Post-Production, Visual Effects and Digital Animation Grant (PPG)
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
- Winning means you must produce audited accounts. 13 ask that.
- Scored mainly on who you are, not what you propose. 29 lead with that.
- Most rejections here are settled before you write a word: they turn on who you are, not how well you argue.
Can you win this grant?
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Reimburses Alberta post-production companies 18% of eligible invoiced labour costs on qualifying VFX, animation, and post-production projects produced primarily for distribution to a public audience, capped at $200,000 per budget year for an organization and its affiliates combined. Unusually, organizations can submit unlimited applications within a year against the cap, making it accessible for companies with multiple client projects.
Eligibility Requirements
- Incorporated in Alberta under the Business Corporation Act, registered as extra-provincial company in Alberta, or sole proprietorship with registered Alberta trade name
- Provides post-production services to arm's-length, third-party organizations on a regular basis
- Project must be produced primarily for distribution to a mass public audience
- In good standing with all Government of Alberta funding
- Minimum grant request of $500 per submission (program page); the April 2026 guidelines separately require each project's eligible invoice value to be at least $500.
- Submissions under $4,000 combined eligible invoice value not considered
- Maximum $200,000 per budget year across the organization and its affiliates — related entities cannot multiply the cap
- Applications must be submitted through the Online Grant Application System, which requires a Front Office Registration profile
- 'Albertan' labour is defined narrowly: the worker must have been an Alberta resident on December 31 of the prior year AND have filed an Alberta tax return as a resident for that prior year (or be an Alberta post-secondary graduate who has resided in Alberta 6+ months), with a discretionary route to request consideration for someone who filed an Alberta return in any of the past four years — simply living in Alberta now is not enough for that year's labour.
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- 18% of eligible Alberta labour costs, up to $200,000 per budget year per organization and its affiliates combined
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Provincial
- Co-Funding
- Up to 18% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Intake opens April 1 and runs until March 1 the following year, or earlier if the year's $200,000 budget is fully allocated first — apply within 60 days of the project's post-production end date, invoice date, or the signature date on the deal memo with a production company. The $200,000 annual cap resets April 1, not March 1.
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Accessible — straightforward requirements
Below average competition
Easy — minimal documentation
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipSet up your Front Office Registration profile before you have anything to claim — new applicants must email the form to [email protected] and wait for credentials, and the application only counts if it comes through the Online Grant Application System (emailed or mailed applications are refused).
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
How the Government of Alberta judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 6+ source documents, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-11.
6 of the sources
- Post-Production, Visual Effects and Digital Animation Grant alberta.ca
- Alberta Media Fund — Post-Production, Visual Effects and Digital… open.alberta.ca
- Post-Production, Visual Effects and Digital Animation Grant — Guide… alberta.ca
- PPG Alberta Residency Confirmation alberta.ca
- GRANTIUM Grants Application Tracking and Evaluation cfr.forms.gov.ab.ca
- Alberta Media Fund | Alberta.ca alberta.ca
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What the Government of Alberta favours
Enter dates and numbers accurately◦
“Please ensure that the dates and numbers being entered are accurate.”
The form
Register in GATE
- 1Register for a User Account (new applicants)list
- 2Part 1: Organization Informationshort answer
- 3Part 2: Authorized Representative / Legal Signing Authoritycheckbox
- 4Part 3: Additional Userstable
- 5choose the program area and submitselection
Applicant profile
- 6Complete the Applicant Profilelist
- 7Applicant Typeselection
Application form
- 8Program Overview pageshort answer
- 9contact and signing authorityselection
- 10Organization Informationtable
- 11Eligible Alberta Employeestable
- 12Projects Claimedtable
- 13Project Information (one page per project) — including Eligible Albertans Performing Worktable
- 14Declaration of non-Alberta and non-eligible costs on each invoicetable
- 15Applicant Declarationcheckbox
- 16Signed applicant agreementshort answer
- 17Attachments sectionlist
Attachments
- 18Documents required in the FIRST applicationlist
- 19Documents required in EVERY applicationlist
- 20Request for consideration as an Albertan (optional attachment)written answer
Applicants may request that individuals be considered Albertan if they have filed an Alberta Tax Return in any of the four prior taxation years. Requests for consideration must be submitted along with the application as an attachment and clearly state the details of the consideration being sought.
- 21Deal memo — reserving funds for a project over $150,000short answer
Submit
- 22Submitcheckbox
the Government of Alberta states no length limits for these answers.
Judged against
- 1
Is the company itself eligible?
