The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages, announced in a press release issued on October 14, 2025, that the Special Measures for Journalism (SMJ) component of the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) has been renewed for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. This is excellent news for the industry.

It should be noted that the high volume of applications for both the Aid to Publishers (ATP) and Special Measures for Journalism components prevents the Department of Canadian Heritage from processing them simultaneously. As a result, the launch of the 2026-2027 cycle for the Aid to Publishers component will be postponed by a few months. The program is aware of the inconvenience this may cause and will do everything possible to minimize the impact on funding timelines.

Application Periods

Special Measures to Support Journalism: from October 14 at 8:00 am to November 17, 2025, at 2:00 pm (Mountain Time).
Aid to Publishers: from February 2 at 8:00 am to March 16, 2026, at 2:00 pm (Mountain Time).

Important Changes

Only print periodicals are eligible for funding under Special Measures for Journalism. Applications for periodicals published exclusively in digital format may be submitted to the Aid to Publishers component for the 2026-2027 cycle when it launches on February 2, 2026.
The deadline for receiving funding applications for any project at Canadian Heritage is now set at 4:00 pm Mountain Time.

Virtual Meetings
The Department of Canadian Heritage invite you to a virtual meeting to answer any questions or concerns you may have.