, an Applicant, as required by the Criteria or as requested by the ISO, provides false information or omits or misrepresents material information in connection with an application, including with respect to Indigenous identity, such provision of false information, omission or misrepresentation will be considered an event of default and the ISO may exercise the following contractual rights:

• termination of any contracts, including any remedies thereunder;
• denial of eligibility for existing and future funding;
• repayment of any funds already advanced; and
• civil and potential criminal prosecution, in the case of fraud.

These measures may be imposed not only on the Applicant but also on related, associated and affiliated companies and individuals that are parties to the application. Any Applicant receiving approval for funding will be required to sign a legally enforceable agreement, which includes provisions concerning misrepresentations, defaults, and related matters.

A final report will be required within three months following the completion of the project. Applicants with overdue final reports will not be eligible for ISO funding until the report is submitted and approved.

When sharing information about your participation in the proposed activity, please also tag the ISO on any social media posts related to this funding:

• Instagram – indigenousscreen
• Twitter – screen_office
• Facebook – ISO.BEA

Questions are encouraged and may be directed at any time to funding@iso-bea.ca.

Is the deadline of this program March 22nd, 2024?

No. This program has a rolling deadline, which means the ISO reviews projects as they are submitted and allocates funding to successful projects until there is no more funding for the fiscal year. If there is still funding available by March 22nd, 2024, we will close the program.

What is the demand for this program?

There is a high demand for the Travel program. We encourage you to apply as soon as you’re able to.

I’m no longer able to go on the trip I applied for, can I use the funds for a different trip?

If a trip has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, the Applicant must return the portion of the unused funding to the ISO, with proof of payment for costs incurred prior to the trip. Funds can only be used for the trip(s) specified in your application, you can not reassign funds to another trip.

What happens if I apply less than 10 business days?

Applications received less than 10 business days prior to the proposed trip will be deemed ineligible and not considered.

Is the $100 per day for child care for each child?

No, the $100 per day for child care is the maximum regardless of how many children there are.

What happens to my in-progress application if the program closes before I submit?

Please refer to the “Program Closure” section of the guidelines.

What happens to my application if I submit it, but the funding is allocated shortly thereafter?

If your travel does not take place in the new fiscal year, your application will not be approved. If your travel does take place in the new fiscal year, the ISO will keep your application in the portal, and review your application at the start of the new fiscal year.

I’m not sure my planned travel fits the program requirements.

Reach out to funding@iso-bea.ca.