Community Newspaper – Business Innovation

From: Canadian Heritage

The Community Newspaper - Business Innovation component of the Canada Periodical Fund is designed to provide eligible Canadian publishers of print community newspapers and digital-only community newspapers with the financial support for projects that help produce and distribute high-quality, Canadian editorial content for Canadian readers.

For print and digital-only community newspapers, funding is granted through the approval of a project proposal based on the eligibility criteria of the program. The Business Innovation – Community Newspaper component is a competitive process and funds are limited.

Who can apply

Eligible publishing firms

To be eligible for funding, publishing firms must meet all of the following requirements:

• be in operation throughout the application process and until the completion of the project;
• be majority owned and controlled by Canadians;
• be private-sector entities, including corporations, not-for-profit organizations, partnerships and sole proprietorships (Note: All applicants must have a Business Number (BN)); and
• have their principal place of business in Canada.

Eligible periodicals

To be eligible for funding, periodicals must meet the following requirements:

Print community newspapers:

• Have published between two and 52 regular issues and no more than 56 issues during the financial year, including special issues; and
• Have sold at least 3,500 paid copies through subscription copies and single-copy/newsstand copies during the financial year.
  • Official language minority, Indigenous, ethnocultural and LGBTQ2+ community newspapers must have sold at least 2,000 paid copies during the financial year.

Digital-only community newspapers:

• Maintain one of the following types of verifiable circulation over six months:
  • paid subscription service: priority will be given to periodicals that maintain an average of at least 250 subscribers;
  • email-based service: priority will be given to periodicals that maintain an average of at least 1,000 registered email recipients;
  • open access-service: priority will be given to periodicals that maintain an average of at least 2,500 unique monthly visitors; and
• Have generated a minimum revenue of $10,000 in the fiscal year.
  • The minimum revenue does not apply to official language minority, Indigenous, ethnocultural and LGBTQ2+ digital publications

In addition, applicants must ensure they meet all eligibility criteria, which are detailed in the Application Guidelines 2021-2022 — Community Newspaper — Business Innovation.

Application deadline

When an application deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or statutory holiday, it is extended to the following working day.

Applications for projects starting in the current fiscal year will be accepted on an ongoing basis until November 15.

You should submit your application at least eight (8) weeks before the planned project start date.

How to apply

Applicants are required to:

• review the Application Guidelines carefully, including the definitions to ensure all criteria are met;
• contact the program for an Application Form;
• provide all supporting documents, as detailed in the Application Guidelines; and
• ensure that the Application Form bears the applicant’s original signature.

Additional information and documents, such as audit circulation reports, financial statements or additional issues may be required to determine the eligibility of a print community newspaper.

Contact us

Canada Periodical Fund
Business Innovation
Department of Canadian Heritage
25 Eddy Street, 25-8-U
Gatineau, Quebec
J8X 4B5

Email

fondsdesperiodiquescanada-canadaperiodicalfund@pch.gc.ca