Local Journalism Initiative (LJI)
The Local Journalism Initiative supports the creation of original civic journalism that covers the diverse needs of underserved communities across Canada.
Funding is available to eligible Canadian media organizations to hire journalists or pay freelance journalists to produce civic journalism for underserved communities.
Offered by Canadian Heritage
Amount
No fixed amount
Quick eligibility check
Who can apply
The following organizations are eligible for funding to administer the Local Journalism Initiative and its Changing Narratives Fund stream:
- a press agency
- a private news organization
- a non-profit news organization
Organizations must also operate in 1 of the following fields:
- written press
- community radio stations
- community television stations
- online news services
The objective must be to increase local civic journalism in underserved communities.
About the funding
Funding is available to eligible Canadian media organizations to hire journalists or pay freelance journalists to produce civic journalism for underserved communities.
New: Changing Narratives Fund stream
For both 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 fiscal years, the Local Journalism Initiative has added a funding stream to incorporate the Changing Narratives Fund. This stream will provide funding to eligible Canadian media organizations to hire diverse (for example, Indigenous, Black, racialized, ethno-religious minority, people with disabilities and 2SLGBTQI+ communities) journalists (including emerging journalists) in diverse-owned and mainstream news organizations to produce civic journalism for underserved communities. These organizations will offer mentoring, training, and professional development activities to these journalists to increase their participation in the media sector at all career stages.
To protect the independence of the press, 3 not-for-profit organizations deliver the Initiative, jointly representing the different segments of the news industry. A single not-for-profit organization delivers the Changing Narratives Fund stream. These organizations provide funding to Canadian media organizations to address the need for local civic journalism in underserved communities.
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