The Canada Media Fund (CMF) and Shaw Rocket Fund (SRF) have struck a new partnership to fund the production of Canadian digital animated series for young audiences that encourage the use of new technology.

“The incredibly tech-savvy Generation Z is constantly exploring digital platforms to find new content that speaks to them,” said Agnes Augustin, President and CEO, SRF. “By partnering with the CMF, we’ve been able to develop an exciting investment program that will stimulate the creation of original animated digital content for kids. We know how innovative Canadian producers are and we can’t wait to see what new ideas stem from this program.”

The CMF-SRF Kids Digital Animated Series Program will have a total budget of $3.3 million. The program will fund 75 per cent of a project’s eligible costs to a maximum of $525,000, with the CMF contributing two-thirds of funding and Shaw Rocket Fund providing one-third of the funds.

Eligible projects must be original, animated series in their first season, which meet the CMF’s definition of Children and Youth programming, created initially for digital distribution – including subscription video-on-demand services – on a platform that is meaningfully available to Canadian audiences. The CMF-SRF program will give priority to digital animated series that focus on creativity and originality and have the potential to evolve into a subsequent season or a longer format, as well as use technology to increase animation quality.

“At the CMF we believe great partnerships achieve great results,” said Valerie Creighton, President and CEO, CMF. “We have established partnerships with several Canadian and international funds to leverage expertise and pool resources. We’re delighted to now partner with Shaw Rocket Fund to draw on their expertise and boost kids’ programming on digital platforms.”

Applications for financing through the program must be submitted to SRF by April 10, 2019. Click here to access the program guidelines.