Canada Media Fund and Ontario Creates join forces to boost IDM development in Ontario

Toronto/Montréal, November 28, 2022 — The Canada Media Fund (CMF) and Ontario Creates today announced a new partnership to fund early-stage, interactive digital media development projects from emerging and equity-deserving Ontario companies.

“At the Canada Media Fund, we believe great partnerships achieve great results,” said Valerie Creighton, President and CEO, CMF. “We’ve established partnerships with several Canadian and international organizations to leverage expertise and pool resources. We’re delighted to now partner with Ontario Creates to support early-stage development work by digital creators in Ontario—and we know the results will be fantastic.”

“Ontario Creates is thrilled to build on the success of our IDM Fund by partnering with the Canada Media Fund to further support and amplify innovative content projects from emerging and equity-deserving companies,” adds Karen Thorne-Stone, President and CEO, Ontario Creates. “Targeted investment in these companies will lead to long-term benefit for the interactive industry ecosystem in Ontario, both creatively and economically.”

This program is intended to provide funding for early-stage project-related development to companies that:

  • completed Ontario Creates’ Futures Forward training in Fall 2022, OR
  • meet the eligibility criteria for the Ontario Creates IDM Fund, and where the majority or owners self-identify as members of an equity-deserving community including women or non-binary; 2SLGBTQIA+; First Nations, Inuit, or Métis; Black or Racialized; Persons with disabilities; and/or Francophone.

Eligible companies may submit an application to the Program to receive one of a limited number of grants (non-repayable contributions) to assist them with their project development activities.

  • The maximum contribution to a project funded through the Program shall be the lesser of $20,000 or 75% of the project’s eligible costs with (i) 50% of the contribution from the CMF and (ii) 50% from Ontario Creates.
  • This Program has a commitment to provide 1/3 of its budget towards French-language projects and 2/3 of its budget towards projects from companies owned by members of equity-deserving communities.

Eligible projects must be Interactive Content or Video Content for digital platforms, and may include:

  • Video games
  • Mobile content apps
  • E-learning content
  • XR experiences
  • Digital publishing projects
  • Other web properties
  • Web series
  • Video content for online magazines
  • Video-based e-learning projects

Click here to access the program guidelines. Projects should be directly and solely submitted to Ontario Creates by clicking here. Applications open December 8, 2022, and the deadline is January 23, 2023.

About the Canada Media Fund
The Canada Media Fund (CMF) fosters, develops, finances, and promotes the production of Canadian content for all audiovisual platforms. In addition, it guides Canadian content towards a competitive global digital environment by supporting industry innovation, rewarding success, promoting diversity of voices, and encouraging access to content through public- and private-sector partnerships. The CMF receives funding from the Government of Canada and from cable, satellite, and IP service distributors across the country. For more information, please visit cmf-fmc.ca.

About Ontario Creates
An agency of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Ontario Creates facilitates economic development opportunities for Ontario’s cultural media industries including book and magazine publishing, film and television, music and interactive digital media industries. For more information, please visit www.ontariocreates.ca

For more information:

Danielle Hébert
Program Consultant, Interactive Digital Media
[email protected]
416-642-6687

For press requests:

Maxime Ruel
Senior Manager, Communications
Canada Media Fund
[email protected]