Image credit: Tap Roots Acting Academy
- Open
Travel Funding
Deadline: March 1, 2023
The ISO is offering Travel Funding to support Indigenous screen-based creatives for activities that require travel including festival and market attendance, conferences, community engagement, training opportunities, and artistic screen-based collaboration across Canada and internationally.
This funding support is open to Indigenous Companies, and Individuals.
- Open
Finishing Fund/Marketing Promotion Distribution
Deadline: March 1, 2023
Indigenous Screen Office
This program provides support to Indigenous-owned screen-based companies for Finishing Funds and Marketing, Promotion and Distribution of films and television series. This funding is intended to support projects to ensure their success in the completion of the post-production phase and to support their access to markets and audiences.
Eligible applicants must have previously secured production funding through Canada Media Fund’s peer-assessed Indigenous Program, Telefilm’s peer-assessed Indigenous Initiatives program, a government Indigenous-specific arts grant, or the ISO.
- Open
Sector Development
Deadline: March 1, 2023
Indigenous Screen Office
This program recognizes that training, skills building, professional development, and sectoral capacity building are critical to ensuring the continued momentum and sustainability for the Indigenous screen sector. This program was created to support project-based activities that will contribute towards building a robust Indigenous screen sector for creators, crew and professional workers through a variety of opportunities. This funding support is open to Indigenous Companies, Organizations and band councils and settlements; BIPOC Non-Profit and other Non-Profit Organizations; and registered charities.
- Closed
Production
Deadline: October 11, 2022
Indigenous Screen Office
This program offers support to Indigenous screen-based creators in the Production phase of their project. Indigenous creators applying to this program are undertaking work in the Production of screen-based content, including TV and web series, and film. We encourage ISO applicants to this program to access this funding for activities during the production phase that will ensure a strong project, including fees for key creatives, producers, crew members, technical expertise, cultural advisors/knowledge carriers, community liaisons, and/or legal advice.
- Closed
Development
Deadline: September 27, 2022
Indigenous Screen Office
This program offers support for project development, recognizing that time and resources are critical to the creation of strong content. Many Indigenous creators undertake extensive protocols and community-engagement work during this phase, and ISO support is intended to support these practices, in addition to other development costs. We encourage ISO applicants to this program to access this funding for key supports needed to develop the project idea such as cultural and community engagement work, learning from experts, mentors, or knowledge keepers or other professional development in relation to the project.
There are two funding streams available:
1. Individuals/Sole Proprietors, Collectives, Community Groups and Companies: Up to $20,000 for one (1) project 2. Companies: Up to $40,000 for a slate of two (2) projects
- Closed
Apprenticeship and Cultural Mentorship Funding, supported by Netflix
Deadline: December 7, 2022
ISO / Netflix
ISO has partnered with Netflix to provide funding to support training, professional development and culturally specific approaches for Indigenous on-screen content creators and Indigenous-owned production companies. There are two funding streams available:
1. Production Apprenticeships: The intent of this funding is to support new opportunities for hands-on training and career progression for Indigenous creatives through all stages of production, or in a production studio.l. The apprentice(s) should have a record of production experience and demonstrate that this opportunity, with the support of the proposed mentor(s), will support their skills building and career development.
2. Cultural Mentorships: This opportunity was created for Indigenous producers, directors and writers to be able to engage in cultural mentorship, community engagement, cultural learning, and protocols work during the pre-development, development, and production phases of their projects. This may include working with Elders, language speakers, knowledge keepers and/or community members to develop their project idea or to support their personal growth and development in their career as a screen-based storyteller. Indigenous owned production companies may apply for this funding to bring cultural mentor(s) on set for cultural learning, knowledge sharing, and to implement cultural and traditional practices related to the completion of a production.
- Closed
New Media
Deadline: October 14, 2022
This program provides support to Indigenous screen-based content creators for the production of New Media projects. Applicants to this program may undertake project work in the Production of high calibre game design, AR/VR/XR, apps, podcasts and narrative audio/visual immersive projects. We encourage ISO applicants to this program to access this funding for activities during the production phase that will ensure a strong project, including fees for the project team and technology costs, Cultural Advisors/Knowledge Carriers, community liaisons, and/or legal advice.
*If your project intersects on multiple mediums and platforms or does not fall under one of these practices, please contact the funding@iso-bea.ca. This funding is open to Individuals, Sole Proprietors, Collectives/groups, and Companies.
- Closed
Amazon Studios Pitch Competition
Deadline: March 5, 2021
Amazon Studios
Image credit: Riley Smith, “Wildhood”

To see a list of funders that offer programs for Indigenous storytellers, visit our External Funding page.