Interactive and Immersive Program

Applications must be completed in the ISO portal iso-bea.smapply.io and submitted by November 1st, 2023 at 5pm EST. The portal will close at the deadline and applications will not be accepted after that time. Please expect delays for holiday closure in December.

• Funding notifications can be expected 3-4 months following the deadline;
• Administrative follow ups may be conducted via email for additional information on the application if required;
• Please note, applicants may receive less than the request amount.

The spirit and intent of ISO funding is to support Indigenous storytelling and Indigenous companies and organizations 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 and have spent 8 months out of the last year living in 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. We also encourage applicants to consult the ISO’s working document on identity: ISO Policies and Processes for Eligibility in Relation to Indigenous Identity.

• Applicants must be screen-based as their primary focus and demonstrate the capacity to successfully create Interactive and/or Immersive projects, or have a track record of producing screen-based or digital content;
• Applicants must own 100% of the copyright of the project and it be controlled or optioned by the applicant (except for inter-provincial or international treaty co-productions);
• Production companies cannot receive funding from other ISO programs for the same training program or initiative. For example, funding for trainees cannot be included in another application to ISO Funding Programs;
• Applicants must be able to accept a direct deposit in the name of the applicant;
• Applicants may only submit one application per fiscal year to the funding program;
• Applicants can apply in a subsequent fiscal year if they successfully complete the development phase of their proposed project;
• You must be in good standing with ISO;
• If you are an emerging creator, during the application process you must have a minimum of one (1) previous credit in the key role you hold in the project: director, writer/creator, producer, and be able to demonstrate your ability to accomplish this project.

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;
• Work in screen-based content, including digital narrative content, gaming, apps, podcasts, XR (VR, AR), etc.;
• The project is under the financial and creative control of Indigenous persons; two of the three members of the key creative team (director, writer, showrunner/producer) must be Indigenous;
• Is not in a state of bankruptcy within the meaning of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada).

Individual Applicants (this includes sole proprietors):
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 registered 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.

Corporations:

• Are 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 members of the key creative team (director, writer, showrunner/producer) must be Indigenous;
• Registered as a corporation with its head office in Canada;
• Letters of Incorporation, a shareholder registry, and bios for each owner of the company must be provided, as well as their individual percentage of ownership;
• Main activity of the company is the production or support of screen-based content, including digital narrative content, gaming, apps and AR/VR/MR, etc.;
• Is not insolvent or bankrupt, or in the course of the reorganization of its business within the meaning of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada).

First Nation, Inuit or Métis Collective or Ad Hoc Group:

• Indigenous-controlled (minimum 51% leadership 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 members of the key creative team (director, writer, showrunner/producer) must be Indigenous;
• Bios for each owner of the collective must be provided as well as their individual role in the project;
• Main activity of the collective is the production or support of screen-based content, including digital narrative content, gaming, apps, and AR/VR/MR, etc.

First Nation, community or band office, Inuit community or Métis settlement:

• Must currently be recognized as an Indigenous nation/established community;
• The project is under the financial and creative control of Indigenous persons; two of the three members of the key creative team (director, writer, showrunner/producer) must be Indigenous;
• Must demonstrate capacity for undertaking a screen-based project and secured individuals working in production or support of screen-based content, including digital narrative content, gaming, apps and AR/VR/MR.

• Salaries and wages for key creatives, mentors, trainees, advisors and contracts for project management, coding, design, system infrastructure, content development;
• Accessibility costs during production, post production and marketing/promotion and distribution;
• Fees and honorariums for guests, Elders, or community engagement;
• Facilitator and consulting fees;
• Technology costs, including purchasing of equipment, hardware and software, when applicable;
• Translation and language support;
• Travel costs for key creatives, trainees, or key collaborators related to the development or production of the project (please note, applications focused exclusively on travel should refer to the Travel Funding program);
• Gifts for Elders and community members;
• Marketing, promotion, and distribution costs.

Please note, additional costs may be eligible for funding via this funding program. If you are unsure if your proposed costs are eligible, please contact funding@iso-bea.ca.

