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Deadline: July 10, 2026
Program Summary:
The CMF’s Sector Development Support program’s Organizational Advancement Stream is a selective, activity-based program to support the growth and sustainability of nonprofit corporations in Canada’s screen sector ecosystem. Successful activities aim to stabilize, scale, and advance the mandates and competitiveness of screen sector organizations. Priority will be given to activities of organizations led by, and addressing the needs of, Indigenous, Equity-Deserving, and/or Regional Communities. Successful organizations must support the advancement of the screen sector, be in good financial health, and have been in operation for a minimum of two fiscal years with a track record of program delivery.
Please note, a minimum of 2/3 of the CMF’s Sector Development Support program’s Workforce Advancement Stream’s budget is dedicated to organizations majority led by and mandated to serve Indigenous, Equity-Deserving, and/or Regional Communities. Additionally, under the Contribution Agreement with the Department of Canadian Heritage, 1/3 of the CMF’s program budget is dedicated to French-language content and activities.
Intended Outcomes:
- To support the stability, development, implementation and evaluation of initiatives that build organizational capacity
and maintain resilience within the Canadian screen sector ecosystem. - To strengthen the screen sector by advancing organizational mandates, as well as enhancing organizational leadership and impact, with priority for organizations led by or serving Indigenous, Equity-Deserving and/or Regional Communities.
Eligible Activities:
ALL activities must include meaningful engagement with and participation of individuals from Indigenous, Equity-Deserving, and/or Regional Communities.
ORGANIZATIONAL ADVANCEMENT STREAM seeks to support Canadian-controlled non-profit corporations to stabilize, scale and advance their mandates. Funding aims to bolster an organization’s planning, impact and time-limited leadership development (including staff and governance) toward increased sector resiliency.
Eligible Activities include but are not limited to:
- Strategic Planning.
- Succession Planning.
- Fiscal, Fundraising and/or Revenue Generation Development.
- Program Development.
- Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility Planning and Implementation.
- Sustainability Planning.
- Community and Audience Development.
- Outreach, Marketing and Promotion.
- Artificial Intelligence Implementation.
- Executive, Leadership and Specialized Staff Training.
- Board and Governance Training and Development.
- Other activities as approved by the CMF prior to application.
Grant Amount:
Funding is awarded on a selective basis. The amount awarded to each activity will be paid by the CMF in the form of a non-repayable contribution directly to the Eligible Applicant.
The CMF contribution will be up to a maximum of $100,000 for an Eligible Activity submitted by an Eligible Applicant. The applicant may allocate this funding over a period of 18 months, or two (2) fiscal years (determined by date of contract execution and the submitted activity timeline). Grants awarded may be less than the amount requested. The maximum contribution from the CMF will not exceed 75% of the activity’s Eligible Costs.
Eligible Applicants:
- Canadian controlled (at least 51% Canadian majority-led) non-profit corporations with a primary mandate in the Canadian screen-based sector.
- Organizations incorporated at the time of application.
- Organizations who are governed by a board of directors and have at least one (1) staff member.
- Organizations who have been in operation for at least two (2) consecutive fiscal-year cycles and have demonstrated a record of program delivery with external participants (in-person, online or hybrid) primarily for Canadian screen-based industries.
- Organizations in good financial standing.
- Organizations must be in good standing with the CMF per reports and deliverables of past funded activities.
- Organizations may have active project funding through the CMF’s Changing Narratives Fund and Strategic Partnerships.
- Organizations may submit only one (1) application to the Sector Development Support program’s Workforce Advancement Stream, during the CMF’s 2026-2027 fiscal year.
- Organizations are restricted to only one (1) active and funded activity in the Sector Development Support program’s Workforce Advancement Stream at a time.
Funding through CMF’s Sector Development Support program’s Organizational Advancement Stream is a strategic grant to support organizational stability or growth. Successful Eligible Applicants must wait one full fiscal year from the conclusion of any funded activity through this stream before reapplying and cannot receive this funding in consecutive years.