Call for Applications: Local Journalism Initiative (Canada)

The Local Journalism Initiative supports the creation of original civic journalism that is relevant to the diverse needs of underserved communities across Canada, broadening availability and consumption of local and regional news on matters of civic governance.

Funding is available to eligible Canadian media organizations to hire journalists or pay freelance journalists to produce civic journalism for underserved communities. The content produced will be made available to news media organizations through a Creative Commons license so that Canadians can be better informed.

Funding Information 

• Eligible news media organizations may apply to receive funds to initially hire journalists on staff or as freelance, and (in subsequent years) retain them. The Local Journalism Initiative can fund up to $60,000 per LJI project per 12-month period, with a maximum of one full-time reporter position.
• The total financial assistance received from the Local Journalism Initiative cannot exceed 100% of the publisher’s total expenditures for the salary, mandatory employment-related costs, and the purchase or lease of equipment for the use of the LJI reporter to create civic journalistic content.

Eligible Publication

• Your publication must:
  • be published by an eligible publishing firm;
  • be majority owned and controlled by Canadians;
  • be either an English, French or Indigenous printed daily or community newspaper, digital news publication or news website;
  • have completed at least one uninterrupted 12-month publishing cycle at the application deadline;
  • be edited, designed, assembled and published in Canada.

Ineligible Publication

• The following publications are ineligible under the Local Journalism Initiative:
  • newsletters;
  • pop-up journalism organizations;
  • publications produced by or for an organization that primarily reports on the activities or promotes the interests of the organization;
  • publications produced by or for an organization providing goods or services in which the main goal of the publication is to promote the sales of the goods or services;
  • publications produced under contract by a non-Canadian organization on behalf of a Canadian client;
  • publications produced under contract by a Canadian organization for a non‑Canadian client;
  • publications produced by or for an organization that promotes the organization’s main business, when it is not publication publishing;
  • professional association publications;
  • publications produced by or for a government, a Crown Corporation or a government agency;

Geographic Focus

• Applications will be accepted for areas not currently covered by an LJI-funded position. Limited funds are available for approximately 37 positions in the following regions:
  • Indigenous Publications: 2 positions
  • Quebec French-language publications: 8 positions
  • English-language publications
    • British Columbia: 1 position
    • Alberta: 3 positions
    • Saskatchewan: 1 position
    • Manitoba: 2 positions
    • Ontario: 18 positions
    • Atlantic Canada (NB, NL or NS): 2 positions

Who can apply?

• Publishing firms producing English, French or Indigenous daily newspapers, community newspapers, digital news publications and news websites can apply.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for funding, an applicant must be:
  • a press agency;
  • a private news organization; or,
  • a non-profit news organization.
• Private non-community broadcasters and the CBC/Radio-Canada are not eligible.
• Publishing firms and publications eligible under more than one Local Journalism Initiative program must select one LJI program and submit applications to the applicable Administrator Organization. In the interest of maximizing the number of underserved communities supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, News Media Canada and the other Administrator Organizations will coordinate with each other to determine which program will accept applications from publishing firms and publications with dual eligibility.

For more information, visit News Media Canada.