Screen Australia has unveiled the Private Investment Toolkit, a free interactive digital platform designed to help local producers access private funding and build more sustainable financing structures for screen projects.
Released Monday (June 29th), the toolkit was developed in consultation with a taskforce spanning finance, tax, investment, philanthropy, legal, education and production sectors.
It offers resources tailored to different investor motivations – whether commercial return, cultural impact or philanthropic outcomes – and aims to standardise how producers present and pitch projects to private capital.
Screen Australia’s Chief Operating Officer Grainne Brunsdon said the platform addresses a long-standing disconnect between the screen industry and potential investors. “The Private Investment Toolkit unlocks the true investment potential of our screen industry,” she said.
“By helping investors understand the opportunities and giving producers the tools to present projects and manage relationships with clarity, confidence and commercial rigour, it opens the door to more constructive dialogue around screen projects, setting the stage for more confident and successful partnerships.
“Importantly, it also shows investors exactly where, how and why they should engage, highlighting that the screen sector can deliver influence, ownership and cultural impact as well as returns – a combination that many traditional investments simply can’t deliver,” she said.
Producer and taskforce member Deanne Weir, who also serves as an investor, said private funding for screen stories has slipped off the radar in recent years – and this will help change that.
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“Screen Australia’s Private Investment Toolkit is an absolute gift to both producers and investors, it will help bridge the significant knowledge gaps that currently exist between those with capital and those who need it,” Weir said. “Screen stories have fallen off the radar as an investment opportunity, but we can offer a fun and fulfilling experience to funders who believe that storytelling can both entertain and also help all of us better understand the world we live in.”
The toolkit sits under the Enrich Pillar of Screen Australia’s Corporate Plan 2025–2029, which focuses on building a stronger, more inclusive industry through business development and talent support. It requires no registration and is available now via the Screen Australia website.
It is free to use here.