Call for projects for digital cultural development in the Canadian Francophonie

Description

Purpose of the program

The rise of social media, digital broadcasting tools and platforms has profoundly changed the way people communicate, consume, obtain information, and are entertained. Due to technological changes, stakeholders in the culture and communications sector must also face numerous challenges, which can vary from one field to another and depending on their roles within these fields.

Thus cultural vitality depends, among other things, on the capacity to ensure discoverability . Read the contents of note number1 of content in the digital universe, where the content offering has almost no limits. Although French is one of the main languages ​​present on the internet after English, the positioning of French-language content is a major challenge and its visibility is essential to ensure its consumption and, by extension, its survival. In an ocean of foreign and English-language content, this issue is crucial, as culture is, very often, the gateway to the French-speaking world.

Increasing accessibility to French-language cultural content and facilitating the circulation of works and artists from the Canadian Francophonie now largely take place through the digital world. To meet these challenges and opportunities, cultural stakeholders in the Canadian Francophonie must focus on better networking and outreach.

This Program is intended to respond to the findings of Quebec's 3rd policy on the Canadian Francophonie, and more specifically its dimension 3: "Communicate, inform and entertain oneself in French" and 6: "Create in French, promote and disseminate Francophone culture." More specifically, the program is the implementation of action 21 of the Government Action Plan for the Canadian Francophonie 2025-2028, which aims to promote the sharing of expertise and collaboration in digital transformation between Francophone cultural organizations in Quebec and other provinces and territories.

This program complements other programs of the Ministry of Culture and Communications, such as the data standardization support program and the call for projects to promote Quebec culture. This program also complements several other initiatives of the Quebec government, such as the Canadian Francophonie Support Program (PAFC), the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ).  

Recognizing the importance of digital transformation, discoverability and the challenges that accompany it, the Ministry is offering, through this call for projects, support for projects aimed at digital cultural development, namely improving the discoverability of French-language cultural content in the digital environment or the acquisition, consolidation and exchange of digital skills in the cultural sector between Quebec and the Canadian Francophonie.

Purpose of the program

The rise of social media, digital broadcasting tools and platforms has profoundly changed the way people communicate, consume, obtain information, and are entertained. Due to technological changes, stakeholders in the culture and communications sector must also face numerous challenges, which can vary from one field to another and depending on their roles within these fields.

Thus cultural vitality depends, among other things, on the capacity to ensure discoverability . Read the contents of note number1 of content in the digital universe, where the content offering has almost no limits. Although French is one of the main languages ​​present on the internet after English, the positioning of French-language content is a major challenge and its visibility is essential to ensure its consumption and, by extension, its survival. In an ocean of foreign and English-language content, this issue is crucial, as culture is, very often, the gateway to the French-speaking world.

Increasing accessibility to French-language cultural content and facilitating the circulation of works and artists from the Canadian Francophonie now largely take place through the digital world. To meet these challenges and opportunities, cultural stakeholders in the Canadian Francophonie must focus on better networking and outreach.

This Program is intended to respond to the findings of Quebec's 3rd policy on the Canadian Francophonie, and more specifically its dimension 3: "Communicate, inform and entertain oneself in French" and 6: "Create in French, promote and disseminate Francophone culture." More specifically, the program is the implementation of action 21 of the Government Action Plan for the Canadian Francophonie 2025-2028, which aims to promote the sharing of expertise and collaboration in digital transformation between Francophone cultural organizations in Quebec and other provinces and territories.

This program complements other programs of the Ministry of Culture and Communications, such as the data standardization support program and the call for projects to promote Quebec culture. This program also complements several other initiatives of the Quebec government, such as the Canadian Francophonie Support Program (PAFC), the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ).  

Recognizing the importance of digital transformation, discoverability and the challenges that accompany it, the Ministry is offering, through this call for projects, support for projects aimed at digital cultural development, namely improving the discoverability of French-language cultural content in the digital environment or the acquisition, consolidation and exchange of digital skills in the cultural sector between Quebec and the Canadian Francophonie.

Goals

Submitted projects must meet at least one of the following objectives:

• improve the discoverability of French-language cultural content from Quebec and the Canadian Francophonie;
• contribute to the development of digital skills of artists and cultural organizations in Quebec and the Canadian Francophonie, with a view to promoting the diversity of cultural expressions;
• encourage the pooling of resources and expertise in digital cultural development among cultural stakeholders in the Canadian Francophonie.

