Application
- Application portal opens and news businesses apply for funding
Funds Allocated Under the Online News Act
Funds distributed under the Online News Act (the Act) are intended to support Canadian news businesses producing local, regional and national news content. The CJC-CCJ’s administration of this fund is mandated to promote sustainability, equity and innovation in the implementation of the Act.
Beginning in 2025, the CJC-CCJ is administering $500M in funds from Google’s exemption under the Act. The fund will be disbursed over five rounds of $100M each, with administration of the second round beginning in fall 2025.
This page provides information about the eligibility criteria, application process and timelines. To learn more, please review the eligibility criteria, and the document that outlines any changes in the fund’s administration from the previous year.
Universal Requirements
To qualify as an eligible news business, the requirements are:
- You must be an organization that regularly produces original news content
- You must produce original news content focused on matters of general interest, including local, regional and national news content
- Your news content must be discoverable through Google’s search engine
- If you are a non-Indigenous applicant, you must produce news content for the Canadian news marketplace
- If you are an Indigenous applicant, you must be located in Canada
These criteria are further defined in the CJC-CCJ’s Eligibility Policy.
Additional Requirements by Eligibility Category
In addition to satisfying the universal requirements, a news business must also fall within one of the eligibility categories described by section 27 of the Online News Act. Additional requirements apply for each eligibility category.
To qualify as a news business producing original news content, the requirements are:
- You must regularly employ at least two journalists in Canada. “Regularly employ” means ongoing employment arrangements, whether full-time or part-time. This means that your employee receives a T4 Tax Slip. Freelance journalists do not count because they are not employees
- Your news business must operate in Canada. Your day-to-day operations, content editing and design must happen in Canada, although you can use servers located outside Canada
You must produce news content of general public interest that focuses on current events and matters of general interest. Your content should not be mainly focused on specialized topics like industry news, sports, arts, lifestyle or entertainment - Your news content must be original, and not be primarily re-purposing other news content (such as Canadian Press)
Your news content must be published on an ongoing basis (produced regularly) - Your news business must follow a code of ethics, either as a member of a recognized journalistic association, or having your own code of journalistic ethics that requires professional conduct standards
To qualify as a news businesses that operates an Indigenous news outlet, the requirements are:
- Your news business must be owned and operated by an individual who belongs to an Indigenous group, community or people
- Your news business must operate in Canada
Indigenous people must hold key operation and management roles - At for-profit news businesses (corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships), Indigenous people must own at least 51% of the business as shareholders, partners, or similar
- At non-profit news businesses, Indigenous people must account for at least 51% of the seats on the board of directors or equivalent decision-making body
To qualify as a Qualified Canadian Journalism Organization (QCJO), your news business must be designated as such by the Canada Revenue Agency.
To qualify as a licensed campus, community or native station, your news business must be licensed by the CRTC under paragraph 9(1)(b) of the Broadcasting Act as a campus station, community station or native station.
To qualify as a community broadcasting station, the requirements are:
- Your station must be a community radio or television station
- You support community members in producing their own programs
- Programs must be produced in one of the languages used in the community
- You must be a not-for-profit broadcasting undertaking managed by a board of directors elected by the community
Steps to apply for funds:
- Prepare to Apply
- Review eligibility criteria
- Determine if you are a broadcaster or publisher
- Determine which eligibility category best fits your news business
- Review deadlines
- Assemble all required documents
- Submit Your Application
- Create your account
- Submit your application
- Determination
- Receive your determination letter
- A. Eligible applicants:
- Sign recipient agreement and submit banking information
- Receive funds transfer
- B. Ineligible applicants:
- Submit an appeal if you believe that the ruling is incorrect
- Provide proof that your news outlet is eligible
Application Process
Here’s what to expect as an applicant.
Verification
- Applications are reviewed for eligibility and eligible hours are verified
- Once all applications are verified, determination letters issued
Appeal Process
- Ineligible applicants who choose to dispute will be asked to submit additional documentation
- The CJC-CCJ Publishing or Broadcasting Council determines final eligibility
- New determination letters are issued, as necessary
Disbursement
- Eligible applicants receive a notification of the amount they will receive
- Payments issued to all eligible applicants
FAQ
Still have questions after reviewing the Application Guide? Please review the FAQ below and write to info@cjc-ccj.ca if you have questions remaining.
When will applicants receive funding for the second settlement year?
The applicant portal will open in fall 2025 and funds will be disbursed in early 2026.
How does the CJC-CCJ determine which news businesses are eligible to receive funds?
Funding decisions are based on the CJC-CCJ Eligibility Policy, in alignment with the Online News Act and its Regulations. The verification team is led by veteran journalists, and every eligibility decision undergoes a rigorous review process. The Eligibility Policy is reviewed annually by the CJC-CCJ Publishing and Broadcasting Councils.
