Media Funding in Austria: Finding Suitable Programs

Whether film, podcast, online format, or investigative research: media projects require time, technology, rights, and often a strong team. In Austria, funding is therefore a key lever to professionally implement ideas, reduce risks, and make new formats possible in the first place – especially when budgets are tight or you want to work innovatively.

The current focus is primarily on film and audiovisual content (development, production, distribution), quality journalism, as well as projects related to media literacy and dealing with disinformation. At the same time, the demand for digitization and innovation in the media and creative industries is growing – such as new distribution channels, data-driven distribution, or AI-supported production processes. Depending on the project, funding routes lead to different agencies: from ÖFI and FISA+ to regional film funds and RTR-affiliated programs, up to FFG/AWS for innovation and business support.

Many projects also fit better into interface programs than into classic media funding: non-profit initiatives often find opportunities through education, democracy, integration, or culture – at the EU level, for example via Creative Europe/MEDIA, CERV, or Erasmus+. It is important to clarify the funding logic early on and to consider issues such as rights chain, exploitation, accessibility, data protection, and sustainable production from the outset.

The Reflecta Funding Compass helps you find suitable funding programs for your media project in Austria: with matching by objective, type of organization, and project phase – and with support in preparing your application, so that your idea becomes a fundable project.