Subsidy Programme for Cinematographic and Television Filming in Macao
2026 Subsidy Programme for Cinematographic and Television Filming in Macao (1)
2026 Subsidy Programme for Cinematographic and Television Filming in Macao (2)
2026 Subsidy Programme for Cinematographic and Television Filming in Macao (3)
2026 Subsidy Programme for Cinematographic and Television Filming in Macao (5)
2026 Subsidy Programme for Cinematographic and Television Filming in Macao (6)
Funding Purpose
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1.1
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The Cultural Development Fund has established this Subsidy Programme to encourage or attract filming crews from outside Macao to conduct on-location shoots in Macao, thereby strengthening the promotion of Macao’s positive image, driving the synergistic development of cultural and creative industries and tourism, and creating job opportunities for local film and television professionals. It aims to facilitate technical exchange and cooperation with external teams and help enhance the professional standards of local film and television production. The scope of funding covers projects involving on-location shooting of micro-short dramas in Macao and the Hengqin Guangdong–Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone, in support of the construction of the “Macao–Hengqin Joint Micro-Short Drama Overseas Shooting Base.” |
Application Period
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2.1
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The application period is divided into four rounds. After each round closes, the Fund will arrange a unified evaluation for all project applications submitted during that period. There is no quota limit per round. If the budget for this Subsidy Programme is fully utilized, the application period will end early, and an announcement will be made on the Fund’s website. The application periods are as follows: | ||||||||
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Scope of Funding
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3.1
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Television dramas, films, variety shows, documentaries, music videos (MV), and commercial video works that meet the following durations and conduct filming/scene shooting in Macau, excluding animated works. Moreover, different episodes within the same season can only apply once:
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3.2
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Micro-short drama film and television works that meet the following durations and conduct filming and location shooting in Macao and the Hengqin Guangdong–Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone (hereinafter referred to as “Macao–Hengqin”), excluding animated works, and for which only one application may be submitted per season across different episodes:
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3.3
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Belongs to an out-of-town film and television project, meaning the film and television work is produced by an out-of-town entity and the copyright in the work is held by that out-of-town entity (in the case of a co-production, the out-of-town entity must hold more than 50% of the copyright), is led by an out-of-town filming crew, and is shot on location in the regions referred to in point 3.1 or point 3.2 (the out-of-town team must be physically present locally to participate in the filming work). |
Funding requirements
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4.1
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Regarding filming:
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4.2
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Regarding public release:
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4.3
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The content of projects funded by the Fund must not simultaneously receive financial support from other public departments or public entities in Macao, nor may they receive grants from other programmes of the Fund at the same time. |
Eligibility and Target Beneficiaries
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5.1
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Applicants must be natural person business operators or legal person business operators lawfully established and operating in the Macao Special Administrative Region, and must be the Macao production unit for “External Film and Television Projects” (responsible for coordinating filming arrangements in Macao and executing the budget), and meet the following conditions:
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Type of Funding
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6.1
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Subsidy. |
Total budget amount of this Subsidy Programme, number of grants, and maximum grant amount
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7.1
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The total budget for this funding program: 30,000,000 Macanese Pataca, of which the budget for micro-short dramas is 5,000,000 Macanese Pataca. | |||||||||||||||
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7.2
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Number of grants: No limit; applications are reviewed in each application round. However, the final number of projects approved for funding is constrained by the budget amount of this Subsidy Programme mentioned above. | |||||||||||||||
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7.3
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Subsidy: The maximum grant is 30% to 40% of the budgeted expenditure for location shooting in Macao or Hengqin Guangdong–Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone (for micro-short dramas) for the application project (i.e., the total of items 8.1 and 8.2), linked to the evaluation score obtained, and not exceeding the upper limits in the table below.
