Changing Narratives Fund
In the context of the Comprehensive Expenditure Review and as per Canadian Heritage’s Departmental Plan 2026-27, the Changing Narratives Fund will not be renewed and will sunset, as planned, on March 31, 2027. Funding allocations for 2026–2027 are being implemented as planned.
The Changing Narratives Fund (CNF) is an initiative that supports diverse communities (i.e. Indigenous, Black, racialized, ethno-religious minority, people with disabilities and 2SLGBTQI+ communities) to share their stories, experiences, and perspectives so that their voices are accurately and authentically represented in the media, and culture sectors in Canada.
The objective of the CNF is to implement incentives and initiatives that encourage greater participation of diverse communities and organizations in the culture and media sectors. To achieve this objective, the CNF provides support for mentorship, training and professional development opportunities for diverse communities at all career stages so that members from these communities could increase their participation in the creative sectors.
The funding allocated for the CNF is distributed through three existing programs to better support diverse communities and organizations in the following industries:
- The Canada Media Fund (CMF) (to support diverse communities in the television, digital media, screen industry, and cinematic production industries)
- The Local Journalism Initiative (to support diverse communities in the written press, community radio, community television and online news service industries)
- The Collective Initiatives Component of the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF-CI) (to support diverse communities in the magazine and newspaper industries)
The Canada Media Fund
The Changing Narratives Fund stream of CMF prioritizes projects that foster the development of an inclusive audiovisual sector by providing training and professional development opportunities for diverse communities.
Learn more about the Canada Media Fund programming component.
The Local Journalism Initiative
The Changing Narratives Fund stream of the Local Journalism Initiative prioritizes the hiring of diverse (that is, Indigenous, Black, racialized, ethno-religious minority, people with disabilities and 2SLGBTQI+ communities) journalists in diverse-owned and mainstream news organizations to produce civic journalism for underserved communities. These journalists take part in mentoring, training, and professional development activities to increase their participation in the media sector at all career stages.
To protect the independence of the press, a not-for-profit organization delivers this stream.
Learn more about the Local Journalism Initiative and its Changing Narratives Fund stream.
Collective Initiatives Component of the Canada Periodical Fund
The Collective Initiatives component of the Canada Periodical Fund prioritizes projects designed to increase the overall sustainability of the Canadian magazine and (non-daily) community newspaper industries.
The Changing Narratives Fund stream prioritizes projects by organizations that support their diverse communities through mentorship, training and professional development opportunities at all career stages in the magazine and newspaper industries.
Learn more about Collective Initiatives and its Changing Narratives Fund stream.