NI Screen Fund + sister funds

Northern Ireland Screen Commission operates a constellation of public-funding schemes for productions involving Northern Irish talent, locations, post-production or distribution. First-class for Northern Ireland-based Togra producers working on NI-shot productions (which need not be cross-border), and a relevant funding source for Ireland-based producers on cross-border productions.

The fund family

NI-based producers

For a Northern Ireland-incorporated Togra producer, the NI Screen family is the primary public funding stack alongside AVEC — UK Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit (the UK Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit). The typical NI-only production combines:

• An NI Screen Fund production award
• ILBF or USBF where the project carries the relevant language or heritage strand
• The BFI Production Fund where applicable
• AVEC (post-completion)
• A commission from BBC — British Broadcasting Corporation NI, Channel 4, or international broadcasters

These productions are not cross-border. They are NI-based, NI-shot, NI-financed.

Ireland-based producers — cross-border use

Ireland-based producers on cross-border productions (drama set in border regions, documentaries spanning both jurisdictions, animation co-productions across both sides) frequently combine NI Screen funding with Screen Ireland + Section 481 — the Irish scripted tax credit. Cumulative state-aid management is critical (see State Aid — the EU cumulation cap and its mitigations) — but UK public funding (including NI Screen and sister funds) is excluded from the Irish 50% cumulation post-Brexit. The Irish side runs against the standard 50% cap; the 60% cross-border allowance applies only between EU Member States, so Ireland + UK does not get it.

See Cross-border productions — Ireland + Northern Ireland + UK for the cross-border structuring detail.

Commissioning context

NI productions deliver to BBC — British Broadcasting Corporation NI, Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV, or international broadcasters. Some are co-commissioned with RTÉ — Raidió Teilifís Éireann or TG4 — Teilifís na Gaeilge on cross-border productions.

How Togra supports NI Screen Fund + sister funds

Each fund is tracked under Soft money for state-aid cumulation. NI-based producer companies can run their funder progress reports through Togra alongside any other public funder. Funder progress reports surface NI Screen fund-specific reporting cadences and deliverables.