MFI Investment Types and Criteria

MFI investment applications are made by individual CAIAF Members. The Confederation considers applications and allocates investment during its regular in-person meetings. In addition a Commissioning Site is held every 12-18 months where projects are pitched for investment.

Seed Funding $10k
Where an under-developed work of outstanding potential is identified by a Member, the Member may, without obligation to present it, submit the project to the Confederation for seed funding for further development.

Creative Development up to $40k (up to 70% of total expenditure)
Where a work-in-progress demonstrates exceptional potential for further development as well as strong interest from two or more Confederation Members, the work may be granted funds towards creative development with no obligation to proceed to the full presentation of the work. Submissions should include a detailed outline of the work to date, what will be achieved through the creative development phase, as well as a budget for the creative development. The project must have the financial support of at least two CAIAF Member festivals who will provide 30% of the creative development budget.

Pre-Production investment (up to 50% of total expenditure)
In order to be eligible for pre-production investment a project must meet artistic, presentation, and financial criteria. Contact CAIAF for full pre-production guideline documentation.

Artistic
A proposed project must:

• Be new and innovative.
• Be distinctively Australian either in content, cast or crew, or by virtue of being driven or derived by Australian partners.
• Be artistically competitive within the context of international arts festivals and exhibit characteristics of rarity and specialness, demonstrating creative leadership. This may mean works of larger physical scale or ambition than can otherwise be created in Australia for presentation by the Confederation Festivals. Funding may also apply to smaller works which demonstrate other unique and internationally competitive characteristics including theme, creative team, casting, overseas presenter interest, collaborative relationships, creative development processes. Whatever the case the work must be exceptional, consistent with the vision of the Artistic Directors of the Confederation Festivals and beyond the usual scope of the producing company or artists.

Presentation
A project must:

• Have a minimum of three (3) presenting partners committed to the project: a confirmed presentation by the Administering Festival, at least one other Confederation Ordinary Member and one other presentation partner (Confederation Ordinary Member, Confederation Associate Member, or other Australian or international arts centre, venue, producing company, arts organisation, or festival).
  Have a confirmed commitment by the Co-commissioning partners to work in partnership to ensure the potential of the funded project is met.
• Be a polished finished product at its first Festival presentation.
• Be a viable touring proposition or have good financial and logistical prospects of being remounted.

Financial
A project budget must:

• Not request more than 50% of the total pre-production expenditure from the MFI fund. In exceptional circumstances up to 70% may be considered. A business case supporting the need for the additional funds would need to be supplied and a request made to the Confederation for leave to submit the proposal at 70%. If leave is granted by unanimous agreement the application for pre-production funding can be made. In this situation the split of the remaining 30% funds would need to be agreed by the co-commission partners.
• Have a minimum financial commitment of 30% in total across the Presenting Partners towards the total pre-production expenditure, including commitments of a minimum of 10% from each Confederation Member apart from the Darwin Festival and Ten Days on the Island whose minimum commitment must be 5%.
• Have the remaining 20% of the total Pre-production Expenditure confirmed by the Producer and/or Administering Festival from other sources or have agreement with the Co-commissioning Festivals and other partners to increase their commission contribution if necessary in order to make up the remaining 20%.
• Remount costs must be identified clearly within the pre-production budget including freight and airfare costs for each Confederation season and include a contingency to account for any unforeseen circumstances. Remount, freight and airfare costs for non-Confederation partners will not be met by the MFI and should not be included in the budget.
• Once the World Premiere Season is concluded, a Commissioning Royalty must be collected on all subsequent seasons of MFI fund productions in one of the following forms:
  1% of gross box office receipts; or
  2. a negotiated flat fee; or
  3. a fee of 0.1% per performance of the total MFI funds provided.

If your idea meets the above artistic, presentation and financial criteria contact the festival in your region to discuss your project further.