The Local Journalism Initiative is open to existing Canadian news organizations. To be eligible, an organization must be a press agency, a private news organization or a non-profit news organization.
English, French and Indigenous daily newspapers, community newspapers and news websites are eligible to apply for the Local Journalism Initiative at News Media Canada. Other types of news organizations are welcome to contact us to determine their eligibility, or for assistance in identifying which Administrator Organization they should apply to.
To verify eligibility, News Media Canada will require applicants to confirm that they:
- are majority owned and controlled by Canadians or otherwise meet the requirements of Section 19 of the Income Tax Act;
- engage in coverage of democratic bodies/institutions and civic function journalism as core principles;
- are edited, designed, assembled and published in Canada and directed primarily at Canadian audiences in Canada;
- have completed at least one uninterrupted 12-month publishing cycle.
Applicants are encouraged to apply to the appropriate Administrator Organization that serves their particular segment of the industry. For a list of Administrator Organizations, including those serving official-language minority written press, ethnic newspapers, community radio, and community television, click here.
For more information about News Media Canada’s Local Journalism Initiative program, visit our website at www.newsmediacanada.ca/lji.