 

Eligible customers

The program is aimed at organizations incorporated under one of the following legal forms:

• non-profit legal persons under Part 3 of the Companies Act (RLRQ, chapter C -38) or the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act (SC 2009, c. 23);
• cooperatives incorporated under the Cooperatives Act (RLRQ, chapter C-67.2) or the Canada Cooperatives Act (SC 1998, c. 1);
• private for-profit companies incorporated under Quebec or Canadian law
• state-owned companies reporting to the Minister of Culture and Communications:
  • National Library and Archives,
  • Quebec Conservatory of Music and Dramatic Art,
  • Museum of Contemporary Art,
  • Museum of Civilization,
  • National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec,
  • Montreal Place des Arts Society,
  • Grand Théâtre de Québec Society,
  • Tele-Quebec;
• The faculties and research centers of colleges established under the General and Vocational Colleges Act (RLRQ, chapter C-29);
• The faculties of university educational establishments established under the Act respecting university-level educational establishments (RLRQ, chapter E-14.1);

To be eligible, the applicant must also:

• work primarily in one or more sectors of intervention of the Ministry of Culture and Communications, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) or the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC);
• be legally incorporated for more than 12 months;
• have its head office in Quebec;
• in the case of a private for-profit company, demonstrate that the effective control of the company is held mainly by persons who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents and have their tax residence in Quebec;

 

 

Ineligible customers

The following are not eligible for the program:

• individuals operating sole proprietorships;
• municipalities and municipal organizations, including regional county municipalities (RCMs) and organizations similar to an RCM;  
• organizations that have failed to meet their obligations after having been duly notified in connection with the granting of previous financial assistance by a ministry or organization of the Government of Quebec;
• insolvent applicants, bankrupt applicants, applicants who have filed a composition proposal or who have obtained a benefit from a law relating to bankruptcy or insolvency;
• applicants who do not meet the high standards of integrity that the public is entitled to expect from a recipient of financial assistance paid from public funds;
• organizations registered in the Register of Companies Ineligible for Public Contracts (RENA), including their subcontractors registered with RENA.

 

Project eligibility

Each applicant may only submit one project under this call. However, they may be a partner in one or more other projects.

To be considered eligible, the submitted project must:

• contribute to one or more of the intervention sectors of the Ministry, CALQ or SODEC;
• contribute fully and concretely to achieving the objectives of this program;
• include at least one French-Canadian cultural partner (outside Quebec)

The meaning of partnership must respect the definition of the Office québécois de la langue française, namely a " form of cooperation between 2 or more organizations contributing to the realization of a project by the pooling of material, intellectual, human or financial resources." Thus, a service provider or a subcontractor will not be considered a partner in the project. Furthermore, the partner may under no circumstances be an organization of which the applicant is a member or of which Quebec is a member.

 

Plan a completion schedule spanning a maximum of 12 months;

• the activities organized within the framework of the project must take place mainly in French;

The following projects are not eligible:

• relating to the day-to-day functioning of organizations, i.e. relating to activities considered normal and usual;
• of a recurring nature;
• funded under another assistance program from the Ministry, CALQ or SODEC;
• touring shows;
• aimed exclusively at creation in digital arts;
• consisting solely of exploratory missions aimed at finding partners in French-speaking Canada and initiating projects;
• aimed exclusively at digitization (without an additional component including a distribution component);
• exclusively or mainly concerning the video games sector.

 

Submission of the application 

The application for financial assistance must be produced online using the Financial Assistance Application form  (PDF 1.45 MB) .

The Quebec partner acts as the applicant. They must submit the required documents in French and send them by email to the following address:culturenumerique@mcc.gouv.qc.ca

Before submitting their application, the applicant must register in the di@pason system as a partner client (or update their profile, if applicable). It is recommended that you complete the registration, or update it, no later than one week before the project submission deadline. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that they have an up-to-date di@pason profile at the time of submitting their application.

The application must be submitted according to the project call dates determined in the Ministry's program calendar  (PDF 0.93 MB) .

In the application form, the applicant must ensure that the following information is provided to enable the application to be assessed:

• the 250-word project summary for publication;

the objectives, expected results and foreseeable impact of the project; the presentation of the partner(s) associated with the project and the precise description of their role and added value.

