As the UK Film Council's regional partner, we distribute funds from the National Lottery here in the South West. We want to hear from organisations and individuals based in the region who need financial support for creative film and media projects which start after 1 April 2008 and run for no more than 18 months.

Both the focus and procedure of our Lottery funding have been revised and simplified this year. We no longer offer money under three separate funds and now focus our support on projects which can achieve these outcomes:

• increased skills and creativity via projects which develop people and organisations;
• extended access and participation which encourages more people to enjoy the moving image in the South West;
• promotion and heightened profile of the South West's creative and media sector;
• positive social and cultural impact at a local and/or regional level.

We will prioritise applications from new applicants or projects submitted by previously successful applicants which are significantly different in aims.

We have also simplified the application process: application forms are now available online and a short pre-application form will allow us to assess the suitability of your project.

Under the Lottery funds, we have a total pot of £230,000. The maximum size of a grant will be £20,000. However, the average award will be between £5,000 and £8,000.

Three panels will be held during the year. All applications will be discussed by the panel which will make final decisions.

To apply online now:

Please note that the deadline for applications has now passed. The fund will open for new applications in April 2009.

If you have been invited to submit a second stage application, please log into your account to access the application form.

Please ensure you read the application guidelines before completing your application.

Applications do not need to be completed in one sitting - you can save the form at any time and return to it at a later date by logging into your account. If you encounter any problems with the online applications service please contact us.

Please note that proposals for the production of short films intended for festival or cinema distribution are not eligible under these funds. If you have a short film idea, please look here for details of the Digital Shorts Scheme.

More information