Reimbursement Grant Pilot Program
The Maine Film Office Film in Maine Reimbursement Grant Pilot is funded through the Maine Office of Tourism, Outdoor Recreation & Film. This pilot program is intended to stimulate filmmaking in the state and demonstrate the economic benefit of filming in Maine. The grants distributed through this program will support economic development and job creation in the areas of film and television production and generate revenue in accommodations, meals, retail sales, transportation, equipment rental and other visual media production related activities by visual media production companies who select Maine as the location for their production.
The pilot program requires the visual media production company to incur a minimum of $1,000,000 of qualifying labor and non-payroll production expenditures in Maine for a single project and meet the Maine Film Office eligibility requirements. The total program budget is anticipated to be $700,000 but is contingent upon available funds. Limit one (1) reimbursement grant annually per visual media production company. The Maine Film Office anticipates awarding two reimbursement grants with a project cap of up to $350,000 each. At least one grant will be awarded to an eligible project with a storyline that is set in Maine.
Learn more on eligible applicants, projects and application requirements below.
How to Apply
- Applicants must have an account with the Maine Film Office. Instructions for setting up your free account may be found here.
- Complete online registration form.
- Include a copy of the screenplay.
- Upon submission of the form, the Maine Film Office will review the application to see that it meets eligibility requirements.
- Eligible projects will receive a Production Certificate via email from the Maine Film Office. If the project does not meet the eligibility requirements for the pilot program, the Maine Film Office will inform the production company no later than 30 days after the application closing date.
- The Maine Film Office will accept applications through May 15, 2026. Applications not submitted online by midnight on May 15, 2026, will not be considered for the pilot program.
- This is not a first-come, first-served program. Productions will be reviewed and assigned a score based on the estimated economic benefit to the State of Maine utilizing the following criteria:
Primary Evaluation Criteria
- Total estimated Maine-resident production wages;
- Total estimated non-payroll production expenses to be paid to Maine vendors;
- Total estimated days/partial days of principal photography in Maine;
- Storyline set in Maine;
- Total estimated days/partial days of principal photography in select Maine counties (Androscoggin, Aroostook, Franklin, Kennebec, Oxford, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, Washington, Hancock County (excluding Mt. Desert Island).
Secondary Evaluation Criteria
- Production company is based in Maine;
- Post-Production will be done in Maine;
- Percentage of financing secured upon submission of the application;
- Portrayal of Maine in the screenplay;
- Quality of the screenplay;
- Other criteria at the discretion of the Maine Film Office.
Productions will be informed of the outcome of the review process within 30 days of the application’s closing date.
Successful applicants must begin principal photography within 12 months following the Maine Film Office’s decision date.
Questions:
Steve Lyons
Director, Maine Film Office
207-592-4080
