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Officials warn film rebate fund is largely committed as DempEd supplement disappears
Summary
Director Foster told the committee the FY27 proposed budget contains $841,000 for the film rebate program and that the agency does not expect a DempEd supplement in FY27, leaving much of the fund effectively promised to incoming projects.
Chair Fruman noted prior supplemental support to the film rebate program and asked whether additional DempEd funding could be expected for FY27. Latoya Foster said OCTFME does not anticipate an enhancement in the coming year and that the FY27 proposed budget includes $841,000 for the rebate fund.
"No. We understand that there will not be an enhancement in this upcoming year," Foster said when asked about additional DempEd support. She told the committee that the current pool of rebate dollars is largely committed to projects with verbal commitments and that experience shows the fund is typically exhausted early in a fiscal year as applications arrive.
The agency cited recent project interest from major studios and events (Netflix, Paramount, UFC as part of America's 250, and others) as demand drivers. Committee members flagged the risk of unmet commitments if rebate dollars are reduced; Foster said the agency will prioritize existing obligations but stressed the fund's limited capacity without supplemental support.
