Canada Book Fund Publishers Business Development — Business Planning
Last Update: June 12, 2025
QC, Canada
Funding for book publisher business planning
Canada Book Fund Publishers Business Development — Business Planning at a glance
Eligible Funding
- Max. $50,000
- Up to 75% of project cost
Timeline
- Continuous Intakes
Financing Type
Grant and Funding
Eligible Industries
- Information and cultural industries
Grant Providers
- Canadian Heritage
- Government of Canada
Status
Open
Overview of the Canada Book Fund Publishers Business Development — Business Planning program
The Canada Book Fund – Support for Publishers: Business Development provides up to $50,000 to help Canadian publishers with business planning projects that strengthen their strategic capacity and competitiveness. Eligible activities include the development of business, succession or strategic plans, as well as research and analysis by independent third parties.
Financing terms and conditions
- Publishing internships: Up to 50% of total eligible expenses or $15,000; up to 75% or $22,500 for Indigenous interns, interns from a Racialized community, official language minority communities, or interns with a print disability.
- Technology internships: Up to 70% of total eligible expenses or $20,000; up to 90% or $20,000 for Indigenous interns, interns from a Racialized community, official language minority communities, or interns with a print disability.
- Business planning: Up to 50% of eligible project-related costs or $50,000; up to 75% or $50,000 for Indigenous publishers, publishing companies owned and controlled by members of a Racialized community, or official language minority publishers.
- Combined government assistance (federal, provincial, territorial, municipal) cannot exceed 75% of total expenditures; 90% for designated publisher types; 100% for not-for-profit recipients.
Eligible projects & activities
- Implementation of business planning projects to develop a business plan, succession plan, or strategic plan addressing significant business changes.
- Creation and management of publishing internships for Canadian interns to gain professional experience in the Canadian book industry.
- Development of technology internships emphasizing the acquisition and application of innovative technology strategies in production, marketing, or information management within publishing firms.
Examples of admissible projects:
$ 42,000
Conducting executive training for improving business planning in a new publishing startup
$ 37,000
Recruiting a new publishing intern for an Indigenous authors project
$ 35,000
Hiring a publishing intern to improve the editorial workflow for a small book publishing company
$ 34,000
Offering a technology internship focused on developing a digital cataloging system for a library
$ 40,000
Engage a third-party consultant to develop a comprehensive business plan for a Montreal-based book publisher
$ 45,000
Engaging a consultant to prepare a new business strategy for a children's book publisher
Eligibility criteria of the Canada Book Fund Publishers Business Development — Business Planning program
- The applicant must be an individual publishing firm that received funding from either the Publishing Support sub-component of the Canada Book Fund’s Support for Publishers component in 2023-2024, or from the most recent Canada Council for the Arts’ Supporting Artistic Practice – Literary Publishers program.
- The business planning project must contribute to the development of a business plan, succession plan, or strategic plan related to significant business shifts.
- The applicant must submit a complete application package, including all required forms and supporting documents.
Who is eligible?
- Individual publishing firms that received funding from the Publishing Support sub-component of the Canada Book Fund's Support for Publishers component in 2023-2024
- Individual publishing firms that received funding from the most recent funding cycle from the Canada Council for the Arts’ Supporting Artistic Practice – Literary Publishers program
Who is not eligible
- Companies that are not individual publishing firms.
- Companies that did not receive funding from the Canada Book Fund's Support for Publishers component or from the Canada Council for the Arts’ Supporting Artistic Practice – Literary Publishers program in the specified reference year.
- Companies whose main activity is not book publishing according to the program's definition.
- Companies that are not Canadian-owned and controlled.
- Companies affiliated with applicants who have already received recent support, as multiple applications from affiliated groups may be deprioritized.
Eligible expenses
- Intern salary and benefits during the project period.
- Professional development costs for training interns who are Indigenous, from a Racialized community, from an official language minority community, or have a print disability (excluding travel and accommodation expenses).
- Fees to an independent third party for research, analysis of business strategies, and preparation and presentation of a business plan.
- Executive training costs related to business plan development (excluding salaries, travel, and accommodation expenses for owners, executives, and employees).
- Administration fees related to the project.
Eligible geographic areas
- Companies established and primarily operating in Canada.
Eligibility criteria of the Canada Book Fund Publishers Business Development — Business Planning program
- Alignment of the project with the objectives of the Canada Book Fund.
- Quality and clarity of project planning.
- Demonstrated organizational capacity to successfully undertake the project.
- Funding priority may be given to projects proposed by publishing companies owned and controlled by members of a Racialized community, official language minority, or Indigenous publishing firms, or to projects that emphasize innovative technology strategies.
- Preference may be given to applicants that have not received recent support for similar projects.
How to apply to the Canada Book Fund Publishers Business Development — Business Planning program
1
Reading the guidelines
Carefully read all of the guidelines for submitting applications.
2
Eligibility check
Ensure that your organization meets all eligibility requirements.
3
Preparation of the request
- Prepare a detailed project plan.
- Gather the intern's resume, if applicable.
- Ensure that all required information is ready for the application form.
4
Access to the online submission system
- Access the Canadian Heritage Online System to submit your application.
- Create an account if this has not yet been done.
- Upload all required supporting documents with the application form.
5
Sending the request
Submit the complete application by 5 PM (Eastern Time) on January 31.
Additional information
- If the application deadline falls on a weekend or statutory holiday, it is automatically extended to the next working day.
- The Canada Book Fund emphasizes compliance with anti-racism, anti-hate, and workplace well-being policies.
- Recipients must publicly acknowledge financial assistance in both English and French in all communications related to the funded project.
- Organizations are required to maintain project records for five years for potential audits or evaluations.
Contact Canadian Heritage
info@pch.gc.ca
819-997-0055
Apply to this program
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