• For the applicant and his or her partner(s):
  • Their mission statement;
  • A presentation of digital expertise;
  • A presentation of their past experiences in cooperation with pan-Canadian or international partners;
• the detailed budget of the project;
• the implementation schedule providing for the main stages of the project, spread over a maximum of 12 months;

In addition to the duly completed form, the applicant must attach the following documents:

• its most recent financial statements approved and signed by its directors;
• its latest activity report;
• a discoverability strategy, if applicable;
• the resolution adopted by its competent authorities on the request for financial assistance and the representative;
• the letter of commitment from the Canadian Francophonie partner(s) confirming their participation (financial and/or in services);
• the duly signed Financial Assistance Conditions document (coming soon);
• the up-to-date list of members of its board of directors and members of the board of directors of its controlled and related entities, if applicable.

In the case of a company, the certificate of the secretary or president confirming the names of the shareholders and details of their shareholding (number of shares with voting rights and percentage of voting rights), their citizenship and whether they are domiciled in Quebec.

If the applicant has a business relationship with one or more related companies (companies or organizations controlled directly or indirectly by the same directors as his own), he must:

• inform the Ministry by indicating each of them by their legal name and their Quebec business number;
• demonstrate that it is the sole beneficiary of its surpluses as well as of the subsidies allocated to it and of any other external contribution;
• provide evidence that its transactions with related companies:
  • are formally documented by contract or written agreement;
  • are disclosed in notes to the financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
  • are established under conditions and at costs lower or at least comparable to those which would apply with a third party;
• make available to the Ministry, at its request, the financial statements of each of these related companies.

During the analysis of the project, the applicant must provide the Ministry with the information and additional documents that it requests, if applicable.

To be submitted for analysis, the submitted project must be complete, comprehensible and based on accurate data. Otherwise, it is up to the applicant to correct the deficiencies within the time limit granted by the Ministry.

The deadline to submit an application for financial assistance is October 22, 2025. Any incomplete file or file received after the application deadline will not be considered.

Application selection criteria 

Applications will be selected by a committee composed of representatives of the Ministry. The Ministry of the French Language, the Quebec Office in Toronto, and the Quebec Office in the Atlantic Provinces may be contacted. The Ministry may use external expertise that must not be in a real or apparent conflict of interest.

The Ministry will, if necessary, limit the number of applications selected in order to respect the budget envelope.

The admissible request is analyzed according to the following criteria:

• The relevance of the project revealed by:
  • consistency with the purpose and objectives pursued by the program (15%);
  • the importance and clarity of the problem and the issues identified (10%);
• The quality of the project revealed by:
  • the absence of overlap with existing activities or direct competition with ongoing projects (10%);
  • the feasibility and realism of the project and its implementation schedule (10%);
  • the experience and skills of the production team, including the resources used by the partner(s) and external resources (10%);
  • the realism and quality of the financial package, which includes the diversity of financing sources and the budgetary balance of the project (10%);
  • the foreseeable impact on the problem and issues addressed by the project, as well as its sustainability (15%)
  • the adequacy and quality of the planned means of communication and promotion of the project and its results (15%);
  • respect for the principles of sustainable development (5%)

Projects primarily aimed at improving the discoverability of online cultural content will benefit from a 5% bonus during the selection analysis.

Projects submitted by applicants who have never received a grant under previous editions of this call for projects will benefit from a 5% bonus during the selection analysis.

 

Calculation of financial aid

The grant awarded to an applicant for their project under the Program cannot exceed $50,000.

Depending on the applicant's legal status, the Program may provide financial assistance to the applicant representing up to 90% of eligible expenses related to the implementation of the project. Please note that no cost overruns on approved activities or projects will be accepted for additional financial assistance.

Applicant	Total amount of financial aid	Accumulation of public aid*	Contribution of the applicant to the realization of his project
Non-profit legal entity	Up to 90% of eligible expenses	Up to 90% of eligible expenses	At least 10% of eligible expenses, including a minimum of 5% in investment*
Cooperative
Higher education institution and research center
State corporation excluding CALQ and SODEC
Private for-profit company	Up to 65% of eligible expenses	Up to 75%** of eligible expenses	At least 25% of eligible expenses, including a minimum of 10% in investment
* This contribution must be included in the budget forecasts and may include goods and services to be provided by the applicant or its private partners, accompanied by an estimate of their market value. ** This includes tax credits and government assistance granted in the form of loans or loan guarantees.

