Nebraska offers grants up to $400,000 for productions that shoot in the US state

The Nebraska Film Office has revealed that commencing 1 Oct 2021 production companies can apply for grants of up to $400,000 for projects that are filmed on location in Nebraska and tell a local story.

Administrated by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, the grant is open to Nebraska residential and non-residential companies who’ve budgeted a minimum of $1m to shoot on-location in the state and feature Nebraska-based characters and locales.

The department will match up to 20% of the amount spent on qualified expenditure in Nebraska. 

The majority percentage of principal photography for feature films must take place in Nebraska and be more than all other states, but not all other states combined. In addition, at least 50% of the worker days while filming in Nebraska must be comprised of Nebraska residents.

Grants can be applied for between 120 and 30 days prior to the scheduled filming date. 

The script and resulting film must consider one or more of the following to be eligible for the grant:

• Based on events that took place in Nebraska;
• A fictional story that is set in Nebraska;
• A film that features characters who live or lived in Nebraska; or
• A film that depicts identifiable Nebraska locations in the storyline.

Laurie Richards, Nebraska Film Office director said: “Film is a powerful tool for showcasing the state to a new audience. It’s also a great resource for economic development. Not only do films promote local tourism, but their production tends to create jobs and utilize the services of local businesses. Encouraging filmmakers to showcase our unique landscape and culture is a great way to tell our story to the world.”