Canada Media Fund (CMF) – Prototyping Program

Funding opportunities /

Deadline: Nov 10, 2026

Funding amount: CAD250,000.00

Countries: Canada

Type: Non-repayable Contributions

Organization: For profit

Focus area: Innovative Solutions

Industry funded: Technology

Overview

At a Glance

Program Name: Canada Media Fund (CMF) – Prototyping Program (Interactive Digital Media), 2026–2027. It is a competitive grant for Canadian companies to develop early-stage interactive digital media products into a first functional prototype.

Support Type: Non-repayable CMF contribution (grant-like) covering up to 75% of eligible project costs, paid against approved budgets and subject to CMF policies, reporting, and audit requirements.

Application Deadline: Two closing dates per cycle (First and Second Closing Date). Based on your earlier note, the relevant intake opens 27 October 2026 with a deadline of 10 November 2026 (Second Closing Date).

Program Focus

This opportunity is for Canadian interactive digital media (IDM) projects at the prototyping phase: solid concept and design, but requiring experimentation, testing, and validation to produce a working prototype.

The funded output is not a finished product; it must go to a separate production phase before it can be published or sold

Location

Open to Canadian-controlled IDM companies that meet the CMF’s Core Guidelines (including ownership, control, and size thresholds).

There is no provincial restriction beyond the standard CMF eligibility rules; however, applicants must be eligible under the IDM Core Guidelines and program-specific criteria.

About the Program

The CMF allocates funding through a selective, competitive process using a 100?point evaluation grid.

Key structural rules:

New IDM applicants must complete a mandatory pre?application consultation with CMF staff.
Maximum 1 eligible project per spring or fall deadline period per applicant.
Maximum 2 open prototyping contracts at a time; prior projects must be closed (final deliverables + cost report) before applying again
A project can receive only one round of prototyping funding in its lifecycle.
Projects refused for prototyping two or more times since 2010–11 cannot reapply for that same activity.
Up to 50% of the program’s allocation may be committed at the First Closing Date; the remainder is available at the Second Closing Date.

Program Benefits

Successful applicants receive:

A CMF contribution of up to the lesser of 75% of eligible costs or $250,000.
An increased maximum of up to $350,000 (still capped at 75% of eligible costs) if the company has a previously released IDM project with either:
$500,000+ in gross revenue, or
20,000+ units sold/downloaded (or equivalent users/attendees for location-based experiences).

Funding can support:

Content research and preparation
Team salaries, wages, and contracts (production, creative, technical, business, marketing)
Technology infrastructure (hardware/software)
Limited immersive/experiential design/construction costs (2026–27) where digital content remains primary
Online deployment, copyright clearance, documentation, translation
Travel, audit fees, technical/administrative expenses
Marketing and promotion
Reasonable costs for environmentally sustainable activities/practices/personnel

Projects must allocate 10–25% of budget categories B+C to marketing, audience engagement, and community building.cmf-fmc

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants must:

Meet the IDM Content Programs – Core Guidelines (Canadian control, size thresholds, etc.).
If new to CMF via an IDM program, complete the pre?application consultation.
Propose a project that is clearly at the prototyping phase and will result in a functioning prototype build, not a finished product.

Additional constraints:

One project per spring/fall deadline per applicant.
No more than two open prototyping contracts at once; previous projects must be closed before reapplying.
Only one prototyping grant per project over its lifecycle.

To be competitive, applicants should be able to demonstrate:

Strong IDM team (production, creative, technical, sales/marketing) with relevant track record
Gender balance and/or diverse community ownership (for extra points under Parity and Diversity criteria)
Clear community engagement and sustainability plans
Sound financials and a credible preliminary revenue model
A solid market study (audience, market, positioning, competition)

Application Process & Timeline

Applications are submitted through the CMF online application system linked from the IDM/Prototyping Program page, alongside all required supporting documents and budgets.

Key timeline points:

Two closing dates per cycle: First Closing Date and Second Closing Date.
For the intake you referenced:
Opens: 27 October 2026
Deadline: 10 November 2026 (Second Closing Date)

Apply Here

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More Opportunities

Canada Media Fund (CMF) – Prototyping Program

by Canada Media Fund (CMF)

Deadline: Nov 10, 2026

•

CAD250,000.00

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