Organizational Funding Stream
The Organizational Funding stream of the Journalism Futures Fund offers multi-year funding paired with capacity strengthening support. Its goal is to increase journalism organizations’ operational and financial resilience and deepen their engagement with their audiences.
Background
The Journalism Future Fund’s Organizational Funding stream supports small-to-medium organizations that produce impactful journalism, engage their audiences, are led by members of communities that are underserved in Canadian media, and have a strong vision for their future.
Successful applicants receive multi-year funding paired with capacity-strengthening support to increase their operational and financial resilience and deepen their audience engagement.
Grants available in this stream range between $50,000 to $200,000 CAD per year over three years.
Learn more about the Journalism Futures Fund.
Read the funding guidelines for the Organizational Funding stream.
Recipients will be announced in February 2026. Stay tuned.
Evaluation criteria for the Organizational Funding stream:
Community Listening
A commitment to meeting the information needs of the organization’s audiences.
Journalistic Impact
A track record of journalism that meaningfully affects the lives of the audiences served.
Representative Leadership
Decision-makers from communities that are underserved in media.
Sustainability Planning
An intention to strengthen the organization’s journalistic impact, operational resilience and financial health.
Organizational Funding stream
Who can apply?
Independent journalism organizations that are registered businesses or are incorporated as a for-profit or non-profit in Canada, produce original journalism in English or French and adhere to journalistic ethics guidelines.
Funding amounts:
In the Fund’s inaugural round, three to seven organizations will receive three-year grants of $50,000 to $200,000 CAD per year, plus access to capacity-strengthening support.
Key dates:
Deadline for the inaugural round of the Fund: September 29, 2025
Additional rounds will open in the future.
Information sessions: Information sessions for the Fund’s inaugural round took place on September 10, 2025
- English: Watch the recording | Download the slides
- French: Watch the recording | Download the slides
Decision announcement: February 2026.
Official languages:
The Fund accepts applications in English or French.
Le Fonds accepte les candidatures en anglais ou en français.
Jury (to be announced)
Eligibility Quiz
Learn if your organization is eligible to apply to the Organizational Funding stream.
Application Process
1. Eligibility quiz
A self-assessment that takes about two minutes to complete.
2. Introductory application
A set of short-answer questions about the organization and its journalism, its relationship to its audience(s), its capacity strengths, and areas for growth and its plans for the future. This should take two to three hours to complete.
3. Independent review
After a due diligence review, all applications are assessed by independent reviewers. A short list of applicants is invited to submit a full application to the Fund.
4. Full application
Invited organizations provide detailed information on their policies, finances, governance, leadership, audiences and future planning. All candidates invited to this stage receive an honorarium.
5. Jury review
Full applications are reviewed by an independent jury. A short list of finalists may be invited to jury interviews.
6. Funding recipients
Funding recipients for the inaugural round of the Fund will be announced in February 2026.
Need help applying?
Applying for funding can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re new to philanthropy or have accessibility needs. Please reach out to jff-fam@inspiritfoundation.org for guidance, accommodations, or other support. We’re here to answer your questions and help make the process as smooth and manageable as possible.
Download funding guidelines here.
Introductory Application
Applications are now closed. Recipients will be announced in February 2026.
FAQ: About the Organizational Funding stream
The first step is filling out a short eligibility quiz. If your organization qualifies to apply for the Fund, you can complete an introductory application, due on September 29, 2025. After a review of applications, a short list of organizations will be invited to submit a full application in fall 2025.
Please note: Applications are now closed. Recipients will be announced in February 2026.
Download a PDF of the application questions for the Organizational Funding stream here.
Note: Applications must be completed through the application portal.
In its inaugural round, the Fund will fund three to seven journalism organizations. More rounds will be announced in 2026.
Funding recipients for the Organizational Funding stream will receive three-year grants of $50,000 to $200,000 CAD per year and have access to capacity-strengthening support throughout the granting period.
Please note: Organizations may be awarded less than the total amount of funding requested. Final amounts will depend on jury decisions, incorporation status, and the terms of the funding agreement. For organizations incorporated as for-profits, any applicable taxes must be included in the total amount requested.
Yes, funding recipients of the Journalism Futures Fund Organizational Funding stream will be required to share periodic reporting on their use of this funding, for accountability and learning purposes. This may include financial reporting and written or oral reports outlining activities and milestones achieved. Recipients are expected to participate in Fund evaluation activities.