Overview

Overview

Northern Ireland Screen will oversee the Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund (the ‘USBF’) with an anticipated budget of £1million per annum over five years from 2011 to 2015.

The USBF will provide finance for the production of film, television or other moving image projects relating to the Ulster-Scots heritage, culture and language in Northern Ireland.

The aim of the Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund is to ensure that the heritage, culture and language of Ulster-Scots is expressed through moving image. The USBF also aims to foster the Ulster-Scots independent production sector in Northern Ireland and to fund high quality Ulster-Scots cultural TV programmes for a Northern Ireland audience.

Objectives

The objectives of the Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund are outlined below:

• To rise to the delivery of 12 additional hours of Ulster-Scots programming per annum in a range of genres conducive to the delivery of the heritage, culture and language aim.
• Broadcast 90% of the USBF funded programming within 6 months of delivery.
• Reach a significant Northern Ireland audience, primarily but not exclusively through broadcast television, with an initial audience target of 40,000 people in Northern Ireland. 
• Achieve high levels of audience satisfaction amongst those within the Northern Ireland audience who express a particular interest in Ulster-Scots. 
• Achieve general audience satisfaction levels consistent with those for other local programmes broadcast in Northern Ireland of a similar genre in a similar broadcast slot.

General information on applications to the USBF

• The USBF will organise a minimum of two and a maximum of four funding rounds in 2013/14.
• The need for a third or fourth round will be assessed depending on funding available. 
• The USBF’s production budget for 2013/14 is £1m. 
• Normally production companies must submit applications to the eligible broadcasters in advance of submitting applications to the USBF. 
• First funding round 2013/14: 
• Deadline for applications to the USBF is Friday 26th April 2013.
• It is foreseeable that an USBF priority (e.g. with educational material) could be better achieved through a platform of delivery other than an eligible broadcaster. In this case, the production company would apply directly to the USBF without reference to an eligible broadcaster. 
• The USBF welcomes applications for development funding. Projects are funded for development on a 50/50 basis by the USBF and the broadcaster, applicant or other funder. 
• It should be noted that this is a competitive process in which only the best applications are awarded funding. 
• Funding decisions are made by the USBF Investment Committee in line with the following assessment criteria:
• The project complies satisfactorily with the Priorities.
• Contribution to increased awareness and understanding of Ulster-Scots heritage, culture and/or language. 
• The quality of the proposal and the audience appeal.
• Value for money/maximising the resources within the USBF.
• Accessibility within the broadcasters’ schedule/maximising audience access to ensure an audience appropriate for the genre of programme can be reached.
• Contribution to the growth and development of the Ulster-Scots independent production sector and infrastructure.
• The commitment of match funding and satisfactory evidence that the project is additional to the programming levels already undertaken by the attached broadcaster.