Program 3.0 

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COMPARISON CHART: Program 2.0 vs. Program 3.0

June 30, 2025

No change.

• 40% TV Series, Pilots, Mini-Series
• 35% Non-independent Films
• 17% Relocating TV Series
• 8% Independent Films
  Independent film funding split between projects with budgets under $10m and over $10m.

• 25% Indies and Relocating TV
• 20% Non-Indies
  Additional 5% “Uplift”
  • Filming Outside 30-Mile Zone
  • Visual Effects Expenditures
  • Eliminates 5% for
  • Music Scoring/Recording
  • 5% Additional for Local Hires Working Out-of-Zone

Jobs ratio ranking within specific categories; allows 70% of qualified Visual Effects expenditures paid to 3rd party vendors shall be treated as wages.

Career Readiness requirement, PLUS:  Establishes pilot skills training for individuals from underserved communities to prepare for jobs in the industry; fee paid by applicants to fund training. Training fund to be administered by a non-profit fiscal agent; CFC to engage labor/management jointly administered training programs with skills training focused on entertainment industry jobs.

180-day Rule: Productions must begin filming within 180 days of credit allocation letter; for projects with budgets over $100M, must begin filming within 240 days.

Same penalty for Non-Independent and Independents.

Any surplus must go to general TV Pot at the end of the fiscal year, (except Independent Film surplus stays within same category.)

• Eliminate facility usage as bonus point factor.

• Add music scoring as bonus point factor.

Taxpayer may carry forward tax credit for 8 years.

Must have filmed at least 75% of most recent season outside of CA.

Omit Movie-of-the-Week; this production type may apply as feature film category.

• CFC may allocate unused credits from Programs 1.0 and 2.0.

• After sunset date of 3.0, CFC may continue to allocate unused credits from all 3 programs.

Requires approved applicants to provide their written policy against unlawful harassment which includes procedures for reporting and investigating harassment claims. Applicants shall indicate how policy will be distributed to employees and include education training resources and remedies available.

A summary of the applicant’s voluntary programs to increase the representation of women and minorities including a description of what the program is designed to accomplish and information about how the programs are publicized to interested parties.  This requirement is waived for independent films with qualified expenditures of ten million dollars ($10,000,000) or less.