How to Apply
Manitoba Film & Music only accepts applications through our online application portal.* Below is a user guide for accessing the portal and making funding applications.
Once you have reviewed the guide/tutorials, click here to register/apply.
For information on how to use the different features available in the portal, please watch the following tutorials on YouTube:
*Accommodations will be made for those requiring accessibility assistance.
How to Register
There are two registration categories:
- Applicant
- Grant writer/juror
Who should choose applicant?
Artists, permanent band/group members, company owners and permanent employees of applicant companies
Who should choose grant writer/juror?
Persons who are not applying for funding for themselves or their company but are writing grants for others, are a juror for MFM programs, or are a third party entering the system in an administrative capacity.
Uncertain which category you should use to register? Contact MFM staff for assistance:
Applicant Registration Process
Registration is a two-step process for those registering as applicants.
Step 1. User registration
Enter information about yourself and, if applicable, your band/company/business. Submit your registration and staff will verify that you have chosen the correct registration option before allowing you system access.
As part of the registration process, you will be asked to check to see if your applicant profile is already in the system. You can associate with the existing applicant profile and then complete the profile, if required, per the last step below.
Step 2. Applicant profile creation
Once granted system access, please log in to complete your applicant profile. When you log in, you can find your applicant profile in the drop-down menu in the top right corner of your browser.
Submit the profile for review. Once the profile is reviewed by MFM, staff will then allow access to the programs available, and you can start making applications.
Note: You will be asked to list who has permission to manage and make applications for your applicant profile. In this list include band members, company owners or permanent employees. Staff will refer to this when granting additional contacts access to the profile.
Third parties, grant writers, artist managers or others are not required to be listed. Their access to the applicant profile can be managed through the request manager, which is detailed below.
The registration process can take up to five business days to complete. Please make sure you start the process well in advance of any relevant deadlines or eligibility dates for your project.
Grant Writer/Juror Registration Process
Registration for those coming to the system as grant writers, jurors or a third party entering the system in an administrative capacity is a one step process.
Enter your information to create a user profile. Submit your registration and staff will verify you have chosen the correct registration option before allowing you system access.
Note to grant writers: You will need to use the request manager feature to associate with relevant applicant profiles to make applications for your clients after your access has been granted by staff.
Making Applications
Check that you are using the correct applicant profile. See the list of profiles in the building icon menu or see which name appears in the bottom left corner of your browser. The active profile is marked with a check mark. Having the incorrect one selected will affect what you can access and potentially make your application ineligible.
Click on the program to which you want to apply. It will open a new window for that program.
Save draft to enable all upload fields and for your applicant profile information to load into the form.
Fill out all fields and tables, and upload the required documents as requested in each form.
Remember to Save draft to keep all the information you have entered, and to also trigger the formulae and to display content in each page.
Invite other users to collaborate on the application by using the Collaborators function in the left sidebar menu.
Note: Any band/team/company members that need to access the application must be added using this feature. They will be given the right to fill in the application, as well as various reports, and will receive action items related to the application. If you are a grant writer, you must invite the primary contact for the applicant profile for which you are writing the grant as a collaborator.
Click Submit to send your application for review.
Applicant Home Page Guide
MFM programs: This section lists the funding opportunities available.
Note: Industry support is for organization partners and sponsorships and is an invitation-only program.
My applications: These folders list your applications at various stages of the application process: draft, submitted, approved, closed.
My action items: These folders show the tasks that require your attention, such as signing a contract or a letter of commitment or a cost report that is pending. As you complete the related requirements, the task will move through the chain to another folder.
Portal/Menu Guide
My links menu: A dropdown menu located in the top right corner of your browser, where you can access your personal profile, change your password and receive system notifications (these are broadcast messages from MFM that are system-wide).
Bell icon: This is where you can see system notifications, such as MFM sending out a deadline reminder for a program.
Building icon: This will show applicant profiles with which you are associated. If you make an association with an applicant profile, it will show up in a dropdown menu.
Note: Always check to make sure you are using the correct applicant profile when making an application. You cannot make applications with individual applicants selected (which is just a user profile).
Globe icon: This icon lets you select your preferred language, English or French. If you switch it, the system sends you back to your home page.
Request manager: This is a link to the request manager feature. Request manager lets you make requests to be associated with other applicant/company profiles in the system. Staff or the contacts on file for that profile will approve the request. You will also see any requests that have been made by others to associate with your profile. Once associated, a user can make applications for that profile by selecting it from the building icon menu.
Note: You will need to add any persons that you want to participate in an application through the collaborators function on the application form (located in the left menu on applications). Associated contacts will only see the applications they have created or that they have been invited to participate in as a collaborator.
In the request manager, you can also create new applicant profiles for additional projects or companies that you may be involved in that require a separate profile.
Collaborators: When in an application, you can add collaborators by clicking on the Collaborators menu item located in the left sidebar menu. Here you can invite persons to assist in creating and managing the grant and any reporting requirements. Your team, even those who are associated with your profile, must be invited as a collaborator to be able to access the grant. Profile contacts will only have access to the applications they started or with which they have been invited to be a collaborator.
Managing Associations
Request manager associations: You can edit and remove associations made through the request manager by clicking on your Personal profile in the My links menu. On the side menu you will see Associations. Click on this to see a list of associations you have made. Click Open to view each one and, to edit/update, see the Edit button in the top left corner.
You can manage/remove associations that have been made with your applicant/company profile by clicking on Applicant profile, and then on Associations in the left side bar menu. Click on the square beside the name of the association you want to remove and then on the “negative” symbol to remove the association. You can also view what contacts are linked to your applicant profile in this section.
Note: Associations are third parties such as a grant writer or artist manager, or a third party you have engaged to work on an application. Your contacts are the persons who are band/company members/employees or other company owners.
Document management
Letters of commitment: Letters of commitment will be emailed to the primary contact and any collaborators for an application but can be viewed in My action items.
Contracts: Contracts will be sent via DocuSign for execution but are also available for review in My action items.
Reports: Any reports will be fulfilled in the system. Reports related to your project will be displayed in My action items, Requires attention folder. Click on the report to open it and see what is required.
Helpful information
Registered business/companies
Applicants to music programs must have a registered business or be a corporation. If you do not have a registered business, contact the Manitoba Companies Office.
To continue with your Manitoba Film & Music application process without a current business, you can contact MFM staff for assistance or you can continue with registration following the steps above and submit your business registration once it is received from the Companies Office. You will have to upload a temporary document to satisfy the business registration requirement when saving your applicant profile. You can then replace it with the official business registration once it is received.
Applicants to film funding programs and the Manitoba Film and Video Production Tax Credit must be an eligible corporation apart from those applying for the Emerging Talent and Micro-Budget Production grant program. Please consult individual program guidelines for complete applicant eligibility criteria.
Definitions
Registered business: A business that has registered the business name or number with the Manitoba Companies Office but has not been legally incorporated.
Corporation: A legally formed entity that is controlled by directors with ownership shares.