On April 1, 2010, the Canadian cable industry and the Department of Canadian Heritage founded the Canada Media Fund (CMF), a public–private partnership. The funds are used to support the Canadian media industry by funding the production of original Canadian content. It is composed of contributions from the Canadian Broadcasting Distribution Undertakings (BDUs) that are mandated by the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) as well as the federal government.
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) 2022–2023 Budget was recently announced as one of the largest budgets they have received, with $366 million in total funding.
As a part of the CMF program budget, revenue estimates are derived from ongoing government contributions as well as from cable, satellite, and IPTV distributor contributions. According to the budget, the Government of Canada will contribute steadily this year, and stabilization funding will reduce the decline in contributions from Broadcast Distribution Undertakings (BDUs).
What Will This CMF 2022–2023 Budget Be Used Towards?
The Canada Media Fund will continue to provide businesses and media projects with funding through grant programs like the Canada Media Fund: Experimental Stream, but the following items will also be a focus for the CMF over the course of 2022 and 2023.
Equity and Inclusion Strategy
The program will spend the first years of its Equity and Inclusion strategy towards helping fund Indigenous Peoples and Racialized Communities with new inclusive Canadian media projects.
The CMF will broaden the definition of “Diverse Community” in the second year of its Equity and Inclusion Strategy to include members of the 2SLGBTQ+ and Persons with Disabilities communities. Persons with Disabilities will be eligible to benefit from specific support when submitting program applications through the CMF’s Accessibility Support initiative.
Persona-ID
CMF will launch Persona-ID this year, a new self-identification system for measuring and monitoring the demographic representation and participation of those responsible for CMF-funded projects and key personnel. Participation in the Persona-ID process is voluntary but will be a necessary step for any director/shareholder or key personnel involved with a program with a CMF Diverse Community initiative.
CMF Applicants will no longer ask key personnel about how they identify. As a result, key personnel will be required to provide applicants with Persona-ID numbers, which will be included in the CMF applications. All detailed information gathered through Persona-ID will remain confidential.
Support for Audiovisual Industries
The CMF is encouraging all individuals working in key roles within Canada’s audiovisual industries to sign up for a Persona-ID number. You can learn more about how your business can receive grant funding through the Canada Media Fund: Experimental Stream. This program supports developing, producing, and promoting innovative, interactive software development projects including apps and video games. It provides up to $15,000–$1.5 M per project phase in non-repayable funding (grants).
Apply for Canada Media Fund Grants
The Canadian Media Fund provides grant funding through specific applications throughout the year. The professional government application writing team at Mentor Works can help your business apply for media grant programs and other related funding programs. You can speak with a member of our team for free to find out if your business is a good fit for Canadian government funding programs and how we can assist in the application process.
Learn when your business should begin the application process to receive funding for a project and when you can expect to receive funding by downloading our free When to Apply for Government Funding slide deck.