OTTAWA — The Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) and the Fédération des télévisions communautaires autonomes du Québec (the Fédération) announced today they are now accepting applications for a new round of funding from the federal government’s Local Journalism Initiative (LJI).
The announcement follows the Government of Canada’s renewal of CACTUS’s funding to support local journalists and communities under the LJI. CACTUS’s LJI contract with the Department of Canadian Heritage was extended until March 31, 2024, and includes an additional funding allocation for 2021-22 and 2022-23 to focus on underrepresented voices, says a press release.
As a result of this funding increase, CACTUS will distribute a maximum of just over $2 million to community media organizations that are underserved by other media because of geographic location and a minimum of $1.1 million to support underrepresented voices, including Indigenous, racialized and official language minorities.
“We are excited that CACTUS will enable more communities to host a civic journalist, create more jobs for video journalists, and provide more support for underrepresented voices,” said Cathy Edwards, executive director of CACTUS, in the press release.
“These objectives are key to community media’s philosophy of supporting diversity and dialogue about civic affairs, particularly in communities not served by other media.”
Application forms for community media organizations interested in hosting a civic journalist are available at the web sites of CACTUS and the Fédération at https://www.cactusmedia.ca/ and https://fedetvc.qc.ca/.
The deadline to apply is Oct. 15, 2021.
For more information, please click here.
