Indigenous Media Operating Assistance Program

Description

Purpose of the program The Operating Assistance for Indigenous Media program aims to support organizations in fulfilling their mission and carrying out their actions: whose activities fall within one of the intervention sectors falling under the Ministry of Culture and Communications; whose mission and action plan contribute significantly and sustainably to the achievement of the Ministry's objectives for the targeted sector and area of ​​intervention; whose good management and efficiency guarantee the quality of the services they offer to the population or their peers; who have established partnerships in their sector or in their area of ​​intervention, and who benefit from the support of the community to which they offer services.

Purpose of the program

The Operating Assistance for Indigenous Media program aims to support organizations in fulfilling their mission and carrying out their actions:

• whose activities fall within one of the intervention sectors falling under the Ministry of Culture and Communications;
• whose mission and action plan contribute significantly and sustainably to the achievement of the Ministry's objectives for the targeted sector and area of ​​intervention;
• whose good management and efficiency guarantee the quality of the services they offer to the population or their peers;
• who have established partnerships in their sector or in their area of ​​intervention, and who benefit from the support of the community to which they offer services.

Goals

The program aims to provide operational support to Indigenous media, in order to:

• maintain the production and distribution of content dedicated to local and/or cultural information;
• ensure the production and distribution of content in an indigenous language or in a language understood by their community and which reflects the needs of the latter;
• increase access to and quality of information for indigenous populations;
• contribute to the financial health of indigenous media.

Applicant Eligibility

General Conditions

The program is aimed at non-profit legal entities (organization, cooperative or public authority) as well as for-profit companies legally constituted and registered with the Registrar of Companies which:

• have their headquarters and principal establishment in Quebec and carry out the majority of their activities there;
• provide the population or their members (as the case may be) with the conditions of access to their activities, their goods and their services.

Specific conditions 

Operating assistance is intended for indigenous media, or their agents, namely band councils and municipal corporations, which:

• are active at the time of filing the application;
• undertake to:
  • produce at least 12 hours per week of programs devoted to local and/or cultural information, for radio and television;
  • distribute a minimum of two issues per year, for print media;
  • update content at least once a month, for online media and communications companies;
• broadcast their programming primarily in the language(s) of their community or a language understood by their community and which reflects the needs of the community.

Indigenous media targeted by this program include:

• indigenous radios;
• Indigenous print media;
• Indigenous online media;
• indigenous conventional televisions;
• communications companies.

Exclusions

The following are not eligible for operating assistance:

• individuals;
• non-indigenous organizations;
• non-Indigenous government agencies;
• an applicant whose operation is funded under another Ministry assistance program;
• an applicant who:
  • is registered in the Register of companies not eligible for public contracts (RENA), including their subcontractors registered with RENA;
  • failed to meet its obligations after having been duly notified in connection with the granting of previous financial assistance by a ministry or agency of the Government of Quebec.

Submission of the application

The applicant must send by email to the regional office of his territory the duly completed Application for Financial Assistance form  (DOCX 0.93 MB)  made available by the Ministry or, in attached documents, the information allowing the evaluation of his application. The application for financial assistance can also, upon request, be submitted with a paper form, which must be sent to the Ministry office located in the applicant's region.

The application for financial assistance must be submitted by the dates determined each year by the Ministry. To find out these dates, consult the program calendar.  (PDF 0.93 MB)

The applicant must provide, in the form or in attached documents, information on the organization allowing the application to be assessed:

• a description of its organizational structure, including the names of its employees and their job categories (executive, management, professional, technical and support staff);
• the number of volunteers contributing to its activities and the number of hours their work represents (if applicable);
• information relating to the content broadcast, namely:
  • its programming grid, for radio and television;
  • the number and frequency of content published, for print media;
  • the frequency of updating content on the Internet, for online media and communications companies;
• its most recent activity report, if applicable;
• its most recent financial report;
• its forecast operating budget;
• the resolution adopted by its competent authorities on the request for financial assistance and the agent;
• the document Conditions for granting financial assistance  (PDF 1.31 MB) , duly signed;
• any relevant information to support his request.

During the analysis of his application, the applicant must provide the Ministry with the information and additional documents that the latter requests, if applicable.

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

• inform the Ministry by identifying each of them by their legal name and Quebec business number;
• demonstrate that he is the sole beneficiary of his surpluses as well as the subsidies allocated to him;
• 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 which are 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 its related companies.

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

Application assessment

The application is assessed by the Ministry based on eligibility conditions and ministerial guidelines.

Ministerial guidelines

Depending on the funds available, priority will be given to the media:

• which target content production for Indigenous people;
• which originate from an indigenous community or which respond to the needs of the community or the nation;
• which promote expression (written or oral) in an indigenous language;
• which ensure optimal service to the population throughout Quebec.

Allocation of financial aid

General Terms and Conditions

Financial assistance is granted on an annual basis. It may in any case be revised based on the credits allocated to the Ministry by the National Assembly.

The financial assistance agreement consists of the application for financial assistance, the document Conditions for Granting Financial Assistance, signed by the applicant, and the announcement letter signed by the Minister. The conditions for granting financial assistance come into effect on the date the financial assistance announcement letter is signed.

The grant can be awarded to the beneficiary either:

• in 2 payments, the first of which, at the start of the government financial year, represents a maximum of 80% of the aid;
• in some cases, in a single payment.

Specific terms and conditions

The maximum amount of the grant awarded to applicants eligible for this program cannot exceed $50,000.

The amount of the annual subsidy granted to community media is established by the accumulation of 2 parameters:

1. The basic amount:
   • Online Media: $10,000
   • Print Media: $10,000
   • Conventional TVs: $20,000
   • Radios: $20,000
2. The amount established according to the volume of production and the characteristics specific to the means of distribution used by the media.

Financial assistance may, in all cases, be revised based on the credits allocated to the Ministry by the National Assembly.

The total financial assistance granted by the Ministry to an eligible applicant cannot exceed 100% of its operating budget for non-profit organizations and public authorities (75% for for-profit companies).

Control measures

Each beneficiary must produce an annual account  (DOTX 0.92 MB) , which must include:

• the balance sheet of the activities carried out and the sums allocated to them;
• the description of the results obtained with regard to the objectives;
• any information or document required by the Ministry;
• any other information or document deemed relevant by the Ministry.

The Ministry reserves the right to visit broadcasting and production sites and to verify the allocation of subsidies granted at any time.