Canada Periodical Fund (CPF): Digital Periodical — 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 digital periodicals, funding is granted based on eligible editorial expenditures incurred over a 12-month period.
Offered by Canadian Heritage
Amount
Funding allocated proportionally based on eligible editorial expenses; total government assistance cannot exceed 75% of the digital periodical's total eligible expenditures, to a maximum of $1.5 million per eligible project (except farm periodicals)
Quick eligibility check
Who can apply
be majority owned and controlled by Canadians
maintain an editorial function where the editor is named
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 digital-only periodicals are eligible to the Aid to Publishers – Digital Periodical component.
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 digital periodical.
Eligible digital periodicals
General conditions
To be eligible for funding, your digital periodical must meet all of the requirements below:
- be published by an eligible publishing firm;
- be edited, designed and published in Canada;
- be either a digital-only magazine or digital-only community newspaper;
- maintain a regular publishing schedule in which the majority of editorial content changes at least twice during a 12-month period;
- have completed at least one uninterrupted 12-month publishing cycle at the application deadline;
- continue to be published until at least March 31, 2027;
- have a minimum of editorial expenses of $10,000 in your fiscal year (or $5,000 for official language minority, Indigenous, ethnocultural and 2SLGBTQI+ digital periodicals);
- have generated a minimum revenue of $10,000 (excluding funding from all levels of government and barter agreements) in your fiscal year;
Note: The minimum revenue does not apply to official language minority, Indigenous, ethnocultural and 2SLGBTQI+ digital periodicals.
Specific conditions
To be eligible for funding, your digital periodical must meet the following minimal requirements:
- Present a clearly displayed masthead or contact page that includes, at minimum, the names of the publisher and editor;
- Be available in machine-readable format (for example, through a valid unique or distinct URL, an app for download, email format, or a third-party publishing platform) and provide access to the Program;
- Have a verifiable method of distribution specific to the publication.
Content
An eligible digital periodical 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 digital periodicals);
- advertising represents an average lower than 70% of the content in the issues published;
- have a clear distinction between editorial content, advertising, advertorial content and sponsored content;
- regularly present written editorial content from more than one person;
- clearly indicate authorship and date of publication of each article and published content;
- the content must mainly be in written format and videos uploaded as content must have a corresponding text article to count towards eligibility.
About the funding
For digital periodicals, funding is granted based on eligible editorial expenditures incurred over a 12-month period.
The total governmental assistance received for your digital periodical through the Aid to Publishers component and other levels of government (federal, provincial, territorial and municipal) cannot exceed 75% of your digital periodical’s total eligible expenditures for the creation, production, marketing, and distribution of your digital periodical.
Except for farm periodicals, the maximum amount that can be granted is $1.5 million per eligible project.
Funding will be allocated proportionally based on eligible editorial expenses of each eligible digital periodical under the Aid to Publishers component.
Show all funding details
We will determine if funding will be disbursed as a grant or as a contribution.
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 reserved for digital periodicals is distributed among eligible recipients based on the total eligible editorial expenses. 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 digital periodicals.
The final proportion is adjusted based on the category of the periodical.
The component provides flexibility to allow publishing firms 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;
- marketing;
- distribution; and
- 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.
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/territorial 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.
Similar programs
| Program | Type | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access Support Fund | Grant | No fixed amount | Open |
| AgriScience Program – Projects | Grant, In-Kind Support | Up to $5 million per project and $10 million per applicant over the program's duration (2023 to 2028) | Open |
| Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program | Grant, Loan | AAFC contribution normally not exceeding $1 million per project, generally not more than $5 million over 5 years for each applicant | Open |
| Circulation and Touring of Arts Abroad | Grant | Up to $200,000 per application (a maximum of 50% of total eligible costs) | Open |
