Special Measures for Journalism – Canada Periodical Fund

Deadline: 21-Jul-23

The Government of Canada is pleased to announce a call for applications for the Special Measures for Journalism – Canada Periodical Fund.

Objectives

• Objectives and expected results for the Canada Periodical Fund
  • The Canada Periodical Fund provides financial support to Canadian print magazines, print community (non-daily) newspapers and digital periodicals, to enable them to overcome market disadvantages. The Fund ensures Canadians have access to diverse Canadian editorial content in print magazines, print community newspapers and digital periodicals.
• Objectives and expected results for the Special Measures for Journalism component
  • The Special Measures for Journalism component provides funds to Canadian magazines and community newspapers. The Special Measures for Journalism component will provide funds for the 2023-2024 fiscal year to publishers that have a free circulation model or low levels of paid circulation, or are published in digital format. Please note that daily newspapers are not eligible for this component.
  • The component provides a flexibility to allow publishers to direct funds to the areas of greatest need. Recipients can spend the funds on a variety of publishing activities, such as content creation, production, distribution, or business development.

Funding Information

• The maximum amount that can be awarded to an eligible publication is $150,000 and the minimum that can be awarded to an eligible publication is $1,500.

Eligible Projects

• The component provides a flexibility to allow publishers to direct funds to the areas of greatest need. Recipients can spend the funds on a variety of publishing activities, such as content creation, production, distribution, or business development.

Eligibility Criteria

• Publishing firms producing magazines and community (non-daily) newspapers, in print or digital formats, can apply.
• To be eligible, you must meet all eligibility criteria for both the publishing firm and your periodical until March 31, 2024.
• Eligible publishing firms
  • To be eligible for funding, your publishing firm must:
    • be a private-sector entity, which includes corporations, not-for-profit organizations, partnerships and sole proprietorships;
    • be majority owned and controlled by Canadians;
    • have its principal place of business in Canada; and
    • have published one or more eligible periodicals at the application deadline.
• Eligible periodicals
  • To be eligible for funding, your magazine or community (non-daily) newspaper must:
    • be published by an eligible publishing firm;
    • be owned and controlled by Canadians;
    • be a magazine or community (non-daily) newspaper, in print or digital format;
    • have completed at least one uninterrupted 12-month publishing cycle at the application deadline, and continue to be published until at least March 31, 2024;
    • contain an average of at least 80% Canadian editorial content in the issues published during the publisher’s financial year. Official-language minority, Indigenous, ethnocultural, and publications must contain an average of at least 50% Canadian editorial content in the issues published during the financial year of the application;
    • contain a maximum of 70% advertising in the issues published during the financial year;
    • contain a majority of original content;
    • have a minimum of $2,500 of eligible expenses for Canadian editorial content; and
    • be edited, designed, assembled and published in Canada.
• Print magazines and newspapers must:
  • have a verifiable method of distribution; and
  • have published between two and 52 regular issues and no more than 56 issues during the financial year, including special issues.
• Digital magazines and community (non-daily) newspapers must:
  • be available through a valid URL, an app for download, email format, or a third-party publishing platform and provide access to the program;
  • maintain a regular publishing schedule in which the majority of editorial content changes at least twice during a 12-month period;
  • contain over 50% original editorial content, not reproduced from another website, publication or previous issues of the same publication;
  • maintain an editorial function where the editor is named and the date of publication of the article is identified;
  • regularly present written editorial content from more than one person;
  • generate revenues (e.g. subscription revenues, advertising sales, etc.); and
  • present a clearly displayed masthead or contact page that includes, at minimum, the names of the publisher and editor in addition to the postal address for the publication.

For more information, visit Government of Canada.