 

Rules for accumulation of public financial aid

Public assistance includes direct or indirect financial assistance received from ministries, agencies and Crown corporations of the governments of Quebec and Canada, including tax credits, as well as from municipal entities that are not direct beneficiaries of the Program. Financial assistance paid under this standard cannot be combined with other financial assistance from the Ministry.

For the purposes of calculating the cumulative rate of public financial assistance, the term “municipal entities” refers to municipal bodies included in section 5 of the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information (RLRQ, chapter A-2.1).

The assets referred to in paragraph 1 of the first paragraph of section 89 of the Act establishing the Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government (RLRQ, chapter G-1.04) are not considered in the accumulation rule of this standard.

For the purpose of calculating the accumulation, all forms of financial assistance granted by a public body must be calculated at 100% of their value, whether repayable or not.

Furthermore, financial assistance from the Business Development Bank of Canada, Farm Credit Canada and Financière agricole du Québec should be considered private contributions if they do not offer any conferred benefit, or if they are agreed upon under market conditions.

Eligible expenses 

Only expenses directly linked to the completion of the project are eligible , namely:

• subcontracting costs and associated fees;
• study and consultancy fees;
• costs related to the design, development, acquisition or adaptation of equipment, technology or tools;
• the costs of renting equipment or premises;
• the costs of purchasing materials or equipment (the choice to purchase must be justified);
• training costs for employees of the applicant and/or partner(s);
• interpretation and translation costs;
• the costs of distribution, promotion and publication;
• costs of transporting materials and works;
• travel expenses;
• living expenses (accommodation and daily allowances): maximum of $200 per day per participant in Canada. Living expenses cannot exceed 20% of the value of the total grant amount;
• travel insurance costs (up to $250);
• administration costs, up to 5% of total eligible expenses;
• contingency costs, up to 10% of total eligible expenses.

Ineligible expenses 

Expenses not directly linked to the implementation of the project or falling under the budget items below are not eligible, namely:

• the normal operating expenses of the organization or the conduct of its current or usual activities;
• recurring expenses;
• expenses already supported by another program of the Ministry and/or its Crown corporations;
• artists' fees;
• expenses incurred before the grant was announced by letter from the Ministry; they must be clearly indicated as such in the budget. These expenses are not reimbursed. The applicant therefore assumes any risk or inconvenience that may arise from the Ministry's acceptance or refusal of his or her application under this program;
• capital expenditures related to the acquisition of land or the acquisition, construction or expansion of buildings;
• living and travel expenses outside Canada;
• travel expenses in business class, first class or any class above economy class;
• excess baggage fees;
• expenses relating to the financing of a debt, the repayment of a loan or the financing of a project already completed;
• legal fees.

Payment terms  

Following confirmation of financial assistance, the Ministry pays an initial tranche of its grant representing a minimum of 60% and a maximum of 80% of the announced amount, depending on the nature and scope of the project. The balance is paid upon receipt of the accountability report if it meets the requirements set out by the Ministry.

Any financial commitment by the government is only valid if there is, on an appropriation, a sufficient available balance to charge the expenditure resulting from this commitment, in accordance with section 21 of the Financial Administration Act (RLRQ, chapter A-6.001).

Control measures

The beneficiary undertakes to submit an account report in accordance with the following provisions, no later than 3 months after the end of the project.

Purpose of the program

The rise of social media, digital broadcasting tools and platforms has profoundly changed the way people communicate, consume, obtain information, and are entertained. Due to technological changes, stakeholders in the culture and communications sector must also face numerous challenges, which can vary from one field to another and depending on their roles within these fields.

Thus cultural vitality depends, among other things, on the capacity to ensure discoverability . Read the contents of note number1 of content in the digital universe, where the content offering has almost no limits. Although French is one of the main languages ​​present on the internet after English, the positioning of French-language content is a major challenge and its visibility is essential to ensure its consumption and, by extension, its survival. In an ocean of foreign and English-language content, this issue is crucial, as culture is, very often, the gateway to the French-speaking world.

Increasing accessibility to French-language cultural content and facilitating the circulation of works and artists from the Canadian Francophonie now largely take place through the digital world. To meet these challenges and opportunities, cultural stakeholders in the Canadian Francophonie must focus on better networking and outreach.

This Program is intended to respond to the findings of Quebec's 3rd policy on the Canadian Francophonie, and more specifically its dimension 3: "Communicate, inform and entertain oneself in French" and 6: "Create in French, promote and disseminate Francophone culture." More specifically, the program is the implementation of action 21 of the Government Action Plan for the Canadian Francophonie 2025-2028, which aims to promote the sharing of expertise and collaboration in digital transformation between Francophone cultural organizations in Quebec and other provinces and territories.

