FAQ

The CMF offers multiple Funding Programs which are available through two streams. Through the Convergent Stream, the CMF supports the creation of convergent television and digital media content. Through the Experimental Stream, the CMF encourages the development of innovative, interactive digital media content and software applications.

Eligibility requirements are detailed in the guidelines specific to each program. To access specific program guidelines, please visit the Funding Programs section or select from the charts below. This chart lists the name and objective of each of our Funding Programs.

The first step to a successful application is to read and understand the guidelines of the program that you would like to access. Every program the CMF offers has its own set of guidelines that are available through the Funding Programs link.

Once you have read the guidelines and you feel that your project is eligible for funding, you may schedule a pre-application consultation with the CMF Program Administrator (Telefilm Canada) if you still have questions about the next steps to obtain CMF funding, or fill out the application and related forms found in the section related to your program of choice.

A pre-application consultation is a one-on-one meeting with a Business Analyst at Telefilm Canada (CMF Program Administrator). This meeting gives applicants the chance to discuss their project before submitting their funding application to the CMF.

To schedule a pre-application consultation please contact a Telefilm Canada regional office or e-mail:

Pre-application consultation – English Market
preappconsuEM@telefilm.ca

Below is a breakdown of the nature of the CMF contribution by program (please refer to corresponding program guidelines under the Nature of Funding Contribution section for complete information):

What does equity investment mean?

An equity investment is a cash investment in the project, which results in the CMF acquiring an undivided copyright ownership interest in all versions of the project. Equity investments are recoupable, and subject to a standard and non-negotiable recoupment schedule (as described and subject to any exceptions set out in the CMF Standard Recoupment Policy, see Appendix B).

For Guideline questions pertaining to your specific project, please contact a CMF Program Administrator, Telefilm Canada regional office:

If you have a question regarding specific policy decisions taken by the CMF surrounding the Guidelines, you can contact our office at 1-877-975-0766.

Application deadlines can be found here.

To obtain information regarding the status of your funding application, please contact Telefilm Canada (CMF Program Administrator).

The CMF Program Administrator, Telefilm Canada, will send out an Acknowledgement letter within 5-15 days after receiving your application. This letter will provide information about the state of your application.

Please visit the archive section of our website for information from past funding years.

For Phase II/Final Cost documents from prior years, click here.

All closing documentation, referred to as Phase II or Final Cost documents, from current* and prior years can be found here. You can also find the closing documentation from the most recent year* on the specific program page in the Funding Programs section.

*as available

The International Standard Audiovisual Number (ISAN) is a unique, permanent, and internationally-recognized number for audiovisual works, making immediate and accurate identification possible. 

ISAN was created as an ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standard, and designed to respond to the needs of creators, owners, duplicators, distributors, and consumers of audiovisual content, among others in the value chain.

ISAN provides a unique, internationally-recognized, and permanent reference number for each registered audiovisual work and distinguishes between episodes, versions, languages, lengths, formats, and more.

ISAN is numeric (actually 96-bit/24 hexadecimal digits), so it can be read by anyone on the planet, and easily processed by any system.

A state-of-the-art central registry of ISAN numbers and related standardized metadata, based in Geneva, ensures that there is no duplication of data. 

For more information please visit the ISAN Canada website: http://www.isan.ca/english/

No. The CMF is looking for the best innovative, interactive projects possible. A jury of Canadian and International experts makes this evaluation as part of the CMF assessment process.

Funding Decisions indicate the selection of projects who have qualified for the CMF support but have yet to finalize all contracts. Only programs using a selective, competitive process to allocate funding are subject to a funding decision.

Funding Results lists indicate approved and contracted applications for all convergent and experimental stream programs.

For more information, click here.

Funding Decisions are published in two rounds annually. Click here to see the latest numbers. Funding Results are updated as available.

Click here to visit our Funding information archives

The allocation of funds, known as envelopes, is applied to the Performance Envelope Program and the Development Envelope Program.

The Performance Envelope Program (PEP) is the main funding mechanism of the CMF. Broadcasters are allocated envelopes to support production in television and digital media based on past performance in commissioning and airing convergent production.

The PEP was designed to provide a greater degree of funding predictability to both broadcasters and producers. Under the PEP a predetermined amount of CMF funding is allocated to Canadian English and French-language broadcasters at the beginning of the fiscal year in the following genres: Drama, Children's and Youth, Documentary, and Variety and Performing Arts; 50% of each broadcaster's allocation is Flex dollars, to be directed to any of the 4 genres. While broadcasters receive PEP allocation, CMF funds are payable to producers whose project has been greenlit by broadcasters with a PE allocation.

For more information on Performance Envelopes, including how they are calculated, a href="/envelope-administration/calculations/">click here.

You can find the current list of Broadcaster Envelope allocations here.  For lists of Broadcaster Envelope allocations from previous years, please visit the archives section.

Via historic participation in a CMF-funded television project: If a broadcaster helped to finance a CMF-funded project during the previous 3 years by contributing an eligible licence to trigger CMF funding and submitting a signed "Broadcaster Agreement Form" (BAF), historic performance credit will have been earned and calculated. Credit is earned by each broadcaster with an eligible licence, regardless of whether or not the broadcaster has contributed from its Performance Envelope. No submission is required.

Via licences to current year regional CMF-funded television projects or above-threshold licences: A broadcaster earns credit under these two factors if they have contributed an eligible licence (and signed a BAF) to a CMF-funded project in the current fiscal year that is regional according to the Performance Envelope Guidelines and/or (if a French-language broadcaster) had exceeded the threshold in the amount of its cash licence. No submission is required.

Via participation in current year CMF-funded convergent digital media projects: A broadcaster who provides a cash contribution to the digital media component of a convergent project can earn credit in this factor if they sign a BAF (DM) regardless of whether or not they have helped to finance the component via an envelope contribution. No submission is required.

Via CMF-funded audience success (THT): A broadcaster may earn credit towards a performance envelope if they have aired an eligible previously-funded CMF project over the course of the applicable broadcast year. A broadcaster may earn audience success credit for a CMF-funded project even if they were not part of the original financing structure (for example, an acquired second-window program). An audience data submission to CMF is required. Details covering the audience success submission process are released each fall.

Contact the CMF Research department to review eligibility and envelope allocation timelines:

Research Department
Canada Media Fund
416.214.4400

Please contact:

Research Department
Canada Media Fund
416.214.4400

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) is a not-for-profit funding agency, mandated by Canadian Heritage, which financially supports Canadian content creation for the television and digital media industries. For more information please click here.

The CMF is funded by Canada’s cable and satellite distributors and the Government of Canada.  You can consult the financial statements found in the CMF Annual Report for more information.

Please contact:

Pierre Campeau
Communications Manager
416.214.4402

The CMF logos can be found in all specific Funding Program sections, or can be downloaded below:

• CMF Logos - Colour (zip)
• CMF Logos - Reverse (zip)
• Logo Usage Guidelines