Canada Periodical Fund (CPF): Community Newspaper — Aid to publishers
The Aid to Publishers component of the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) is designed to provide eligible Canadian publishers of print magazines, print community newspapers and digital periodicals with the financial support they need to produce and distribute high-quality, Canadian editorial content for Canadian readers.
For print community newspapers, funding is granted based on a formula that takes the total eligible editorial expenditures incurred over a 12-month period as well as the number of eligible copies distributed during that period.
Offered by Canadian Heritage
Amount
Formula-based funding (80% of eligible editorial expenses and 20% of eligible paid circulation); total government assistance cannot exceed 75% of the community newspaper's total eligible expenditures; maximum $1.5 million per eligible project (except farm periodicals)
Quick eligibility check
Who can apply
Your application must cover the 12-month fiscal year period of your publishing firm ending between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.
Who can apply
Publishing firms producing print paid circulation community newspapers are eligible to the Aid to Publishers – Community newspaper component.
Community newspapers are not eligible under request circulation.
To be eligible for funding, your organization must meet all the following requirements:
- 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;
- have published one or more eligible periodicals at the application deadline.
To be eligible for funding, you must meet all eligibility requirements at the time of your application and until March 31, 2027.
You must submit a separate funding application for each eligible community newspaper.
Eligible community newspapers
General conditions
To be eligible for funding, your community newspaper must meet all of the requirements below:
- be published by an eligible publishing firm;
- be edited, designed, assembled and published in Canada;
- be a print community newspaper;
- maintain an editorial function with an appointed editor;
- have published between 2 and 52 regular issues and no more than 56 issues (including special issues);
- have completed at least one uninterrupted 12-month publishing cycle at the application deadline;
- continue to be published until at least March 31, 2027.
Specific conditions
To be eligible for funding, your community newspaper must meet the following minimal requirements for circulation and content.
Circulation
Your community newspaper must be distributed mainly through paid circulation and meet all the following requirements:
- have sold at least 3,500 paid copies through subscription copies and single copy/newsstand copies (or 2,000 for official language minority, Indigenous, ethnocultural and 2SLGBTQI+ community newspapers);
- have subscriptions sold at a minimum average subscription price of $12 per year or $0.50 per copy;
- have single copies and newsstand copies sold at a minimum average price of $0.50 per copy;
- display the subscription price and the single-copy price on the cover page or in the community newspaper's masthead.
Note: Minimum prices do not apply to official language minority, Indigenous, ethnocultural, or 2SLGBTQI+ community newspapers.
Content
An eligible community newspaper can be published in any language and must meet all the following requirements:
- the original editorial content represents an average of at least 51% of the editorial content in the issues published; this includes translated content created by the publishing firm;
- the Canadian editorial content represents an average of at least 80% of the editorial content in the issues published (or 50% for ethnocultural community newspapers);
- advertising represents an average lower than 70% of the content in the issues published;
- clearly indicate authorship and date of publication of each article and published content.
About the funding
For print community newspapers, funding is granted based on a formula that takes the total eligible editorial expenditures incurred over a 12-month period as well as the number of eligible copies distributed during that period.
The total governmental assistance received for your community newspaper through the Aid to Publishers component and other levels of government (federal, provincial, territorial and municipal) cannot exceed 75% of your community newspaper’s total eligible expenditures for the creation, production, marketing, and distribution of your print community newspaper.
Except for farm periodicals, the maximum amount that can be granted is $1.5 million per eligible project.
We will determine if funding will be disbursed as a grant or as a contribution.
Show all funding details
A grant is a payment issued to a recipient for a project. The conditions you agreed to at the time of application will apply. At the end of your project, you may be required to submit a report and/or participate in the evaluation of results.
A contribution is a conditional payment issued for a specific purpose, as outlined in a funding agreement. The agreement is signed by your organization and by us and specifies the terms and conditions to receive payment. At the end of your project, you must submit a final report.
How funding is calculated
Total funding is distributed among eligible recipients based on the total eligible editorial expenses and the number of eligible sold copies in a year. For example, a publication that accounts for 2% of the total eligible editorial expenses will receive approximately 2% of the available funds for these expenses.
For print periodicals, the formula is based on 80% of eligible editorial expenses and 20% of eligible paid circulation.
The final proportion is adjusted based on several factors, such as the size, type, and category of the periodical, as well as the business model and circulation volume.
For paid-circulation newspapers, only eligible editorial expenses and the number of copies sold by subscription, single-copy, or at newsstands are counted in the calculation of the funding formula. Sponsored copies are not included in the formula, although they may be considered to determine program eligibility.
The component provides flexibility to allow publishers to direct funding to the areas of greatest need. Recipients can spend the funding on a variety of publishing activities, including:
- creation (writing, editing, photography, illustration and design);
- production (pre-press and printing);
- marketing;
- distribution;
- website development and enhancement (including content development, and enhancements to the site's architecture and functionality).
The expenses must be incurred between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027, and any unspent amounts could be required to be reimbursed.
Eligible Editorial Expenses
In order to complete the “Canadian Editorial Content Expenses” section of the application form, you must compile only eligible expenses.
Only expenses related to the salaries (for employees) and remuneration (for freelancers, interns or outsourced production) of individuals who create original Canadian editorial content are eligible.
Eligible individuals must be:
- Canadian citizens;
- Permanent residents of Canada; or
- Participants in a federal or provincial internship or work experience program.
Eligible expenses include salaries or remuneration for the work of:
- designers
- editors-in-chief
- freelancers
- illustrators
- journalists
- photographers
- proofreaders
- publishers
- translators (for original content only)
- videographers
- writers
The work must involve the creation of original text, images, graphics, photos, illustrations, or videos (videos must be accompanied by an article).
Note: The salary or remuneration of a person who contributes to content creation that is repeated in more than one periodical of your organization must be reported on a prorated basis or in a single periodical.
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