The Creative Catalyst Fund has opened applications for a new cohort, marking a renewed push to identify and finance film projects capable of scaling within Nigeria’s fast-growing creative economy. The announcement was made during the Lagos Business of Film Summit, where conversations around sustainable industry growth dominated the programme.
An initiative of Chapel Hill Denham Group, the Creative Catalyst Fund is positioned as a pipeline for early-stage and emerging film projects seeking structured financial support. Speaking on the fund’s objectives, Tosin Dabiri, Managing Director of Chapel Hill Denham, said the initiative is rooted in a long-term view of the creative sector’s economic value. “We believe strongly in the capacity of the creative sector to significantly improve the country’s GDP in the decades to come,” she said.
Dabiri pointed to the fund’s first cohort as evidence of both demand and potential impact. Launched in 2024 through an open call, the programme received over 500 applications, from which seven projects were selected, funded, and taken through to production. According to her, the scale of interest highlighted a clear gap in accessible, structured financing for filmmakers.
For the new cohort, Dabiri explained that applications are submitted via an online portal available through Chapel Hill Denham’s social media channels. Applicants are required to respond to a set of screening questions and submit a pitch deck outlining their project.
While the fund welcomes strong concepts, Dabiri stressed that selection is driven as much by people as by ideas. “The strength of your team matters as much as the idea,” she said, noting that experience, collaboration, and execution capacity are key considerations. Applicants may apply with a completed script, a treatment, or even a concept, and prior work—while advantageous—is not mandatory.
The fund is also open to projects at any stage of development and is not restricted by genre, a decision Dabiri said was intentional. The aim, she explained, is to back capable teams with clear vision rather than limit support to specific formats or themes.
As applications open for the new cohort, the Creative Catalyst Fund positions itself as one of the few structured entry points for filmmakers seeking capital, guidance, and a pathway to production within Nigeria’s evolving film financing landscape.
