PILOT (Animation)

PILOT is a grant scheme by the Media Development Authority (MDA) for the development of a trailer or pilot episode for an original animated TV series or animated feature film.

Eligibility Criteria

  1. The applicant must be a legal entity (branch office, private, or public company) registered and incorporated in Singapore with at least 50% local shareholding – it may be owned by local or foreign shareholders, subject to the provisions of the Companies Act (Cap.50)
  2. The applicant (company) must have previously produced at least a 13-episode x 22-minute animated TV series, or a full-length animated feature film
  3. Proposed project should be either a pilot / trailer for an animated TV series, or a trailer for an animated feature film (mixed-media projects, eg. live action + animation, are not supported under this scheme)
  4. The content product should be original and exportable to international markets
  5. Projects must not have commenced at the time of application

Grant Quantum

Under this scheme, the MDA may provide assistance through a grant to cover up to 70% or less of the total qualifying cost of the project, not exceeding the amount of S$150,000. Examples of major allowable costs are:

i) Manpower
ii) Hardware / Software

Application Procedure

Interested parties may send in the PILOT Application Form, a full project proposal, along with the following supporting documents and materials:

  • ACRA Business Profile (up-to-date)
  • Financial statements of the company for the past 3 to 5 years
  • Track record, experience, and business plan of the company
  • Concept, storyline, treatment, synopses of series and episodes, pilot draft script
  • Character bible, storyboards, and detailed artwork (props, backgrounds, etc)
  • Itemised production budget (covering abovethe- line, pre-production, production and postproduction costs – highlight also all costs pertaining to expenditures in Singapore)
  • Detailed production schedule (indicating work split by location)
  • Profiles of above-the-line team (eg. producer, technical director, creative director, etc)
  • Financing secured to-date
  • Distribution secured to-date
  • Written commitment and/or interest from investors, broadcasters, distributors, etc
  • Written commitment and/or interest from investors, broadcasters, distributors, etc
  • Anticipated sales projections across all revenue streams (High, Mid, Low projections)

Please note that upon receiving the MDA’s Letter of Offer, the successful applicant will need to reply with an acceptance of the offer under the terms and conditions stated, failing which the offer may lapse. Please also note that the project should be implemented within the time period specified in the Letter of Offer.

Claim Procedure

The grant may be disbursed to the applicant on a reimbursement basis. Along with the claim form, applicants must attach original payslips, invoices and receipts of their expenditure. At the end of the project, the applicant must also submit an audited financial statement for verification. The MDA will disburse the grant monies in accordance to the receipts and audited statement submitted. Please see the following details regarding this:

  • Projects are generally reimbursed in three separate stages
  • As a prerequisite for each disbursement, the MDA must be satisfied with the respective deliverables to be submitted by the applicant
  • The final disbursement can only be made after MDA’s acceptance of the final deliverables, which includes verification of the audited statement by the MDA

Termination of Project

In the event that the applicant decides to terminate its project, the applicant will have to compensate the MDA by returning the entire sum of funding which had been disbursed hitherto.

Administrative Procedures

The processing time for each application is 4 to 6 weeks upon the MDA’s acceptance of (and full satisfaction with) the submission materials and a completed application form. Successful applicants will receive a formal reply from the MDA. Depending on the nature and length of the project, the applicant must submit its completed content product to the MDA within the stipulated time frame. The MDA reserves the right to add, remove or modify any part of this document and Letter of Offer in any manner as it deems fit without any compensation to the applicant.

Click here to download the PILOT (Animation) Application Guidelines.

Click here to download the PILOT (Animation) Application Form.