CMDF Production Grants

The Cameron Mackintosh Drama Fund (CMDF) provides three types of grants to student productions. Each production is able to apply for all three of them:

· Production Grants (on average between 12% and 15% of your budget)

· Guarantee Against Loss (an extra grant paid out if your production makes a loss)

· Vacation Residence Grants – for rehearsals taking place in Oxford during the vacation

Please see the separate post for information on personal development grants.

Make sure to carefully read the accompanying notes included in the form. You will need to be logged into Microsoft via your SSO to fill in the form)

DEADLINE: 10am 26th November

Any questions, please do send me an email at drama.officer@admin.ox.ac.uk

Application Form
Supporting Documents

How to Apply

Please complete your application via the Microsoft Form linked above.

You don’t need to have your venue confirmed at the point of application, just an idea of where you are bidding for. You need to include the following in EVERY application – your application will be denied if any of these are missing:

  • Application Form

  • Budget

  • Bid document

  • Declaration form

  • Proof of bank details

The application form will ask you to attach each of these documents and you won’t be able to submit the form if one is missing.

Applications for the VACATION RESIDENCE GRANTS can now be made at the same time as submitting your application for a production grant - there is no longer an additional form for this.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Grants can ONLY be paid into a production company or society bank account. If incorrect or insufficient bank details are submitted, your application will be denied. (That means it should be in the name of your production company and NOT be a personal current account.)

If you need help in setting up an account, or if you have a genuine reason why you can’t open one in the name of your production company (i.e. both people running the production company are international students), then please get in touch with me well in advance of the application deadline.

You can read advice and guidance on setting up a production company account here

Further Information and Guidance

Please be aware that CMDF generally funds on average 12% of a production’s total expenditure.

  • As of Trinity Term 2023, CMDF have offered to fund student films “with a demonstrable connection to live performance”. If you are applying for funding for a film, you will be required to explain how your production meets this criteria within this form.

  • Please ensure you provide a list of all cast or crew members currently attached and their year of study. 

Funding Priorities Document

  • You can find this in the same Google Drive of documents linked above.

  • The document outlines the best practice CMDF expects to see in productions applying for funding from them. You do not need to respond to this document, but in tie-break situations it will be used to make funding decisions, so we advise you to consider it carefully.

Grants Underwriting/Guarantee Against Loss

  • A grant underwriting - also called a Guarantee Against Loss (GAL) - is an amount of money only paid out when your production makes a loss. 

  • It is only paid to cover funds for which you are personally liable (like a venue fee or lighting hire), but not to pay back investors (for instance, a college funding body). 

  • The GAL is separate from the production grant - so you can get a grant for your upfront costs AND a grant to cover any losses. 

  • Indicate how much GAL you are asking for in the ‘grants underwriting’ section of the application form.

Bid

  • This can be the same as the bid you submitted with your venue application.

  • If you did not write a bid document (for instance, if you are performing in a space in your college or at The Oxford Playhouse), you should submit a brief (max. 1 page) outline of your show. 

Declaration

  • You can find this in the same Google Drive as this list.

  • You must read, complete and electronically sign this to confirm that, if offered a grant, you will adhere to the terms outlined

Proof of bank details

  • This should be a photograph, scan or screenshot or a piece of headed paper from your bank

It needs to display: 1) Your account number 2) The sort code 3) The name under which the account is registered. 

  • Please note, just screenshots of your online banking home page will not be sufficient evidence. Eligible documents can be found via the “statements” section of your online banking, and can be downloaded or screenshotted.

  • You should be able to find the above through your online banking portal - handwritten documents will not be accepted.

  • We are able to pay funding into company or personal bank accounts

The important thing is that the name on the account matches the name on your application form. If your bank account is in the name of your production company, please fill in the form using the name of your production company. 

  • You can only apply for a maximum of two shows using an individual’s personal bank account (this does not include production company accounts.) This is to minimise personal financial risk and make tracking expenditure easier for you.

Vac Res Funding

  • You can apply for this additional funding within the application form. 

  • If your production is rehearsing in Oxford during one of the vacations, your production company can apply for up to £350 to go towards paying for your cast/crew’s accommodation. This must be applied for by productions on behalf of cast and crew, not by individuals.

  • It is up to you how you divide this money between your cast/crew (eg. you might apply for £200 and use it to pay in full for 2 people’s vac res, or you might use it to contribute towards 4 people’s vac res). However, we encourage you to do as much as is within your power to make sure that it is allocated on the basis of need.

  • In the application form, you will be asked to give the names of the cast and crew members who will be using the funding, including details of how much their college charges per night of vac res.

  • As with production grants, you will not necessarily be offered the full amount of money that you apply for.

  • CMDF are not currently able to offer vac res funding to shows rehearsing outside of Oxford.