LIFT Production and Post-Production Support Grant


Updated: May 2025
Please stay tuned for more details about the launch of the next Production and Post-Production Support Grant at the end of August 2025.

Questions:
All inquiries can be sent to membership@lift.ca

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REPORTS

Progress Report for previously awarded projected still to be completed. ProgressReport_LIFTProductionSupportProgram_Aug2023

Final Report for previously awarded projected still to be completed.
FinalReport_LIFTProductionSupportProgram_Aug2023

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PAST GRANT AMOUNTS:
(Subject to change when 2025 grant is launched)

In recent years, LIFT’s Support Grant provided $2,000 in equipment rental credits per filmmaker for up to eight projects at varying levels of completion ($16,000 a year commitment).


PAST ELIGIBILITY:
(Subject to change when 2025 grant is launched)

1. All General and Production (Regular, Student and Equitable levels)  individual members in good standing as of (date TBA) are eligible to apply. All outstanding debts must be paid in full prior to applying. If awarded a grant as a General member, you must follow the procedure to upgrade to a Production membership, if you haven’t already, including providing a reference check and paying applicable upgrade fees.

2. First time filmmakers and students, over the age of 18, may apply. This Grant is not designed to support student projects that are deemed as classwork. This includes Thesis film projects. If you are a student, please provide a letter from an advisor and/or instructor confirming this is an extra-curricular project.

3. You must be based in the Greater Toronto Area to apply for this grant and identify as one of the following: Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident, Newcomer (in Canada for less than 7 years without permanent residency) or Refugee (a person who was forced to leave their home country and is now located in Canada).

4. Previous grant recipients are eligible to apply. Anyone who has previously received a Production and Post-Production Support Grant must have completed their previous project, submitted final reports and final copies of the work to LIFT and/or waived the grant for projects not completed before they can apply for a new project.

5. Applicants must hold, and retain, creative, and editorial control in the director and/or the filmmaker role, as well as copyright to the project for which they apply. Producers are not eligible to apply.

6. Applicants may apply for funding for only one (1) project per application deadline.

7. Collaborative projects are eligible to apply. One collaborator must submit the project in their name, but the application must include résumés for all participants. The applying collaborator must be also LIFT member as outlined in point #1.

8. Interdisciplinary projects are welcome, however, film and digital (time based moving image) components must play a key role in the project. Priority is given to celluloid focused projects, but all formats are eligible.

9. The following types of projects and/or services for projects are ineligible:
Industrial or corporate projects; calling card films; student projects; web series, conventional forms of theatrical and television entertainment, such as dramas, movies-of-the-week and news reports; as well as post-production projects that have no creative element, such as analogue film blow-up processes, transfers from one format to another, duplication, DCPs, or subtitling.