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7.4
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The actual subsidy amount will be adjusted based on the project’s actual expenses for filming and location shooting in Macao or Hengqin Guangdong–Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone (for micro-short dramas), the number of Macao residents participating in the project, and the duration of scenes shot in Macao or Hengqin Guangdong–Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone (for micro-short dramas) (see point 9 Subsidy Adjustments for details). | |||||||||||||||
Scope of eligible and ineligible expenses
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8.1
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Eligible expenses that can be included in the budget include project-related expenses incurred by the beneficiary during the subsidy period:
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8.2
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Items not eligible for subsidy but included in the budget expenses are as follows:
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8.3
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The expenses referred to in Items 8.1 and 8.2 may be regarded as within the scope of budgeted expenditures for location shooting work conducted in Macao or Aoqin (for micro-short dramas). Other expenses, as well as costs for services or products provided by the applicant, are not regarded as within the scope of budgeted expenditures. |
Subsidy adjustment
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9.1
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If, upon conclusion, the actual expenditures for location shooting work conducted in Macao or Aoqin (for micro-short dramas) of the subsidized project are lower than the original budgeted expenditures, the subsidy amount will be adjusted proportionally [(budgeted expenditures - actual expenditures) / budgeted expenditures]. |
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9.2
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If, at the time of final review, the number of Macao residents participating in the subsidized project is less than 80% (rounded to the nearest whole number) of the originally planned number of job opportunities for Macao residents, the subsidy amount will be adjusted proportionally by [(Planned headcount - Actual headcount) / Planned headcount]. |
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9.3
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Without prejudice to the application of points 3.1 or 3.2, if at the time of final review the actual duration of on-location shooting in Macao or Hengqin Guangdong–Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone (for micro-short dramas) is less than 80% (rounded to the nearest whole number) of the originally planned on-location shooting duration, the subsidy amount will be adjusted proportionally by [(Planned duration - Actual duration) / Planned duration]. |
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9.4
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If multiple downward adjustment scenarios occur, the reduction ratios will not be cumulative, and the maximum reduction ratio among them will be used as the final adjustment ratio. |
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9.5
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If the circumstances described in points 9.2 to 9.3 arise due to force majeure or for reasons confirmed by the Administrative Committee of the Fund as not attributable to the beneficiary, the Fund may refrain from adjusting the subsidy amount. |
Funding period
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10.1
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The subsidy period is 36 months, commencing at the earliest on the day following the applicant’s online confirmation of submission, and at the latest on the first day of the month following the signing of the agreement; the specific start date shall be agreed upon by the Fund and the beneficiary. |
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10.2
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The beneficiary shall complete the implementation of the subsidized project within the subsidy period. |
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10.3
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Upon a prior application submitted by the beneficiary within the subsidy period with appropriate justification, the Administrative Committee of the Fund may approve one or more extensions of the subsidy period; however, the total extended period may not exceed half of the original subsidy period. |
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10.4
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Applications submitted after the deadline mentioned above will not be accepted by the Fund, except in cases of force majeure or other reasons not attributable to the beneficiary. |
Guarantee
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11.1
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If the applicant is a corporate business owner, its principal shareholders must provide a credit guarantee to secure the beneficiary’s obligations to refund or repay the subsidy amount in the event such refund or repayment is required (e.g., if the grant award is cancelled or the project’s actual expenditure is lower than the budgeted expenditure), except where the principal shareholders are public legal persons. |
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11.2
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The subsidized party and guarantor referred to above must issue a promissory note equivalent to the subsidized amount and a statement of liability as a guarantee, and the relevant signatures must be authenticated on the spot. |
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11.3
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If the subsidized party agrees to have the full subsidy amount disbursed after the summary report is accepted by the Fund, they may be exempted from providing the guarantee referred to above. |
Application
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12.1
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The applicant must log in to the Cultural Development Fund’s online application system using Macao One Account/Business & Associations Platform entity user account, complete the Application Form and upload the following documents, specifically as follows:
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12.2
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All application documents must be submitted online. The applicant must ensure that the information filled in and the uploaded documents are accurate. Once the application is confirmed and submitted online, the project content cannot be modified. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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12.3
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Language for drafting the application: must be written in Chinese, Portuguese, or English. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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12.4