Show them Show your Alberta incorporation or trade-name registration in good standing and regular arm's-length client work.◦
In the funder’s words · 1
- Once an application has been received, it will be assessed for program eligibility. Should an applicant be deemed eligible, the request for grant funds will be assessed.
- 2
Are the claimed projects and costs eligible?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 3
Is every claimed worker a resident Albertan?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 4
Is there budget left when you file?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
Where applicants fail
“The 70/30 ratio serves as an industry average. No exceptions to this ratio or the grant calculation will be considered.”
“Incomplete applications will not be assessed until all documentation has been received. Applications that remain incomplete for 30 days after notification from the program will be considered withdrawn.”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 19 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
14 more rules that can reject you · 4 more criteria · 21 more prompts
Do you pass?
Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.
Your organisation
Alberta corporation, extra-provincial or trade name
Be incorporated in Alberta under the Business Corporations Act, or be registered as an extra-provincial company in Alberta under the Act, or operate as a sole proprietorship with a registered Trade Name in Alberta. Corporations must be in good standing with the Alberta Corporate Registry. Good standing refers to maintaining an active status by filing annual returns, and other required documentation annually, and as required. Applicants must remain in good standing for the entire period of their grant agreement
Request no more than $200,000
Not request more than the maximum funding per organization of $200,000
The project
Not productions that solicit funds
Productions that solicit funds
No archiving work
Archiving for corporate, institutional and preservation purposes
Not industrial or corporate productions
Productions produced primarily for industrial, corporate, or institutional purposes
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
Grant rate12.5% of eligible Alberta costs
A grant of 12.5 per cent of the total eligible Alberta costs will be calculated, being an 18 per cent grant on the 70 per cent labour portion of an assumed 70/30 labour/non-labour invoice split.
Worked example$1,875 on $15,000 eligible
For example, an eligible project, with a total invoice value of $20,000, where $5,000 can be attributed to non-Alberta costs, will be calculated at 12.5 per cent of $15,000. In this instance a grant would be awarded for $1,875.
Annual ceilingMaximum $200,000 per organization per year
Maximum $200,000 per organization per year, combined across the parent organization, subsidiaries, associates and any non-arm's-length entities.
Minimum claim$4,000 per application, $500 per project
Minimum $4,000 combined eligible Alberta invoice value per application, minimum $500 eligible invoice value per project.
Funds reservationOver $150,000 with signed deal memo
Projects with budgets in excess of $150,000, which have a signed deal memo with a production company, may qualify to have funds reserved.
Payment timingNot granted until project completion
funds will not be granted until project completion
StackingStackable with PPG if eligible
Applicants may receive funding for both the PPG and Alberta Made Production Grant, if eligible
Costs before approvalGuidelines fixed at application date
Projects that are approved for PPG funding are subject to the guidelines in effect at the date of grant application. To be clear, changes to guidelines and/or policies will not apply retroactively, unless specifically stated
What it pays for · 1
- Invoiced costs for eligible Albertans performing eligible activities on eligible projects.
What it does not pay for · 2
- non-Albertan expenses
- labour and non-labour expenses related to ineligible projects or activities
From application to money
- Register in GATEAccount created after emailing registration form
- File within 60 days60 calendar daysApply within 60 days of completion
- Annual deadlineMarch 1 annually at 11:59 pm MST
- Decision by emailEmail notice of application status
- Funds releasedFunds paid after project completion
- Report changesWithin 30 daysUpdate documentation within 30 days
In the funder’s words · 6
- Register in GATE
- AMF program staff create your account after you email the registration form, so start this before the 60-day clock runs out.
- File within 60 days
- Applications must be received within 60 calendar days of completion of post-production, invoice date or signature date on the deal memo signed by the production company.
- Annual deadline
- The grant year runs from April 1st to March 31st the following year, with an application deadline of March 1st.
- Decision by email
- Successful, unsuccessful and ineligible applicants will be notified of the status of their application by email.
- Funds released
- For deal-memo reservations, funds will not be granted until project completion.
- Report changes
- You must update your documentation within 30 days of the date a material change occurred.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win PPG
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 12-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 5-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 6-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 12
Eligible Expenses 5
Ineligible Expenses 8
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Low RiskHow PPG Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post-Production, Visual Effects and D... | up to $200,000 | Easy | Reimbursement | Intake opens April 1 and... |
| Canadian Film or Video Production Tax... | 25% | Moderate | Tax Credit Offset | Ongoing |
| Film or Video Production Services Tax... | 16% | Easy | Tax Credit Offset | Ongoing |
| Alberta Film and Television Tax Credi... | 22% | Moderate | Tax Credit Offset | Ongoing |
| Canada Media Fund | up to $250K | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing (multiple... |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about PPG