The Black Screen Office (BSO) is pleased to announce that the Rogers-BSO Script Development Fund for Black and People of Colour Creators is NOW OPEN for the second round of applications.
Launched in 2021, the Rogers-BSO Fund stimulates content creation by Black writers and writers from racially diverse communities. The $750,000 Fund is a partnership between the Rogers Group of Funds and the Black Screen Office, administered by the Canadian Independent Screen Fund for BPOC Creators (CISF). It provides funding for selected writers to create pitch-ready content. The funding initiative is offered in conjunction with the TD Mentorship Program sponsored by TD Bank Group. The program includes additional support from mentors, story editors, script evaluators, a pitching coach, and opportunities for successful applicants to pitch their content to producers, networks, studios, cable and/or streaming platforms in Canada and internationally.
“The initiative is just one pathway that the BSO has forged to support Black and racially diverse Canadians to build thriving careers in the screen industries, and engage and inspire audiences globally with their stories,” says Joan Jenkinson, Executive Director of the BSO. “The Rogers-BSO Script Development Fund injects significant financial backing into the system for traditionally underfunded Black and People of Colour talent to get their content in front of decision-makers who can meaningfully move their projects forward.”
“We are proud to continue investing in equity-deserving Black and People of Colour creators, in partnership with the Black Screen Office and Canadian Independent Screen Fund for BPOC Creators,” said Robin Mirsky-Daniels, Director, Rogers Group of Funds. “Together, we are committed to removing barriers to funding and helping to amplify BPOC voices, as these talented creators bring diverse perspectives and powerful stories that need to be heard here in Canada and around the world.”
In its first round of funding, 16 outlines and scripts by Black and People of Colour creators were written with Rogers-BSO Development Fund support.
To apply for the Fund, please visit the submission portal managed by CISF. The only national fund created for and by Canada’s Black and People of Colour creatives, the CISF is developing a sustainable fund to support projects led by Black and racialized creators at all stages of their careers. The Rogers-BSO Development Fund portal is open until July 25, 2022 at 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET.
For more information about the Rogers-BSO Fund, contact:
Andy Marshall, BSO Manager, Programming and Operations at programming@bso-ben.ca
Riaz Charania, CISF Fund Manager at info@independentfund.org
About the Black Screen Office
The Black Screen Office is a not-for-profit organization that envisions a Canadian screen industry in which Black Canadians thrive, and their stories engage and inspire global audiences. Our goals are to make Canada’s screen industry practices and policies equitable and free of anti-Black racism; to accelerate system-level change through collaboration and strategies for engagement and accountability; and to empower Black Canadians working within the screen industries. For more information, visit bso-ben.ca
About Rogers Group of Funds
Since 1980, the Rogers Group of Funds has supported Canada’s independent film and television producers with more than $600 million through three different types of funding. Rogers Telefund offers loans to Canadian independent producers; Rogers Documentary Fund, Canada’s premier source of funding for documentary films; and Rogers Cable Network Fund, an equity investor in Canadian programs with a first play on a Canadian cable channel. Three different types of financing. Three different funds. All from one source – Rogers. For more information, visit rogersgroupoffunds.com
About Canadian Independent Screen Fund
The CISF for BPOC Creators is a national fund run for and by Black and People of Colour communities. The organization has its roots in the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund which ran successfully from 1991 to 2008 before being re-imagined in 2020 as a fund for Black and racially diverse creators working in the screen-based sector. The Board and Advisory are comprised of key industry leaders from across the country, including representatives of BIPOC TV & Film, Black Screen Office, Black on Black Films, Coalition M.É.D.I.A, Creatives Empowered, the National Screen Institute (NSI), Independent Media Producers Association of Creative Talent (I.M.P.A.C.T), Reelworld Screen Institute, Racial Equity Media Collective, and the Vancouver Asian Film Festival. For more information, visit independentfund.org
For more information:
Joan Jenkinson | Black Screen Office | joan@bso-ben.ca
