How much funding can be received?

Funds up to 380000% of admissible expenses.

What is the deadline to apply?

The program is accepting continuous intake

Who are the financial supporters of the Digital Citizen Contribution Program (DCCP)?

Digital Citizen Contribution Program (DCCP) is funded by Canadian Heritage, Government of Canada

What are Digital Citizen Contribution Program (DCCP)'s eligibility criterias?

The applicant must be a national, provincial, territorial, municipal, Indigenous, community, or professional not-for-profit organization or society with a mandate to represent its membership or community. The applicant can also be a university, educational or research institution, or an individual researcher intending to conduct work relevant to the Digital Citizen Initiative. For-profit Canadian-owned institutions with a non-commercial intent aligned with the goals of the Digital Citizen Initiative may also apply.

Digital Citizen Contribution Program (DCCP)

Last Update: July 22, 2025

Canada

Funding to support a healthy information ecosystem

Digital Citizen Contribution Program (DCCP) at a glance

Eligible Funding

Max. $380,000

Timeline

Open Date : November 1, 2023
Closing date : November 28, 2023

Financing Type

Grant and Funding

Eligible Industries

Information and cultural industries
Professional, scientific and technical services
Educational services
Health care and social assistance
Public administration

Grant Providers

Canadian Heritage
Government of Canada

Program status

Closed

Overview of the Digital Citizen Contribution Program (DCCP) program

Get financial assistance for non-commercial research projects that help build citizen resilience against online disinformation and threats. Funding is based on having clear objectives, measurable results and meeting evaluation criteria.

Eligible projects & activities

The Digital Citizen Contribution Program supports a variety of projects aiming to counter disinformation and related harms, enhance digital literacy, and promote online safety. Eligible activities focus on the development of tools, research, and capacity building for diverse communities in Canada.

Developing and publishing tools for digital media and civic literacy outside of educational institutions or for seniors.
Creating tools to identify content generated by bots and artificial intelligence.
Initiatives to prevent and address technology-facilitated violence against vulnerable communities.
Resources to help children and parents in Canada address and prevent cyberbullying.
Building technical capacity among NGOs addressing misinformation, hate speech, and cyberbullying.
Developing resilience against misinformation stemming from foreign governments targeting Canadians.
Conducting research or evaluations on tools or interventions related to the above priorities.

Examples of admissible projects:

$ 120,000

Conduct research on the efficacy of cyberbullying prevention strategies in schools

$ 120,000

Create a toolkit to support community centers in identifying online misinformation

$ 180,000

Develop tools to prevent online violence against marginalized communities

$ 200,000

Develop an educational app to enhance digital media literacy in high schools

$ 200,000

Develop AI tools to identify bot-created content targeting senior citizens

$ 150,000

Build technical capacity for NGOs to counter online misinformation campaigns

Eligibility criteria of the Digital Citizen Contribution Program (DCCP) program

The eligibility criteria for this grant are as follows:

A national, provincial, territorial, municipal, Indigenous, community or professional organization, society or association which has voluntarily associated itself for a not-for-profit purpose, and which has the mandate to represent its membership or community
A not-for-profit organization, including non-governmental or umbrella organizations, non-profit corporations, community groups, regulatory bodies or apprenticeship authorities, or associations serving the private sector
A university or educational institution
An individual researcher, acting in his or her personal capacity
A research institution with an established record in relevant field(s), intending to undertake work in a Canadian context
A for-profit Canadian and Canadian-owned institution with a record of developing and delivering programming, and performing research or related activities relevant to the goals of Canadian Heritage’s Digital Citizen Initiative, provided that the nature and the intent of the activity is non-commercial

Who is eligible?

Eligible types of organizations for this grant include national, provincial, territorial, municipal, Indigenous, community or professional organizations, not-for-profit organizations, universities or educational institutions, individual researchers, research institutions with an established record, and for-profit Canadian institutions with a non-commercial nature and intent.

National, provincial, territorial, municipal, Indigenous, community, or professional organizations
Not-for-profit organizations
Universities or educational institutions
Individual researchers
Research institutions with an established record
For-profit Canadian institutions with a non-commercial nature and intent

Who is not eligible

Some types of companies are not eligible for this grant. Federal institutions that receive an annual appropriation from Parliament are not eligible for funding under the Program.

Federal institutions that receive an annual appropriation from Parliament

Eligible expenses

Eligible expenses for this grant include project-related costs such as equipment, materials, research activities, personnel salaries, travel expenses, and other direct project expenses. Indirect costs may also be eligible, subject to approval.

Equipment
Materials
Research activities
Personnel salaries
Travel expenses
Other direct project expenses
Indirect costs (subject to approval)

Eligible geographic areas

This grant program does not specify eligible geographical areas within the provided context. Instead, it targets various organizations and individuals across Canada to participate in research and citizen-focused activities.

Eligibility criteria of the Digital Citizen Contribution Program (DCCP) program

Evaluation and selection criteria for this grant include:

Alignment with the call priorities and objectives of the Digital Citizen Contribution Program
Demonstrated capacity and resources to complete the proposed project
Feasibility and soundness of the project work plan and budget
Potential impact and relevance of the project in addressing online disinformation and related harms in Canada
Diversity and inclusivity considerations in project design and implementation

How to apply to the Digital Citizen Contribution Program (DCCP) program

Contact the Digital Citizen Contribution Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage to request an application package, including the application guidelines and the general application form.

Read the application guidelines in their entirety before completing your application.

Submit your completed application by email to icn-dci@pch.gc.ca.

Ensure that you meet all the eligibility requirements and submit a complete application package to be considered for funding. This includes providing a signed and completed General Application Form, a balanced itemized budget for the project, a project workplan, sub-components of the Application Form, proof of legal status and signing authority, and recent financial statements.