IDM Futures Forward Workshops

Ontario Creates IDM Fund: Futures Forward provides early-stage screen-based companies with access to the skills that they require to fast-track their knowledge acquisition and enhance the competitiveness of their companies through a series of courses administered by the following partner organizations:

• Hand Eye Society
• Interactive Ontario
• Women in Film and Television – Toronto
• Webseries Canada
• Amplifia Network

The program is geared toward companies that do not currently meet the requirements of the Ontario Creates IDM Fund: Concept Definition and Production programs:

• new companies that are led by individuals with less than three years of professional IDM content creation experience (i.e., start-up company led by recent graduates)
• established companies that are transitioning to IDM content creation from other industries (i.e., linear production company exploring interactive content opportunities)

Companies should have an interest in pursuing opportunities associated with proprietary content creation, and have an IDM Fund-eligible project that they would like to produce.

At the conclusion of a Workshop program they will have: 

1. A business and marketing plan for their IDM product
2.  An understanding of business operations including budgeting, financing and financial statements
3.  The ability to effectively pitch their project to an investor, channel partner or funding agency
4.  A solid understanding of the IDM Fund program requirements.

Successful workshop participants will be eligible to submit an application for subsequent deadlines of the IDM Fund Concept Definition and/or Production programs in either stream [Video Content (Linear) or Interactive Content (Non-Linear)]. They will also have an opportunity to apply for a limited grant (Not yet launched - See below for information from 2023-24). 

For further information, please send an inquiry to idmfund@ontariocreates.ca or contact the appropriate partner organizations:

• Hand Eye Society – info@handeyesociety.com
• Interactive Ontario – programs@interactiveontario.com
• Women in Film and Television – Toronto – ljanuska@wift.com
• Webseries Canada – leah.rifkin@webseriescanada.org
• Amplifia Network – info@amplifia.network

Ontario Creates-CMF IDM Futures Forward Program

The Ontario Creates-CMF IDM Futures Forward Program is a partnership with Ontario Creates and the Canada Media Fund (CMF) that provides funding for early-stage project-related development.

This program seeks to support companies that often have barriers to accessing project funding and to support the very beginning of a project’s creative process with the objective of giving a project a better chance to succeed in future stages of funding.

An Eligible Applicant to the Program is a for-profit company that:

• Completed an Ontario Creates Futures Forward Workshop in 2023, OR
• Is an Ontario Creates IDM Fund-eligible company (see Guidelines) where the majority of owners self-identify as at least one of the following: 
  • Women or non-binary; 
  • 2SLGBTQIA+; 
  • First Nations, Inuit or Métis; 
  • Racialized; 
  • Persons with disabilities; 
  • Francophone.
    

An Eligible Project must be:

• A new project that has not received other development funding for the phase of work being proposed
• Interactive Content or Video Content, delivered on a platform, network, or device capable of interactivity. This may include:
  • Video games
  • Mobile content apps
  • E-learning content
  • XR experiences
  • Digital publishing projects
  • Other web properties
  • Web series
  • Video content for online magazines
  • Video-based e-learning projects

DEADLINE 

December 19, 2023, by 5:00 pm ET

FUNDING AVAILABLE

Eligible companies may submit an application to the Program to receive one of a limited number of grants (non-refundable contributions) to assist them with their project development activities.

• The maximum contribution to a project funded through the Program shall be the lesser of $20,000 or 75% of the project’s eligible costs with (i) 50% of the contribution from the CMF and (ii) 50% from Ontario Creates.
• This Program has a commitment to provide 1/3 of its budget towards French-language projects and 2/3 of its budget towards projects from companies owned by members of equity-deserving communities.