BFI Sets $16m Cash Award To Fund New UK-Wide Film Education Strategy

The BFI today announced that it will hand out $16m (£14m) of National Lottery 'good cause' funding over three years to enhance film education for 5-18 year-olds across the UK.

The cash award will be given to two UK-wide partners to deliver three targeted initiatives: BFI National Lottery Teaching with Film, BFI National Lottery Young Creatives, and BFI National Lottery Careers and Progression.

Into Film, receiving $15m (£12.4m) over three years will work across all three programs, and National Saturday Club will receive $1.8 (£1.5m) for the same period to collaborate with Into Film to deliver Young Creatives.

The BFI has said the $6m (£5m) award for Teaching with Film will result in a change of strategic focus for Into Film, the film education charity, seeing it prioritize introducing film education as a learning tool to be utilized across the entire school curriculum.

Meanwhile, the $7m (£6m) Careers and Progression program will aim to provide and bolster the access 11-18 year-olds have to expert careers information, guidance, and advice on entering the screen sector.

The BFI said today's cash awards were informed by the industry and public consultation it undertook when forming its National Lottery Strategy 2023-2033. The funding award will come into effect in April.

"Screen culture has a unique power to support learning and expand horizons, so we're focused on extending our reach to more children and young people," said Leigh Adams, BFI Director of Education and Learning.

"The funding announced today will see us connect with more schools to ensure teachers, educators, and career professionals can bring screen culture into the classroom as a powerful tool to support learning across the curriculum, and open doors to a range of career opportunities. We are also seeking to engage wider communities, and open up direct links between schools and further and higher education courses. With our partners, we want to help ignite a passion for screen culture in future film fans and cinema-goers, as well as potential festival programmers, costume and set designers, VFX supervisors, and the many other roles offered within our dynamic sector."

Last week, the BFI also announced an $18m cash award for 11 UK partner organizations as the first funding award of its new 10-year National Lottery strategy.