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Regulations and notes to be observed for the application:
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Preliminary analysis
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13.1
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The Fund will conduct a preliminary analysis of the application dossier. If any of the following conditions apply, the Fund will reject the application and it will not proceed to the evaluation stage:
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13.2
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If the documents referred to in points 12.1.1 to 12.1.8 are missing or the relevant documents do not meet the requirements, the Fund may require the applicant to submit the relevant documents within 5 days. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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13.3
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If none of the circumstances for rejecting the application arise, the Administrative Committee of the Fund will forward the application file to the Activities and Projects Assessment Committee for evaluation. |
Evaluation and Award Decision
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14.1
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The members of the Activities and Projects Assessment Committee are appointed by the Chair of the Administrative Committee, who, based on the nature of the project to be deliberated, invites three to seven experts from the expert roster in the relevant fields, namely from the film and television sector, academia, and the business sector. | ||||||||||
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14.2
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The Activities and Projects Assessment Committee may convene a meeting only when at least a majority of its members are present, and minutes must be prepared for each meeting, recording the evaluation results and key matters of the meeting. | ||||||||||
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14.3
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The applicant’s representative must attend the evaluation meeting to present the content of the proposed project and answer evaluation questions. If the applicant is unable to attend for justified reasons, a written evaluation will be conducted based on the documents already submitted; otherwise, it will be deemed a withdrawal of the application. | ||||||||||
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14.4
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The Activities and Projects Assessment Committee will score according to the following evaluation criteria (100 points as the full score):
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14.5
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If the external filming team is a foreign entity (particularly from Belt and Road countries and regions or Portuguese-speaking countries and regions), the application may receive additional points, up to a maximum of 10 points. | ||||||||||
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14.6
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For micro-short drama projects, if the external filming team is a company registered in Hengqin, it may receive additional points, up to a maximum of 5 points. | ||||||||||
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14.7
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A review score of no less than 60 points is deemed to have passed the assessment. | ||||||||||
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14.8
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After fully considering the following opinions and records, the granting entity shall make a decision on the application and may attach conditions:
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14.9
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The Administrative Committee of the Fund may, at its discretion or in response to opinions issued by the Activities and Projects Assessment Committee or the Board of Trustees, require the applicant to adjust the content of the application project, provide supplements, and complete the application materials in the format specified by the Fund within a designated period. | ||||||||||
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14.10
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The amount of the grant awarded is related to the budget scale of the application project and the assessment score obtained. | ||||||||||
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14.11
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In particular, the Administrative Committee of the Fund may decide not to award a grant in the following circumstances:
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Agreement
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15.1
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The Fund and the grant recipient must sign an agreement, and the agreement must set out the contents of the grant award decision. |
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15.2
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Consequences of not signing the agreement: If the grant recipient does not sign the agreement by the date (generally no more than 30 days from the date of notification to sign the agreement), time, and place specified by the Fund, the grant award will lapse, except in cases of force majeure or for reasons confirmed by the Administrative Committee of the Fund as not attributable to the grant recipient. |
Changes to Project Content
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16.1
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If changes to the project content do not deviate from the core of the project—such as adjustments to filming techniques, script content (not involving changes to the “story outline”), or non-key members—the beneficiary may flexibly make adjustments based on actual circumstances and provide an explanation when submitting the report. | ||||||||||||||
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16.2
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If changes to the project content involve any of the situations indicated below, the beneficiary must submit an application for prior approval by the Fund:
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16.3
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The Fund does not accept applications for changing the type of project film. |
Submit start-of-production proof, progress execution reports, final report, and agreed-upon procedures execution report
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17.1
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From the day following the signing of the agreement, the grantee must, within 60 days, notify the Fund in writing of the practitioner accountant, accounting firm, accountant providing accounting and tax services, or accounting company providing accounting and tax services selected for the project, and submit the engagement letter. | ||||||||||||
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17.2