• Promotional or sponsored content;
• Activities that are carried out to satisfy Post-Secondary Course Requirements of an educational institution;
• Activities proposed by someone under the age of majority in the respective province;
• Activities that are illegal according to the Criminal Code of Canada;
• Activities carried out by organizations that have not paid, or do not pay, fees or royalties to artists according to the standards of the arts practice or sector;
• Talk shows, live sports events, game shows, reality television, music videos and advertising;
• Re-takes or pick-ups;
• Activities and phases of a project that have been previously funded by the ISO.

Requirements for this program include:

• Articles of incorporation, and/or relevant ownership agreements, including individual percentages of ownership;
• Bios and CVs for the applicant, company owners, key creatives, and collaborators in the project;
• Budget with ISO costs separated;
• Financial structure;
• Confirmation letters or contracts for confirmed funding sources (when applicable);
• Project information including: scope of work, plan of execution and intended impact;
• Community engagement plan, when applicable (max 2 pages);
• Support materials including but not limited to: link(s) to a project trailer/prototype video, sketches, demo reel, lookbook, previous work of key creatives, script, etc.;
• A chain of title and current agreement/contract to produce the project’s IP in the name of the applicant;
• A detailed development or production timeline/schedule;
• Letters of support;
• A marketing, promotion and distribution plan and/or strategy;
• For applications including trainees in the proposal: Applicants must submit a detailed training plan, including bios/CVs for trainees. If trainees are unconfirmed, a detailed recruitment plan must be submitted. Outcomes for trainees must be explained and impact should be clearly articulated. Applicants may not propose more than 4 trainees.

Please note, details and specifics about these application requirements can be found in ISO Apply in the application under “Task Instructions”.

This program will be assessed by a peer review committee made up of Indigenous individuals representing different nations, a range of industry practices, and regions of Canada.

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+;
• Emerging voices;
  Representation of Indigenous languages.

The scoring criteria will be based on the following:

• Feasibility and execution of the project including the Applicant’s ability to complete the project as proposed based on professional experience, key creatives, scope of work and stated goals;
• Project impact, including marketing/promotion and distribution strategy, community engagement (as applicable), and audience engagement;
• Storytelling and content;
• Thoughtfulness and thoroughness of the application.

When a project is unsuccessful feedback can be provided, upon request.

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 for funding, completing a project, and writing your final report. Requests for support are encouraged at least two weeks prior to the application due date.

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.

Support may include telephone or video application submission, language interpretation, or support worker assistance. Equipment purchases are not eligible for accessibility support.

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 ISO Program Manager. The ISO program manager will reach out if any of this information is needed and applicants will be given a short period (maximum 10 days) to submit anything outstanding.

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.

Final reports can be accessed via the ISO Apply portal.

Recipients must acknowledge ISO support with textual reference and/or logo in the credit sequence, or appropriate placement in the completed work (where applicable). ISO logos are available for download on the ISO website.

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 at least two weeks prior to submission or the application closing date and may be directed at any time to funding@iso-bea.ca.

I am an emerging creator, am I eligible for this program?

Yes – Applicants can apply at any level of experience, however if you are an emerging creator, during the application process you must have a minimum of one (1) previous credit in the key role you hold in the project. Please review the “Funding Process and Priorities” section of the guidelines for further details.

Does this program support the development and production of an Interactive and/or Immersive project?

Yes – Applicants can include some development activities in their application but their proposal should include the production of a finished project. Please reach out if your project includes a prototyping phase.

What is the maximum amount of funding I can request in this program?

The maximum request amount is $100,000.00. A reminder that the ISO can allocate less than the requested amount to successful projects.

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

Please refer to the “Program Closure” section of the guidelines. If you wish to access the application after the program has closed, please contact funding@iso-bea.ca within 10 business days of the program’s closure.

What if I or my company already has received previous ISO funding for the same project?

If the main applicant(s)/company currently has an ISO supported project that is not yet complete or reported on from another program, the applicant will be required to submit a Final Report on the previous application with an updated budget.

Can I submit multiple applications?

Applicants may only submit one application to this program per fiscal year.

I’m not sure my project is a good fit for this program.

Reach out! funding@iso-bea.ca.