This program complements other programs of the Ministry of Culture and Communications, such as the data standardization support program and the call for projects to promote Quebec culture. This program also complements several other initiatives of the Quebec government, such as the Canadian Francophonie Support Program (PAFC), the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ).  

Recognizing the importance of digital transformation, discoverability and the challenges that accompany it, the Ministry is offering, through this call for projects, support for projects aimed at digital cultural development, namely improving the discoverability of French-language cultural content in the digital environment or the acquisition, consolidation and exchange of digital skills in the cultural sector between Quebec and the Canadian Francophonie.

Goals

Submitted projects must meet at least one of the following objectives:

• improve the discoverability of French-language cultural content from Quebec and the Canadian Francophonie;
• contribute to the development of digital skills of artists and cultural organizations in Quebec and the Canadian Francophonie, with a view to promoting the diversity of cultural expressions;
• encourage the pooling of resources and expertise in digital cultural development among cultural stakeholders in the Canadian Francophonie.

 

Eligible customers

The program is aimed at organizations incorporated under one of the following legal forms:

• non-profit legal persons under Part 3 of the Companies Act (RLRQ, chapter C -38) or the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act (SC 2009, c. 23);
• cooperatives incorporated under the Cooperatives Act (RLRQ, chapter C-67.2) or the Canada Cooperatives Act (SC 1998, c. 1);
• private for-profit companies incorporated under Quebec or Canadian law
• state-owned companies reporting to the Minister of Culture and Communications:
  • National Library and Archives,
  • Quebec Conservatory of Music and Dramatic Art,
  • Museum of Contemporary Art,
  • Museum of Civilization,
  • National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec,
  • Montreal Place des Arts Society,
  • Grand Théâtre de Québec Society,
  • Tele-Quebec;
• The faculties and research centers of colleges established under the General and Vocational Colleges Act (RLRQ, chapter C-29);
• The faculties of university educational establishments established under the Act respecting university-level educational establishments (RLRQ, chapter E-14.1);

To be eligible, the applicant must also:

• work primarily in one or more sectors of intervention of the Ministry of Culture and Communications, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) or the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC);
• be legally incorporated for more than 12 months;
• have its head office in Quebec;
• in the case of a private for-profit company, demonstrate that the effective control of the company is held mainly by persons who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents and have their tax residence in Quebec;

 

 

Ineligible customers

The following are not eligible for the program:

• individuals operating sole proprietorships;
• municipalities and municipal organizations, including regional county municipalities (RCMs) and organizations similar to an RCM;  
• organizations that have failed to meet their obligations after having been duly notified in connection with the granting of previous financial assistance by a ministry or organization of the Government of Quebec;
• insolvent applicants, bankrupt applicants, applicants who have filed a composition proposal or who have obtained a benefit from a law relating to bankruptcy or insolvency;
• applicants who do not meet the high standards of integrity that the public is entitled to expect from a recipient of financial assistance paid from public funds;
• organizations registered in the Register of Companies Ineligible for Public Contracts (RENA), including their subcontractors registered with RENA.

 

Project eligibility

Each applicant may only submit one project under this call. However, they may be a partner in one or more other projects.

To be considered eligible, the submitted project must:

• contribute to one or more of the intervention sectors of the Ministry, CALQ or SODEC;
• contribute fully and concretely to achieving the objectives of this program;
• include at least one French-Canadian cultural partner (outside Quebec)

The meaning of partnership must respect the definition of the Office québécois de la langue française, namely a " form of cooperation between 2 or more organizations contributing to the realization of a project by the pooling of material, intellectual, human or financial resources." Thus, a service provider or a subcontractor will not be considered a partner in the project. Furthermore, the partner may under no circumstances be an organization of which the applicant is a member or of which Quebec is a member.

 

Plan a completion schedule spanning a maximum of 12 months;

• the activities organized within the framework of the project must take place mainly in French;

The following projects are not eligible:

• relating to the day-to-day functioning of organizations, i.e. relating to activities considered normal and usual;
• of a recurring nature;
• funded under another assistance program from the Ministry, CALQ or SODEC;
• touring shows;
• aimed exclusively at creation in digital arts;
• consisting solely of exploratory missions aimed at finding partners in French-speaking Canada and initiating projects;
• aimed exclusively at digitization (without an additional component including a distribution component);
• exclusively or mainly concerning the video games sector.

