TORONTO — The Canada Media Fund (CMF) released Friday details of $13.3 million in Covid-19 emergency relief funding for underrepresented groups and to support regional diversity in the screen-based industry.
Fifteen per cent of the Government of Canada’s CMF allocation of the Covid-19 Emergency Support Fund for Cultural, Heritage and Sport Organizations will be invested through targeted initiatives to ensure equity, including by region, language and for underrepresented groups, says the news release.
“We recognize many historically marginalized communities within the industry are disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 crisis and were not eligible for other CMF emergency relief funds,” said Valerie Creighton, president and CEO of CMF, in the release.
“We are consulting with industry leaders and partners from these communities to determine how these funds can be best used to support Black, Indigenous and people of colour, women, official language minority communities, underserved regions and other groups affected by Covid-19. Through these funds, we will work with partners such as the Indigenous Screen Office and build new relationships and partnerships that will last well beyond the current crisis and help inform the CMF’s policy and program directions in the future.”
“The funding support announced today by the Canada Media Fund is part of a long-term effort that our Government intends to pursue with our partners to combat systemic racism,” added Stephen Guilbeault, minister of Canadian Heritage. “We all have a responsibility to question our organizational practices to ensure that Black, Indigenous and racialized people have equal access to the opportunities they need to thrive and shape, from their own perspective, the Canadian cultural and media landscape.”
The CMF announced $4 million (31% of the Covid-19 emergency relief funds) will be reserved for companies and organizations owned and led by Black people or people of colour, and $3 million will be provided to the Indigenous Screen Office to support Covid-19-related business continuity and expenses such as health and safety measures, fees and additional insurance costs for Indigenous-led production companies.
For more information about how the funding is being allocated to the various communities, please click here. The CMF says it will release details on how to access these funds in the coming weeks.
