The Canada Media Fund (CMF) has released a report highlighting the impact of the $60 million funding it received from the government to boost support for equity-deserving groups within the audiovisual industry.

The Creating Change report was released on Wednesday (Jan. 31) with a warning from the CMF that the support is at risk of coming to an end as of March 31 if it’s not renewed in the 2024 federal budget. The funds were allocated to the CMF as part of the 2021 budget, delivered over three years in $20 million installments.

The majority (57%) of the total funds went towards the Pilot Program for Racialized Communities (PPRC), which was launched in 2021, followed by 17% for the Sector Development Support project. Initiatives and programs such as the Persona ID self-identification system and Early-stage Development received 12%, while 9% went towards the Indigenous program and 6% to the Diverse Languages Program.

A total of 293 projects received $37.5 million through the PPRC over three years, according to the report, including 141 for predevelopment, 93 for development, and 59 for production. The program generated an estimated gross domestic product (GDP) of $176.4 million and 2,208 full-time equivalent jobs during that period.

The report said 58% of Black and people of colour-owned production companies received their first CMF funding in the program’s inaugural year.

The CMF’s Sector Development Support program saw an investment of $9.7 million across 135 projects. The program supports initiatives that tackle industry gaps “in distinct and identified areas, including Canada’s regions and Indigenous and equity-seeking communities.”

The report is based on data available as of Jan. 1, with a disclaimer that information from the 2023-24 fiscal year is preliminary and pulled from data from programs that are still open.

CMF president and CEO Valerie Creighton said in a statement that “the data we’ve collected not only demonstrates the economic value of our initiatives but also highlights the impact of CMF programs on the lives of creators and industry professionals across Canada.”

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