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The grantee must submit the following proofs and reports on time, and fill them out in the format specified by the Fund:
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17.3
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The format of the engagement letter referred to in point 17.1 and the Agreed-Upon Procedures Execution Report referred to in point 17.2.3 must comply with the relevant provisions of the Public Assets Supervision and Administration Bureau’s Guideline No. 001/GPSAP/AF/2023 on Verification of Funded Activities or Projects. | ||||||||||||
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17.4
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Supporting documents attached to the report: When the beneficiary submits the project progress execution report and the final summary report, they must attach supporting documents demonstrating the project’s implementation status, including but not limited to the following:
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17.5
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Application for Deferred Report Submission: If, due to force majeure or other reasons not attributable to the beneficiary, it becomes impossible to submit the report within the period stipulated in point17.2, the beneficiary must notify the Fund within 7 working days from the date the relevant facts occur. | ||||||||||||
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17.6
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If the situation referred to above applies, upon approval by the Administrative Committee of the Fund, the period for submitting the report shall be within 30 days counting from the day after the aforementioned reason ceases, without affecting the application of the provisions set out below. | ||||||||||||
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17.7
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In exceptional cases with a justified explanation, the Administrative Committee of the Fund may approve a one-time extension of the period referred to in point 17.2, not exceeding 90 days. | ||||||||||||
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17.8
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If the Fund considers the documents unclear or incomplete, the beneficiary must submit the supplementary documents within the period specified by the Fund. If the deadline passes without submission, or the supplementary documents still do not meet the requirements, the case will be closed based on the documents currently submitted, without affecting the application of the consequences of late submission, except in cases of force majeure or other reasons not attributable to the beneficiary. If closure conditions are not met, the Fund may cancel the grant award. |
Confirmation of expenses
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18.1
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Purpose and mandatory nature of expense confirmation: To ensure that the expenses actually incurred by the beneficiary in the funded activities and projects are expenses eligible for funding under these Regulations, expenses must be confirmed by the Fund. | ||||||||||||||||||
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18.2
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Method of confirmation: Through the beneficiary’s submission of the Agreed-Upon Procedures report, on a reimbursement basis, and the beneficiary must keep the original income and expenditure vouchers of the funded project intact for at least 5 years, so that the Fund can conduct inspections if needed. | ||||||||||||||||||
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18.3
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Requirements for vouchers:
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Related-party transactions
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19.1
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For the purposes of applying the provisions of these Regulations, a “related party” refers to a party that has a related relationship with the applicant or beneficiary, as defined below:
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19.2
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When conducting related-party transactions, the applicant or the funded party shall ensure that such transactions are fair and reasonable, particularly that the transaction prices do not deviate from reasonable market prices. | ||||||||||
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19.3
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If, at the funding application stage, the applicant anticipates entering into or has entered into, or at the project implementation stage, the funded party has entered into, related-party transactions falling under the following circumstances, the applicant or the funded party must make declarations in the application documents or the final report, respectively, and this does not affect the applicability of the provisions set out below:
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19.4
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For the situations requiring declaration referred to in point 19.3.1 and where the use of the Fund’s subsidy amounts to 100,000 Macau patacas or more, the applicant or beneficiary must also provide documentary proof that, in advance, they additionally sought quotations from at least 2 suppliers that are non-related parties (i.e., not related parties as defined in point 19.1), and the following rules apply:
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19.5
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The contents of the declared related-party transactions should include:
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19.6
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For the purposes of applying point 19.5.5, the beneficiary may use the inquiry documents referred to in point 19.4 as supporting documents or materials to demonstrate the reasonableness of the transaction price. | ||||||||||
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19.7
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If the information on related-party transactions that was declared at the funding application stage as expected to be conducted or already conducted changes, the beneficiary shall provide the updated information and documents in the final report. | ||||||||||
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19.8
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If the applicant or beneficiary violates the provisions of these Regulations regarding related-party transactions, the Administrative Committee of the Fund may disallow the expenses involved in the related-party transactions. In serious cases, depending on the stage of the file, the Administrative Committee of the Fund may reject the funding application, refrain from granting the funding, or cancel the grant. | ||||||||||
Disbursement method
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20.1
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The subsidy funds will be disbursed according to the proportions in the table below, without prejudice to the application of the following clause and point 11.3:
