The Canada Media Fund (CMF) on Wednesday published a new report detailing the results of the federal government’s $60-million investment in 2021 in the CMF for equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives.
The CMF’s Creating Change report demonstrates the funding — announced as part of the 2021 federal budget and allocated in $20-million installments over the past three years — “has been a key driver in advancing EDI across Canada’s audiovisual sector,” according to a CMF press release, which notes “this pivotal funding, which has underpinned significant sectoral growth, will come to an end on March 31, 2024”, if it isn’t renewed in the 2024 federal budget.
“Thanks to this additional funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage, over the last three years we’ve been able to make great strides in our EDI work by creating new CMF programs and strengthening existing ones,” Valerie Creighton, president and CEO of the CMF, said in the release.
“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. We’re not just funding projects; we’re fostering a culture of inclusion and creating change in our media landscape,” she said.
Among the key findings of the report, the CMF says the $37.5 million it invested over three years in its Pilot Program for Racialized Communities (PPRC) supported 293 projects by companies owned and controlled by Black and racialized individuals, and every dollar invested in the program generated $5.23 toward production budgets. Furthermore, PPRC funding led to significant economic impacts, including a $176.4-million contribution to Canada’s GDP, according to the CMF.
The CMF’s total investment of $9.7 million over three years in sector development supported 135 projects, “with 85 per cent focusing on Indigenous and equity-seeking communities,” according to the report. The Sector Development Support program also contributed to the creation of the Disability Screen Office, the CMF says.
“Additional programs boosted by the EDI funding included a 23 per cent increase in projects through our Indigenous Program, a 34 per cent increase in projects through our Diverse Languages Program with 15 languages represented, and the development of 32 industry partnerships focused on Indigenous and equity-seeking communities,” the CMF press release says.
In addition, the federal funding supported the CMF’s 2022-23 launch of the PERSONA-ID self-identification tool, which measures the demographic makeup of key roles and ownership of CMF program applications. “It has helped the CMF with data-driven decision-making and reducing systemic barriers, with an 83 per cent national uptake” in 2022-23, the CMF says.
“By helping us identify gaps and strengthen strategic decisions, the CMF’s data collection continues to inform our work in championing Canadian stories across all platforms and nurturing a diverse and representative audiovisual sector in Canada,” the release says.
