General terms

In order to receive a grant from ISFI, the applicant and project must meet ISFI's general conditions (the Cultural Test). ISFI conducts a discretionary and artistic assessment of the application based on the project's artistic quality, the applicant's ability to realise the project and the criteria set out in ISFI's regulations.

  • The grant is linked to Sámi culture and language. The following is required of projects applying for grants:

    1. The majority of the dialogue in the film’s script is in Sámi.
    2. The main theme should primarily relate to Sámi history, culture, or social conditions, or secondarily, to similar themes pertaining to other indigenous peoples.
    3. The project has a Sámi production company, either as executive or co-producer, whose primary objective is to engage in audiovisual production and is registered in the Sápmi, Norway, or an EEA country.
    4. Two of the three key functions in the production define themselves as Sámi or are Sámi-speaking:
      •  The producer or co-producer must always be Sámi or Sámi-speaking.
      • As a general rule, the director and screenwriter must be Sami or Sami-speaking.

  • All applications are assessed based on the project’s artistic, filmic, and production quality, and are also subject to a discretionary assessment. ISFI also places emphasis on gender balance and diversity when assessing applications.

    The language used in the application assessment process is Sámi, English or Norwegian. This means that applications, final reports and associated mandatory attachments must be available in one of these languages.

    The processing time is normally between 6-8 weeks, however, may differ between the different schemes.

  • There are no application deadlines for most grant schemes, and applications are processed on an ongoing basis. However, when concerning production grants, the deadlines are 1 February, 2 May, 1 September and 1 December.

  • All grant applications to the International Sámi Film Institute must be submitted electronically. Each grant scheme has its own application form that needs to be used.

  • Before an application can be processed, the case officer must assess his or her own impartiality in accordance with Section 6 of the Norwegian Public Administration Act. Access to the applications will not be granted until impartiality has been assessed and confirmed.

  • All ISFI grant recipients will receive a grant letter stating the terms and conditions of the grant as well as the plan for disbursement.

    Everyone who applies for a grant will receive a response to their application. If your application is rejected, you will be sent a rejection letter.

    The commitment from ISFI is valid for three months after the commitment has been given. If the grant recipient has not accepted the terms and conditions of the grant within three months, the grant will be withdrawn without notice.

  • The Ministry of Culture and Equality in Norway is the appeals body for individual decisions made by the International Sámi Film Institute. The deadline for filing an appeal is three weeks from the date the applicant receives a response to the application.

  • Script grants are usually disbursed in two parts: 75% is disbursed when the grant recipient has accepted the terms and conditions of the grant in writing, and 25% is disbursed after the project report for the grant has been approved by ISFI. Other disbursement rates can be considered as required.

  • If it subsequently transpires that the grant has not been used in accordance with the conditions stipulated in the grant letter, or that the project has been over-financed, the International Sámi Film Institute may demand repayment of all or part of the grant. In the event of a claim for repayment, ISFI will hand down a decision regarding this, and the grant recipient will be sent a letter and invoice.

  • The grant recipient must document how and what the grant has been spent on.

    Mandatory attachments in connection with the reporting:

    • Project accounting
      The accounts must show all expenses for the project that has received a grant. The accountant must have approved and signed all accounts. Project accounts approved by an auditor are required if the grant is for NOK 200,000 or more. Value Added Tax (VAT) is not an approved cost. This also applies to companies that are not subject to VAT.
      If you are reporting for a travel grant, you must send receipts documenting the expenses in relation to the budget instead of accounts. Subsistence allowance and driving allowance are not covered.
    • Project financing
      Specify and explain the project’s financing and the party(ies) financing the project.
    • Audit
      Project accounts approved by an auditor are required if the grant is for NOK 200,000 or more.

     

    What needs to be audited:

      • check whether the vouchers exists and whether they have been entered correctly in the accounts for the project’s cost centre or project number;
      • check whether all expenses relate to activities carried out during the
        grant period;
      • • check whether any of the costs stand out, either in terms of amount or type, or do not appear to be valid and natural in the context of the purpose of the grant;
      • check if there are significant discrepancies between budget and accounts.

     

    The auditor’s report must contain:

      • The name of the grant recipient and organisation number;
      • initiative that has been checked;
      • main figures in the project accounts: grants received, total income, and expenses.
      • Description of any findings from voucher checks;
      • Any other comments from the auditor regarding the project accounts;
      • place and date, and the auditor’s signature.
        The grant recipient is responsible for informing the auditor of these points.

     

    • Production grants
      The following must be submitted to ISFI in connection with reporting for production grants: film master file, poster image, five high-quality still images and a short description of the film.
    • Development grants
      In connection with reporting for development grants, you need to submit any pilot, manuscript and other material that has been completed in connection with the development of the project.
    • Script grants
      If you have received a grant for the development of a script, you must submit the completed script to ISFI. Accounts or an overview of the project’s financing are not required in connection with reporting for script grants. Please note that no tax is deducted from script grants, and you are therefore required to inform the tax authorities of the grant yourself.

     

    If the project and reporting have been delayed, the grant recipient must apply in writing for a postponement in the application portal well in advance of the reporting deadline.

  • If the grant recipient is in breach of the guidelines or ISFI does not receive the final report and accounts and all associated mandatory attachments, this may impact the consideration and allocation of future grants. If a grant recipient has a grant that has not been reported, ISFI will automatically reject the grant recipient’s new applications.

    The guidelines are considered to have been breached if the grant has not been used in accordance with the conditions for the grant and/or in the event of a breach of or non-compliance with decisions made by ISFI pursuant to ISFI’s guidelines.

    In the event of a violation as referred to above, ISFI may also decide to impose the following penalties:

    • Cease the disbursement of grants to the project in question.
    • Cease the disbursement of grants to the grant recipient’s other projects.
    • Demand repayment of all or part of the grant.
    • Impose an exclusion period of up to 3 years on the grant recipient, during which time the grant recipient cannot be awarded a grant.
    • In the event of material breach, ISFI shall immediately cease all allocations of grants to the project in question.