British Council Travel Grant Fund 2026: Rolling Support for UK Filmmakers and XR Creatives
The British Council Travel Grant Fund helps UK filmmakers and XR creatives attend selected international festivals, showcases, creative development labs, and co-production forums. Rolling applications can contribute £150 to £6,000 depending on the strand, subject to eligibility and available funding.
British Council Travel Grant Fund 2026: Rolling Support for UK Filmmakers and XR Creatives
The British Council Travel Grant Fund helps UK filmmakers and XR creatives attend selected international events where their work is being presented or developed. Support can contribute to travel and accommodation for festivals and showcases, participation fees for labs and co-production forums, access support, and some of the extra cost of travelling overland. It is intended to help people represent UK work abroad, build professional contacts, reach audiences, and develop projects.
The current British Council application materials are titled Travel Grant Fund Application Guidelines 2026. The fund is open on a rolling basis rather than through one annual closing date. That does not mean an application can be submitted at any time for any event: the British Council requires an application at least two weeks before the event starts, and awards remain subject to eligibility and available funding.
Key details
| Detail | Current information |
|---|---|
| Programme | British Council Travel Grant Fund |
| Funder and delivery organisation | British Council Film, supported by BFI National Lottery funding in partnership with BFI NETWORK and the BFI International Fund |
| Application timing | Rolling throughout the year; submit at least two weeks before the event starts |
| Applicants | Over-18 UK residents or citizens who meet the requirements of a specific strand |
| Project types | Short film, feature film, or XR project that is an official UK production or co-production |
| Award range | £150 to £6,000 depending on the strand and circumstances |
| Eligible activity | Selected international festivals, showcases, creative development labs, and co-production forums |
| Event requirement | Official selection on the relevant Key List, or a discretionary enquiry for an eligible unlisted event |
| Official source | British Council Travel Grant Fund |
There is no single date to enter in a calendar. “Ongoing” describes the fund’s application model, not a promise that every request will be funded. The British Council says awards depend on available funding, and its Key Lists of eligible events are reviewed every six months. Check the live list and the current guidelines before committing to travel or treating an event as eligible.
The five strands
The fund is organised into five strands, accessed through two application routes: one for festivals and showcases, and one for labs and co-production forums. The amount available is linked to the type of event and the work being represented.
Short Film Festival Grants support new or emerging writers and directors who have not yet had a feature film produced and distributed in the UK, as well as lead producers at any experience level. The short must be selected for an eligible festival and must be a new film under 60 minutes. Awards are £150 to £1,500 and are rarely above £750. Up to two grants may be available for one short film, but they must be for different festivals.
Feature Film Festival Grants are for lead producers attending an eligible festival where a feature film is screening. Awards are £150 to £1,500 and are rarely above £750. The guidelines say a feature film must have a budget of £15 million or less and must have been completed within the last 12 months or be currently in production. A feature film selected for a World, International, North American, or European premiere in an official category or competition at a major A-list festival may instead need to apply to the BFI UK Global Screen Fund Festival Launch Support programme.
Interactive, immersive, and XR Grants support XR creatives attending an eligible festival or showcase with an interactive, immersive, or XR project. Standard awards are £150 to £1,500 and are rarely above £750. Large XR awards range from £1,500 to £5,000 and are intended for eligible A-list events. A Large XR award can include essential project-facilitation costs such as round-trip equipment freight to and from the UK and travel and accommodation for up to three essential staff, for example a director, producer, or technician.
Creative Development Lab Grants are for producers, writers, directors, or XR creatives attending eligible development labs. The strand is aimed at people working on new feature projects or developing XR projects. Grants are capped at £6,000 and are rarely above £3,000. They can contribute to travel, accommodation, and participant fees rather than paying for the project’s production costs.
Co-production Forum Grants are for producers working on a feature film or XR project who are attending an eligible market or co-production forum to find finance and partners. Awards are capped at £2,000. Up to two co-production forum grants may be available for producers, subject to the programme rules and available funds.
Who can apply
The fund is not a general travel bursary for anyone working in film. The applicant must fit the role requirements for the relevant strand and must be over 18 and a UK resident or citizen. The project must be an official UK production or co-production, and that status must be reflected in the event programme or supporting evidence.
For festival and showcase applications, the project must have an official selection at an event on the relevant British Council Key List. A sidebar, guest programme, or retrospective selection does not meet the stated requirement. Applicants also need to have submitted details of the film or project to the British Council’s UK Project Database. The application page asks for evidence of selection in an official festival programme, not just an informal invitation to attend.
The roles differ by strand. A short-film applicant may be a qualifying new or emerging writer or director, or a lead producer. A feature festival applicant must be the lead producer. An XR applicant must be an XR creative. Lab applications can come from producers, writers, directors, or XR creatives within the relevant project scope. Co-production forum applications are for producers of feature-film or XR projects. Executive producers, actors, and other crew members who are not listed for the relevant strand are not eligible simply because they are travelling with the project.
