Canada Periodical Fund — Business Innovation

Eligibility for the Business Innovation component of the Canada Periodical Fund is determined by specific criteria related to the ownership, control, and operation of the publishing firm and the periodicals they produce.

• Your publishing firm must be a private-sector entity, including corporations, not-for-profit organizations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships.
• The firm must be majority owned and controlled by Canadians.
• The principal place of business must be in Canada.
• Your firm must have published one or more eligible periodicals by the application deadline.

Who is eligible?

Publishing firms producing magazines, in print or digital formats, can apply. The eligible publishing firms must be private-sector entities (corporations, not-for-profit organizations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships), majority owned and controlled by Canadians, have their principal place of business in Canada, and have published one or more eligible periodicals by the application deadline.

Who is not eligible

This grant excludes certain types of magazines and digital periodicals due to their main activities or specific attributes. The restrictions ensure that funding is directed towards innovative projects that align with the Fund's objectives.

• Daily newspapers in print or digital formats.
• Periodicals branded to an individual, such as blogs or personal websites.
• Non-revenue generating free print magazines.
• Publications produced by or for organizations to primarily report their own activities.
• Magazines or periodicals linked to product or service promotion.
• Periodicals produced by non-Canadian entities on behalf of Canadian customers.
• Publications repeating more than 50% of their content from past issues.
• Content aggregating listings, directories, or schedules beyond 50% of editorial content.
• Publications with material designated as offensive, including hate propaganda or material denigrating identifiable groups.

Eligible expenses

The Business Innovation component of the Canada Periodical Fund supports projects that enhance innovation and diversify editorial content among Canadian magazines and digital periodicals. Eligible projects should introduce new elements to publishing operations and achieve specific goals within a defined timeframe.

• Development of new or improved business models, methods, or processes.
• Creation of new or enhanced products or services.
• Implementation of new or improved systems or tools.
• Digitization of back issues of periodicals.
• Rebranding or redesign of existing publications.
• Publication of special issues outside the regular schedule.
• Adoption or use of new media formats.
• Design and development of mobile applications.
• Web design and development initiatives.
• Expansion into new market segments.
• Execution of advertising and promotional campaigns.

Eligible geographic areas

This grant is designed for Canadian print and digital periodical publishers. Eligible publishers must be based primarily in Canada to access the funding.

• Canadian Provinces and Territories.

The evaluation and selection of projects under the Business Innovation component of the Canada Periodical Fund are based on several criteria to ensure they meet the program's objectives and demonstrate capacity and viability.

• How the project meets the objectives of the Canada Periodical Fund, as well as the Business Innovation component.
• Applicant financial need for the project.
• Suitability of total project costs to the publisher’s scale of operations.
• Innovation involved in the project.
• How the project can demonstrate short-term results, measurable improvement, added value from previous projects or activities, and/or a sustainable strategy.
• Involvement and assistance or financial commitment from other sources.
• Demonstrated capacity of the organization to undertake the project.
• Suitability of the budget to the scale of the project.
• Clarity and relevance of expected results and performance measures, including indicators that will be used to assess the success of the project.

Here are additional relevant details for this grant:

• The deadline for applications is July 12, 2024, 11:59 pm local time, with extensions available if it falls on a weekend or holiday.
• Eligible projects must seek new activities distinct from previous ones to achieve specific goals with measurable results.
• The Business Innovation component is a competitive process with a funding limit of 75% of eligible project-related costs from government sources.