Rogers Group of Funds
A suite of Canadian documentary funds administered through Hot Docs, including the Ted Rogers Fund which awards up to $85,000 annually to Canadian documentary projects.
Overview
The Rogers Group of Funds refers to a collection of documentary funding programs administered through Hot Docs -- Canada's leading documentary festival -- with support from the Rogers family and related philanthropic entities. The primary component is the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Fund, which awards a total of $85,000 annually across six Canadian documentary projects. The group also includes the Hot Docs-Slaight Family Fund, which supports Canadian music documentaries.
These funds form part of Hot Docs' broader fund portfolio, which collectively represents one of the most active documentary grant ecosystems in Canada. The Ted Rogers Fund and the Slaight Family Fund are specifically targeted at Canadian content, distinguishing them from Hot Docs' international programs like the Blue Ice Docs Fund.
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Fund
The Ted Rogers Fund awards a total of approximately $85,000 per annual cycle across six selected Canadian documentary projects. Individual awards are not fixed -- the distribution across projects varies by year and committee decision. In 2022 and 2023, six projects were selected with funding distributed across English and French-language Canadian productions, drawing from provinces including Alberta, Quebec, British Columbia, and Ontario.
The fund prioritises Canadian documentary projects at the production stage. Applicants should have a project substantially in development or production rather than at the earliest conceptual stage.
Hot Docs-Slaight Family Fund
The Slaight Family Fund targets a specific niche: music documentaries that explore Canadian music's impact on the world. This is a more tightly focused sub-program than the general Ted Rogers Fund, and filmmakers with projects that fit the music documentary category should consider both the Slaight Fund and the Ted Rogers Fund as potential applications.
Eligibility
Both funds require applicants to be Canadian documentary filmmakers or Canadian production companies. The Ted Rogers Fund is open to projects across English and French Canada. The Slaight Family Fund additionally requires that projects involve Canadian music as a central subject.
Applications are accepted annually through Hot Docs' standard fund application portal. Filmmakers should check the Hot Docs website for current deadlines and submission requirements, as these vary by cycle.
Who Should Apply
Canadian documentary filmmakers with a project in development or production. Filmmakers making music documentaries with a Canadian music focus should apply to both the Ted Rogers Fund and the Slaight Family Fund. The funds are competitive -- the Ted Rogers Fund distributed $85,000 across only six projects in 2023, so applicants should present strong, well-developed project materials.
See Also
For Canadian documentary filmmakers building a full financing strategy, see the Canada Media Fund entry and Documentary Financing: Building Your Stack. For production scheduling and budget planning, use the Production Schedule Calculator.