 

Submission of the application 

The application for financial assistance must be produced online using the Financial Assistance Application form  (PDF 1.45 MB) .

The Quebec partner acts as the applicant. They must submit the required documents in French and send them by email to the following address:culturenumerique@mcc.gouv.qc.ca

Before submitting their application, the applicant must register in the di@pason system as a partner client (or update their profile, if applicable). It is recommended that you complete the registration, or update it, no later than one week before the project submission deadline. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that they have an up-to-date di@pason profile at the time of submitting their application.

The application must be submitted according to the project call dates determined in the Ministry's program calendar  (PDF 0.93 MB) .

In the application form, the applicant must ensure that the following information is provided to enable the application to be assessed:

• the 250-word project summary for publication;

the objectives, expected results and foreseeable impact of the project; the presentation of the partner(s) associated with the project and the precise description of their role and added value.

• For the applicant and his or her partner(s):
  • Their mission statement;
  • A presentation of digital expertise;
  • A presentation of their past experiences in cooperation with pan-Canadian or international partners;
• the detailed budget of the project;
• the implementation schedule providing for the main stages of the project, spread over a maximum of 12 months;

In addition to the duly completed form, the applicant must attach the following documents:

• its most recent financial statements approved and signed by its directors;
• its latest activity report;
• a discoverability strategy, if applicable;
• the resolution adopted by its competent authorities on the request for financial assistance and the representative;
• the letter of commitment from the Canadian Francophonie partner(s) confirming their participation (financial and/or in services);
• the duly signed Financial Assistance Conditions document (coming soon);
• the up-to-date list of members of its board of directors and members of the board of directors of its controlled and related entities, if applicable.

In the case of a company, the certificate of the secretary or president confirming the names of the shareholders and details of their shareholding (number of shares with voting rights and percentage of voting rights), their citizenship and whether they are domiciled in Quebec.

If the applicant has a business relationship with one or more related companies (companies or organizations controlled directly or indirectly by the same directors as his own), he must:

• inform the Ministry by indicating each of them by their legal name and their Quebec business number;
• demonstrate that it is the sole beneficiary of its surpluses as well as of the subsidies allocated to it and of any other external contribution;
• provide evidence that its transactions with related companies:
  • are formally documented by contract or written agreement;
  • are disclosed in notes to the financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
  • are established under conditions and at costs lower or at least comparable to those which would apply with a third party;
• make available to the Ministry, at its request, the financial statements of each of these related companies.

During the analysis of the project, the applicant must provide the Ministry with the information and additional documents that it requests, if applicable.

To be submitted for analysis, the submitted project must be complete, comprehensible and based on accurate data. Otherwise, it is up to the applicant to correct the deficiencies within the time limit granted by the Ministry.

The deadline to submit an application for financial assistance is October 22, 2025. Any incomplete file or file received after the application deadline will not be considered.

Application selection criteria 

Applications will be selected by a committee composed of representatives of the Ministry. The Ministry of the French Language, the Quebec Office in Toronto, and the Quebec Office in the Atlantic Provinces may be contacted. The Ministry may use external expertise that must not be in a real or apparent conflict of interest.

The Ministry will, if necessary, limit the number of applications selected in order to respect the budget envelope.

The admissible request is analyzed according to the following criteria:

• The relevance of the project revealed by:
  • consistency with the purpose and objectives pursued by the program (15%);
  • the importance and clarity of the problem and the issues identified (10%);
• The quality of the project revealed by:
  • the absence of overlap with existing activities or direct competition with ongoing projects (10%);
  • the feasibility and realism of the project and its implementation schedule (10%);
  • the experience and skills of the production team, including the resources used by the partner(s) and external resources (10%);
  • the realism and quality of the financial package, which includes the diversity of financing sources and the budgetary balance of the project (10%);
  • the foreseeable impact on the problem and issues addressed by the project, as well as its sustainability (15%)
  • the adequacy and quality of the planned means of communication and promotion of the project and its results (15%);
  • respect for the principles of sustainable development (5%)

Projects primarily aimed at improving the discoverability of online cultural content will benefit from a 5% bonus during the selection analysis.

Projects submitted by applicants who have never received a grant under previous editions of this call for projects will benefit from a 5% bonus during the selection analysis.

