ILBF — Irish Language Broadcast Fund

The Irish Language Broadcast Fund (ILBF) is one of the sister funds operated by Northern Ireland Screen Commission (see NI Screen Fund + sister funds), specifically funding productions in the Irish language intended for Northern Ireland / cross-border audiences.

What ILBF funds

• Drama in Irish
• Documentary in Irish
• Children's programming in Irish
• Some entertainment + factual

Why it exists

Reflects the statutory commitments around Irish language under the Good Friday Agreement + subsequent legislation. The fund supports Irish-language content production in Northern Ireland and cross-border productions where Irish is the working language.

Common pairings

• Co-productions with TG4 — Teilifís na Gaeilge (the national Irish-language broadcaster south of the border)
• Co-productions with BBC — British Broadcasting Corporation NI's Irish-language strand
• Cross-border drama set in Donegal / Derry corridor

Sister fund

USBF — Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund — Ulster-Scots Broadcast Fund — is the parallel fund for Ulster-Scots heritage content. Same NI Screen administration; different language focus.

State aid

ILBF is UK public funding. Post-Brexit it is excluded from the Irish 50% state-aid cumulation (the UK is not an EU Member State) — it flows alongside an Irish co-production but does not enter the Section 481 — the Irish scripted tax credit / Section 487A — the Irish unscripted tax credit calculation. See State Aid — the EU cumulation cap and its mitigations and Brexit and the Irish screen industry.

In Togra

Tracked under Soft money for cumulation purposes.