Funding readiness
Ready isn't one state.
A project can be ready for one kind of capital and not another. Story Forward maps five readiness states a project can hold independently — each with its own definition, its own signals, and its own route to get there.
Investment Ready
An investor can evaluate the opportunity without guessing.
The creative proposition, the commercial model and the numbers hold together well enough that an investor can assess risk, return and use of funds in one sitting.
What you'll need
Budget, funding ask, revenue model, team profiles.
0 of 4 steps done
What it looks like
- A logline and creative case a non-specialist understands
- A business model that explains where revenue comes from
- A budget and funding ask with a clear use of funds
- Named team and track record behind delivery
How to get there
CANEX Ready
Aligned to a programme's framework and submission expectations.
The project is expressed in the language a creative-economy programme uses — measurable impact, African value creation, and a submission pack that meets the framework it is being judged against.
What you'll need
Impact framework, indicators, eligibility check, submission pack.
0 of 4 steps done
What it looks like
- Impact stated in outcomes, not intentions
- Clear African value creation and local capacity building
- Documentation matching the programme's checklist
- A stage and ask that fit the programme's remit
How to get there
Co-Production Ready
Structured to partner across borders with shared finance and rights.
Rights, finance and creative control are structured so an international partner can join without renegotiating the foundations of the project.
What you'll need
Chain of title, finance plan, rights schedule, partner shortlist.
0 of 4 steps done
What it looks like
- Chain of title documented and unencumbered
- A finance plan with room for partner contributions
- Territory and rights splits that can be negotiated
- Identified partner regions and treaty or fund routes
How to get there
Market Ready
A credible path to audience, distribution and revenue.
The project knows exactly who it is for, how it reaches them, and what the route to market costs and returns — not as an aspiration but as a plan.
What you'll need
Audience evidence, distribution plan, release budget, comparables.
0 of 4 steps done
What it looks like
- A defined primary audience with evidence of demand
- A named first distribution pathway and the partners in it
- Marketing and release assumptions with costs attached
- Comparable titles or projects that support the case
How to get there
Long-Term Asset Ready
IP positioned to earn beyond the first release.
The work is treated as an asset with a life after launch — the rights, formats and extensions that generate value over years rather than one window.
What you'll need
Rights map, extension plan, licensing terms, IP registrations.
0 of 4 steps done
What it looks like
- Ownership retained in the rights that matter
- Identified secondary formats, adaptations or spin-offs
- Licensing and catalogue potential mapped
- A plan for maintaining and defending the IP
How to get there
Where do you stand?