 

Calculation of financial aid

The grant awarded to an applicant for their project under the Program cannot exceed $50,000.

Depending on the applicant's legal status, the Program may provide financial assistance to the applicant representing up to 90% of eligible expenses related to the implementation of the project. Please note that no cost overruns on approved activities or projects will be accepted for additional financial assistance.

Applicant	Total amount of financial aid	Accumulation of public aid*	Contribution of the applicant to the realization of his project
Non-profit legal entity	Up to 90% of eligible expenses	Up to 90% of eligible expenses	At least 10% of eligible expenses, including a minimum of 5% in investment*
Cooperative
Higher education institution and research center
State corporation excluding CALQ and SODEC
Private for-profit company	Up to 65% of eligible expenses	Up to 75%** of eligible expenses	At least 25% of eligible expenses, including a minimum of 10% in investment
* This contribution must be included in the budget forecasts and may include goods and services to be provided by the applicant or its private partners, accompanied by an estimate of their market value. ** This includes tax credits and government assistance granted in the form of loans or loan guarantees.

 

Rules for accumulation of public financial aid

Public assistance includes direct or indirect financial assistance received from ministries, agencies and Crown corporations of the governments of Quebec and Canada, including tax credits, as well as from municipal entities that are not direct beneficiaries of the Program. Financial assistance paid under this standard cannot be combined with other financial assistance from the Ministry.

For the purposes of calculating the cumulative rate of public financial assistance, the term “municipal entities” refers to municipal bodies included in section 5 of the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information (RLRQ, chapter A-2.1).

The assets referred to in paragraph 1 of the first paragraph of section 89 of the Act establishing the Eeyou Istchee James Bay Regional Government (RLRQ, chapter G-1.04) are not considered in the accumulation rule of this standard.

For the purpose of calculating the accumulation, all forms of financial assistance granted by a public body must be calculated at 100% of their value, whether repayable or not.

Furthermore, financial assistance from the Business Development Bank of Canada, Farm Credit Canada and Financière agricole du Québec should be considered private contributions if they do not offer any conferred benefit, or if they are agreed upon under market conditions.

Eligible expenses 

Only expenses directly linked to the completion of the project are eligible , namely:

• subcontracting costs and associated fees;
• study and consultancy fees;
• costs related to the design, development, acquisition or adaptation of equipment, technology or tools;
• the costs of renting equipment or premises;
• the costs of purchasing materials or equipment (the choice to purchase must be justified);
• training costs for employees of the applicant and/or partner(s);
• interpretation and translation costs;
• the costs of distribution, promotion and publication;
• costs of transporting materials and works;
• travel expenses;
• living expenses (accommodation and daily allowances): maximum of $200 per day per participant in Canada. Living expenses cannot exceed 20% of the value of the total grant amount;
• travel insurance costs (up to $250);
• administration costs, up to 5% of total eligible expenses;
• contingency costs, up to 10% of total eligible expenses.

Ineligible expenses 

Expenses not directly linked to the implementation of the project or falling under the budget items below are not eligible, namely:

• the normal operating expenses of the organization or the conduct of its current or usual activities;
• recurring expenses;
• expenses already supported by another program of the Ministry and/or its Crown corporations;
• artists' fees;
• expenses incurred before the grant was announced by letter from the Ministry; they must be clearly indicated as such in the budget. These expenses are not reimbursed. The applicant therefore assumes any risk or inconvenience that may arise from the Ministry's acceptance or refusal of his or her application under this program;
• capital expenditures related to the acquisition of land or the acquisition, construction or expansion of buildings;
• living and travel expenses outside Canada;
• travel expenses in business class, first class or any class above economy class;
• excess baggage fees;
• expenses relating to the financing of a debt, the repayment of a loan or the financing of a project already completed;
• legal fees.

Payment terms  

Following confirmation of financial assistance, the Ministry pays an initial tranche of its grant representing a minimum of 60% and a maximum of 80% of the announced amount, depending on the nature and scope of the project. The balance is paid upon receipt of the accountability report if it meets the requirements set out by the Ministry.

Any financial commitment by the government is only valid if there is, on an appropriation, a sufficient available balance to charge the expenditure resulting from this commitment, in accordance with section 21 of the Financial Administration Act (RLRQ, chapter A-6.001).

Control measures

The beneficiary undertakes to submit an account report in accordance with the following provisions, no later than 3 months after the end of the project.