How do I determine what part of my business is a news outlet?
The part of your news business that is considered the outlet varies depending on the type of news business:
- Online Publication: the part of a website where news is published is considered the news outlet.
- Radio Station: the news programs are considered news outlets.
- Television Station: the news programs are considered news outlets.
My news business is a private broadcaster, not a campus, community or native station licensed by the CRTC. Which eligibility category should I choose?
If you are a radio or television station, apply as a broadcaster under the category “Producer of news content of public interest.”
My news business is made up of multiple news outlets; how do I apply?
Please complete one application for each individual corporation or legal entity that is a news business and that pays the newsroom employees whose time is being submitted. Each news business that applies must declare the total employee head count (for Publishers) or employee hours (for Broadcasters) across all of the news outlets it operates.
If the news business has any news outlets that transmit programs by television or radio waves or via a distribution undertaking*, it is considered to be a Broadcaster, even if other news outlets owned by the news business publish only online. This means the news business is eligible to receive funds from the broadcaster pool of eligible hours.
If the news business distributes its content, whether written, audio or video, either exclusively online or exclusively in print and online, and does not transmit programs by television or radio waves, nor indirectly through a distribution undertaking* to the public by means of broadcasting receiving apparatus, it is considered a Publisher. For example, podcasting and streaming news businesses that distribute their content online according to the criteria listed above, are considered a Publisher.
*as defined by the Broadcasting Act
My news business includes a radio station, a newspaper and an online blog; is my business considered a broadcaster or a publisher?
Your news business would be considered a broadcaster.
I operate a news business that primarily publishes a PDF publication, but I also publish some articles online. How many articles does the CJC-CCJ need to see when I upload all the articles I have produced in a three-week period?
Provide a minimum of three links in the Excel file that you upload with your application form.
My news business has an ownership relationship with another news business; how does this affect my application?
If your news business owns subsidiary news businesses or has an ownership relationship with other news businesses (i.e. related corporations), each corporation or other legal entity should apply separately in the appropriate category (publisher or broadcaster) as described above, and report newsroom employee employee head count (for Publishers) or employee hours (for Broadcasters) paid by that legal entity in 2024.
Example A
A parent company owns several different legal entities. Each legal entity must apply separately.
Example B
There are four FM radio stations, each an independent corporation, but the shareholders and directors are similar. The shareholder structure is similar but not the same. The news businesses share resources and staff. Each legal entity should submit one application, and should declare each unit of employee work in only one of those applications. Newsroom employee head count (for Publishers) or employee hours (for Broadcasters) claimed by one news business cannot be claimed by another news business. Each news business will need to submit a separate application, without overlapping any claimed employee time.
Why is the broadcaster amount per FTE less than the publisher amount?
As declared in the Online News Act, “(3) No more than 30% of the monetary compensation may be allocated to news businesses—other than the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation—that carry on a programming undertaking as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Broadcasting Act, in relation to news outlets that are or are part of a broadcasting undertaking as defined in that subsection, and no more than 7% of the monetary compensation may be allocated to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.” This is why the amount differs between broadcasters and publishers.
When I calculate the total amount of employee time spent creating original news content, does this include hours worked by employees whose salaries are funded by the LJI program?
Yes. Please include the total number of all employee hours spent creating original news content, regardless of the source of funding for their position.
Can I include freelancer’s fees in my declaration?
No. News businesses are not permitted to submit claims for freelance journalists or contractors. Please note that only employee hours directly related to the production of online news should be included in your claim, and freelance costs must be excluded. Employee hours are hours worked by employees who receive a T4 tax slip.
My news business has lost or cannot access the CRA letter confirming its designation as a QCJO; how can I verify my QCJO status?
Please contact the CRA and request a new copy of the letter. To qualify as a QCJO news business, this letter is mandatory.
Who is responsible for verifying applications?
For Settlement Year 2 (applications submitted in fall 2025), the application review process will consist of multiple levels of verification, first by a team of journalists and then by the Publishers and Broadcasters Councils, respectively.
Who is on the Publishers and Broadcasters Councils?
The Publishers and Broadcasters Councils are composed of the publishing and broadcasting directors, respectively, of the CJC-CCJ’s board.
How will CJC-CCJ protect the privacy of data provided by news businesses?
The CJC-CCJ acknowledges that data collected and stored may include proprietary business information and/or private personal data. The CJC-CCJ has adopted measures to protect the confidentiality of application information, and will only share application data publicly in an aggregate form other than the following information, which you agree the CJC-CCJ may freely publish: the name of all news businesses that the CJC-CCJ determines are entitled to receive a share of the compensation, and the amount disbursed by the CJC-CCJ to each news business, as required by the Agreement between the CJC-CCJ and Google and in accordance with the Online News Act and Regulations.