CMF: NEW CRITERIA FOR DISTRIBUTION OF $88.8M COVID-19 EMERGENCY FUND

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) has announced the criteria guiding the administration and distribution of $88.8M in federal government support to television and interactive digital media production companies. This is part of the $500M the Government of Canada is making available through the COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic on Canada’s production sector. Click here to access the criteria.

“We’re thankful to the Government of Canada for its support to businesses in our screen-based industry,” said Valerie Creighton, President, and CEO, CMF. “We recognize the trust the government has placed in CMF to administer and distribute these much-needed funds in the most effective and expedient way possible. We hope businesses will benefit from these funds to stay afloat until we weather the storm.”

Parent companies that have received support – either directly or indirectly through their subsidiaries – in 2017-2018, 2018-2019 or 2019-2020 are eligible to receive funding following a formula outlined in the criteria, with caps ranging between $200K and $800K depending on the level of CMF funding received by each company.

These funds seek to help parent companies in Canada’s television and interactive digital media sectors, address financial needs for business continuity of operations, safeguard jobs and support self-employed and freelance workers such as writers, directors, crew, cast and other employees in our industry, so they are in a better position to recover once the pandemic subsides. The funds are intended to complement – and not duplicate – other measures announced by the Government of Canada.