The Canada Media Fund (CMF) is continuing to create new funding access points for producers and creators developing projects without the attachment of a Canadian broadcaster.

The funder has launched the Development Pilot Program – Experienced Producers fund, a $3-million stream for drama, docs and children’s and youth programming. English-language projects will receive $2 million of the total, while French-language projects will receive $1 million.

Under the program guidelines, the CMF said it will provide a “dollar-for-dollar match of the project’s non-CMF financing” up to a cap of $100,000. The application window opens Nov. 26 and closes Jan. 21, with funds being distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants are able to submit a maximum of one project.

While a broadcaster commitment is still required for the vast majority of CMF’s development and production programs, over the past two years the organization has expanded a number of funding triggers in order to create new paths to market for producers and creators, especially on the development side of the equation.

In March of 2019, the CMF launched the Early-Stage Development Program, the first program that allowed in-development projects without a broadcaster commitment to access funding.

More recently, in January 2020, the organization launched the CMF-Distributor Pilot Predevelopment Matching Program, which supports the pre-development of export-focused Canadian content. The program is a collaboration between the CMF and the Canadian Association of Content Exporters (CACE).