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20.2
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If the beneficiary breaches obligations stipulated under other plans already subsidized by the Fund, the Fund may defer the disbursement of the subsidy until the relevant obligations have been fulfilled. |
Obligations of the beneficiary
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21.1
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The beneficiary must fulfill the following obligations:
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Termination of execution or failure to complete activities and projects
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22.1
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During the funding period, if any of the following situations occur, the Fund may approve the beneficiary’s application to terminate the execution of the project, without prejudice to the applicability of clause 23.1:
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22.2
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If the situation referred to in clause 22.1.1 occurs and approval is granted by the Fund, the beneficiary must submit a final report within the period specified by the Fund to facilitate the project closure procedures. | ||||
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22.3
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If the situation referred to in clause 22.1.2 occurs and approval is granted by the Fund, the beneficiary must return all funding amounts already received within 30 days from the date of receiving the notification of approval of the application; otherwise, the Fund will proceed with compulsory collection and will refuse any funding applications submitted by the beneficiary within two years from the expiry of the return period. | ||||
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22.4
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If the application referred to in clause 22.1.1 is not approved, the beneficiary must continue to execute the project; otherwise, the Fund may cancel the funding award. | ||||
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22.5
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If, upon expiry of the funding period, the beneficiary fails to complete the project due to force majeure or reasons confirmed by the Fund as not attributable to the beneficiary, the Fund must carry out the project closure procedures; if the reasons are not confirmed by the Fund, the Fund may cancel the funding award. | ||||
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22.6
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If the project fails to be completed for reasons other than those mentioned above, the Fund may cancel the funding award. |
Cancellation of funding award
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23.1
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Situations in which the Fund must revoke the grant:
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23.2
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Situations in which the Fund may cancel the grant:
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23.3
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Consequences of cancellation of the subsidy grant:
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23.4
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Consequences of failing to return the funds referred to in point 23.3.1:
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Subsidy reduction and written warning
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24.1
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If a beneficiary is late in submitting reports and supporting documents, CDF may make the following deductions from the subsidy:
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24.2
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If the beneficiary violates the provisions of these Regulations, especially the obligations of the beneficiary stipulated in Item 21, the Fund may, depending on the nature and severity of the breach, decide to reduce the funding or issue a written warning. |
Others
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25.1
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The Fund only provides funds for the subsidized project and does not participate in any commercial activities or business decisions of the beneficiary. Any decisions, activities, statements, etc., whether related to the project or not, made by the beneficiary do not represent the position of the Fund. |
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25.2
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The beneficiary must comply with the laws of the Macao SAR, Mainland China, or other countries/regions. If any activities or decisions by the beneficiary result in violations of the laws of the Macao SAR, Mainland China, or other countries/regions, leading to civil, criminal, or administrative liability, the beneficiary shall bear such liability independently. |
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25.3
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The beneficiary must apply to and obtain from the relevant authorities (including the Macao SAR and overseas) all types of licenses and permits necessary for the project. |
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25.4
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The Fund reserves the right to amend the provisions of these Regulations before the start of each application cycle, and the amended Regulations will apply to subsequent funding applications. |
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25.5
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By participating in this Program, the applicant is deemed to have thoroughly read and understood, and agrees to comply with all terms and content of these provisions without objection. |
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25.6
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Matters not mentioned in these Regulations shall be governed by the current laws and regulations applicable in the Macao Special Administrative Region, in particular Administrative Regulation No. 40/2021 “Organization and Operation of the Cultural Development Fund,” Administrative Regulation No. 18/2022 “Public Financial Subsidy System of the Macao SAR,” the “Regulations on the Award of Subsidies by the Cultural Development Fund” approved by Order No. 5/2023 of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, and other relevant provisions on subsidies of the Cultural Development Fund. |
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25.7
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The Fund has the final right of interpretation and decision over these regulations. |
Inquiry methods
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Telephone: 2850 1000;
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Fax: 2850 1010;
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Email: dgaf@fdc.gov.mo.
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Only available in Chinese and Portuguese