Benelux Co-Development Grant
In order to encourage and strengthen sustainable collaboration between the creative teams of the Benelux countries, the Flanders Audiovisual Fund, the Film and Audiovisual Centre of Wallonia Brussels Federation, the Netherlands Film Fund and the Film Fund Luxembourg have launched a Benelux Co-Development Grant.
What is it?
The Benelux Co-Development Grant is intented as additional funding for feature film or animation projects that have confirmed development funding from one or more of the participating film funds.
The grant was created to stimulate more sustainable collaboration between creative teams of the Benelux regio. Through the grant, Benelux producers are encouraged to explore the most effective and natural coproduction structure for their films and the corresponding financing strategy.
Who can apply?
The Benelux Co-Development Grant is exclusively reserved for independent producers from Flanders, Wallonia-Brussels, the Netherlands and Luxembourg with projects that have received development funding from a collaborating fund.
Additional conditions:
- The application should be submitted by the delegate producer.
- There are three coproducers from different production companies, based in the three Benelux countries affiliated to the project.
- The applicant or one of the Benelux coproducers must hold the majority rights of the project;
- The director must fulfill the eligibility criteria of the delegate producer’s film fund.
- The delegate producer must represent an independent production company (a legal entity, not a sole proprietorship or VOF), established for at least two years in the Benelux and continuously active in film and audiovisual production.
- The delegate producer must have been the majority producer on at least one feature film that received a theatrical release in their Benelux country of origin.
- The script should be at an advanced stage of development (no treatment).
- The project must not have received production support yet.
Grant
- € 50.000 per feature (animated) film
- max. 3 grants per year
- 1 deadline per year
- no spend obligations
Important: the grant does not guarantee approval for any subsequent applications.
Eligible expenses
Only the following expenses may be covered by the co-development grant:
Screenplay
- Rewriting/polishing (with a maximum of €5.000,-)
- Script-doctoring
- Research and consulting
- Translation
Preparation
- Location scouting
- Casting
- Tests and technical resources (cameras, memory space, special effects, etc.)
Research creative team (e.g. heads of department)
- Production of a teaser; visual material
- Storyboard and graphics (for animations)
- Budgeting (breakdowns) and planning
- Search for financial partners (e.g., festival/market registrations)
- Legal advice
- Travel, hotel, and accommodation expenses (capped at 10% of the budget)
Producers' fee (maximum 10% of the sum of items 1 and 2)
Overheads (maximum 7% of the sum of items 1, 2, and 3)
Annexes application
Include the following attachments to the application:
- A synopsis (max. 2 pages)
- The screenplay
- Motivation or working plan from the coproducers and director for requesting an additional contribution for joint development.
- A signed producers’ co-development deal memo with the co-producers
- The total budget for the development of the project
- Total financing plan of the development costs including previous development grants
- Letter of commitment from the (co-)writer and (co-)director
- CVs of the (co-)producer, (co-)writer, and (co-)director
- Chamber of Commerce extract or business register excerpt of delegate producer (not older than 12 months)
What do we look for when assessing your application for the Benelux Co-Development Grant?
Applications to the Benelux Co-development Fund are primarily assessed on the potential and ambition of the intended coproduction, by looking at:
- The quality of the script and artistic visions;
- The way in which the project is relevant for and/or connects naturally to the Benelux arena;
- The way in which pan-Benelux collaboration strengthens the potential of the project, allowing talent from the region to flourish;
- The way in which the pan-Benelux collaboration contributes to strengthening the international market potential of the project;
- The track record of the collaborating partners and the potential of the intended structure that will form the basis for the coproduction;
- The audience potential of the project, primarily in the Benelux countries, and secondarily in the global market.
- In addition: priority will be given to projects that are for the most part shot/animated in the Benelux.
Deadline
Applications can be submitted once a year.
The next application deadline is 1 April 2026, 17:00 CET.
We aim to inform applicants in writing about the decision within 8 weeks of application.
More information on how to apply will be shared soon.
Procedure
A joint advisory committee is responsible for the selection based on the assessment criteria and the conditions of the scheme. The committee consists of one representative of each of the four funds and is chaired by the fund executing the scheme. The board of the executive fund takes the final decision on the selection.
It is chaired by the executive fund VAF.
Applications will be integrally weighed to make a final selection and to ensure a good spread of majority film productions across the Benelux countries.
Deliverables and auditing
The grant is paid in full immediately (no separate tranches).
When the development phase is finished, the delegate producer needs to deliver:
- short narrative report
- financial report
- provisional financing plan for production
- no detailed audit is required
One year after the selection, an update on the progress of the project should be send to the executive fund.
Questions?
Contact us!
Sofie Delrue
Filmlab & minoritaire samenwerking CCA/NFF