The fund does not support TV, series, or audio projects. It does not support a gallery or exhibition presentation outside a festival context. Costs already paid by the event, costs incurred before the application, travel insurance, food and drink, marketing or social-media campaigns, and XR staff fees such as technician or docent fees are also excluded. Feature films already covered by the UK Global Screen Fund cannot use this fund for the same supported activity.
What the grant can pay for
Awards are contributions, and the British Council says they will rarely cover the full cost of attendance. Eligible budgets can include return economy international travel from within the UK, accommodation, participation fees for labs and forums, access support, and additional costs associated with non-aviation travel. Festival accommodation is generally based on an average of two nights. Travel and accommodation figures should use economy prices available when the application is made.
The British Council encourages applicants to consider rail, coach, car, or boat travel where practical. A Green Travel Bursary can supplement a standard grant when an applicant travels overland or by sea to a European event. The guidelines give a usual range of £150–£350 for that additional support. Applicants should describe the proposed route in the application rather than assuming the bursary is automatic.
Access support is available by request. The fund can help with application support, alternative formats for the guidelines, and costs directly associated with event access, including travel with a BSL interpreter or access worker. A sole carer whose caring responsibilities would otherwise prevent attendance may also be considered for a bursary contribution. Explain the need in the application and contact Films@britishcouncil.org if assistance is needed before submitting the form.
How to apply
Start with the Travel Grant Fund page and read the Travel Grant Fund Application Guidelines in full. Then use the relevant Key List to check that the festival, showcase, lab, or forum is included. Events are categorised into A and B groups, with A events prioritised and B events considered if funding remains. The lists can change during their six-month review cycle, so do not rely on an old copy.
The application sequence is:
- Confirm that the project and applicant match one of the five strands.
- Check the relevant Key List and confirm that the project has an official selection or event invitation that meets the programme rules.
- Make sure the event begins at least two weeks after the submission date. Requests made within two weeks of the start or after the event has begun will not be considered.
- Confirm that the film or XR project is recorded on the British Council UK Project Database where required and can be evidenced as an official UK production or co-production.
- Complete the online form for either Festivals and Showcasing or Labs and Co-Production Forums.
- Provide the invitation or acceptance evidence, project details, contact details, CV or filmography for every person benefiting, an explanation of the trip’s purpose, and a detailed breakdown of costs and other contributions.
- Send written evidence of acceptance to films@britishcouncil.org when requested by the guidelines or fund team.
The festival and showcase application page says an eligible form should take about 30 minutes, but gathering the evidence can take longer. Prepare the invitation letter or email, official programme evidence, project synopsis and technical details where relevant, a filmography, and economy travel and accommodation estimates before opening the form. If a festival is not on a Key List, contact the British Council before applying. Discretionary support is limited, is not guaranteed, and is assessed separately.
What happens after submission
Standard applications are assessed within two weeks, with an email notification of success or ineligibility. Even an eligible application does not guarantee an award: the British Council must consider the remaining fund and the event’s priority. A-list events are assessed first, and the guidelines also mention competition selection, award nominations, and premiere status as factors that can affect priority and grant amounts.
If an offer is made, the applicant receives an offer email and must return the signed grant acceptance and bank forms within two weeks or the offer may be revoked. Payment usually arrives within 30 days of completed forms and may take up to 45 days. It may therefore arrive after travel. Keep receipts and evidence of expenditure; the British Council may request them in anti-fraud spot checks. Awardees must also complete an online feedback form within one month after returning from travel.
There are limits on repeat support. Only one application can be made per project per event. A short film can receive up to two separate grants, a feature can receive up to two unless the same project has received UK Global Screen Fund Festival Launch Support, and an XR project cannot receive more than one Large XR grant or more than two standard travel grants. One lab grant is available per filmmaker or project, and producers may receive up to two co-production forum grants. Priority is given to feature, lab, co-production forum, and XR applicants who have not previously received a British Council Travel Grant.
Practical checklist
Before submitting, verify the event date and leave more than the required two-week margin. Confirm that the project appears in an official selection rather than a sidebar or retrospective. Check the role rules instead of assuming every member of the creative team can apply. Separate costs already covered by the event from the amount requested, use economy estimates, and include access or green-travel needs in the form.
Do not apply for a trip that has already happened, a project type excluded by the guidelines, or a cost that was incurred before submission. If the event is not listed, email the British Council film team about discretionary support before building a budget around it. Because the fund is rolling but finite, an early application after receiving the invitation gives the team time to check eligibility and process the request.
This is a live 2026 opportunity with an ongoing deadline, not an archive of a closed annual competition. The official British Council page and current guidelines should control if an event list, form, award limit, or eligibility rule changes.