Overview
The Rogers Group of Funds comprises two CRTC-certified independent production funds (CIPFs) that finance Canadian film and television content: the Rogers Documentary Fund and the Rogers Series Fund. Both are funded by Rogers Communications and administered by a federal not-for-profit corporation operating at arm's length from Rogers. An independent Board of Directors has sole and exclusive responsibility for funding decisions.
Since 1996, the Rogers Group of Funds has invested more than $234.5 million in Canadian storytelling. In 2025, the two funds invested $8.75 million across 78 productions, producing 170 hours of new Canadian content. The Documentary Fund invested $3.34 million in 61 productions (87 hours), while the Series Fund invested $5.4 million in 17 productions (83 hours). The fund office is located in Toronto.
The Rogers Documentary Fund provides non-recoupable advances up to $100,000 per project. Two-thirds of resources go to English-language productions and one-third to French-language productions. Projects must be licensed by a national Canadian broadcaster, cable or pay TV channel, or an online platform available to Canadian audiences. The fund completes project financing rather than serving as primary funding. The non-recoupable structure means the advance does not need to be repaid. It does not take a position in the revenue waterfall, making it functionally equivalent to a grant.
The Rogers Series Fund supports high-quality, independently produced television series, providing $4-6 million per year. It offers up to 20% of the lesser of the total production budget or final cost, capped at $500,000 per project. Awards under $350,000 are non-recoupable advances. Awards of $350,001 or more are equity investments. Eligible genres include drama, documentary, lifestyle, children's programming, animation, educational, performing arts, and variety programming. News and sports are ineligible. Series must have a minimum of six 30-minute episodes and achieve at least 6/10 CAVCO Canadian content points.
The Series Fund requires two triggering commitments. The Canadian Broadcast Commitment is a cash license fee from a private national English-language TV service with a prime time broadcast guarantee. The Streaming Commitment is a pre-sale with an eligible streaming service. Both must include fair market value cash license fees. The commitments may be from related parties, such as APTN and APTN+.
History
The Rogers Documentary Fund was established in 1996 to foster documentary film production in Canada in both English and French. The fund has supported films that achieved significant recognition, including To Kill a Tiger, which received a Best Documentary Feature Film nomination at the 2024 Academy Awards. Funded documentaries have covered subjects ranging from B.C.'s wildfire season to Canadian Olympian-turned-narco-king Ryan Wedding, from kind-hearted biker gangs to Nova Scotia's great white sharks.
The separate Hot Docs Ted Rogers Fund, administered by Hot Docs rather than the Rogers Group of Funds, was a $1-million fund founded in 2016. It provided production grants of up to $20,000 to Canadian documentary projects and distributed $645,000 to 43 projects before becoming a legacy program. Notable recipients include nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up (Tasha Hubbard), which won Best Canadian Feature Documentary at Hot Docs 2019.
Eligibility
Documentary Fund: Open to Canadian documentary filmmakers or production companies. Projects must be original, high-quality, provocative, and/or controversial documentaries licensed by a national Canadian broadcaster, cable/pay TV channel, or online platform. English and French-language productions are eligible, with two-thirds of funding allocated to English and one-third to French. For bilingual projects, the producer must specify which language envelope they are applying to based on development participation, first window, and creative control.
Series Fund: Open to Canadian independent production companies. Series must have a minimum of six 30-minute episodes in an eligible genre. Must have both a Canadian Broadcast Commitment and a Streaming Commitment with fair market value cash license fees. Must achieve at least 6/10 CAVCO Canadian content points. Canadian distribution rights must be held by a Canadian company. Language may be English, third-language, or Indigenous.
Application Process
Both funds accept applications through the RGF Portal. The 2026 Documentary Fund Guidelines (English) and French guidelines are available as PDFs. The 2026 Series Fund Guidelines are also available.
Deadlines are strictly enforced. Documentary Fund 2026 deadlines are April 22 and August 19. Series Fund 2026 deadlines are June 24 and October 28. Decisions are made 10 to 12 weeks after each deadline by the independent Board of Directors.
For co-ventures, the Series Fund's cash contribution cannot exceed 20% of the Canadian producer partner's financial obligation, to a maximum of $500,000. For official treaty co-productions, the contribution cannot exceed 20% of the Canadian portion of the budget.
Festival Prizes and Sponsorships
Beyond production financing, the Rogers Group of Funds supports the Canadian film ecosystem through festival prizes and sponsorships. In 2025, the fund provided $25,000 for the Rogers Prize at Banff World Media Festival and $50,000 for the Rogers Audience Award at Hot Docs. It also provided $120,000 for the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award at the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards and $15,000 for Best Canadian Documentary at VIFF. Additional grants supported Doc Institute, DOXA, RIDM, Reelworld, and other organizations.
How It Differs from Other Canadian Funds
The Rogers Group of Funds is a CRTC-certified Independent Production Fund, distinguishing it from government bodies like the Canada Media Fund (CMF) or Telefilm Canada. The Documentary Fund provides non-recoupable advances up to $100,000, while the CMF POV Program provides up to $400,000 but requires complex recoupment structures. Telefilm Canada funds theatrical features, not broadcast documentaries. The Series Fund requires both a broadcaster and streaming commitment, whereas the CMF uses different envelope structures. The Board operates at arm's length from Rogers Communications, meaning funding decisions are independent of the broadcaster's commercial interests.
Past Recipients and What They Made with the Money
The Rogers Documentary Fund has supported over 1,100 productions since 1996. Several funded films achieved significant downstream success:
- *To Kill a Tiger* (Nisha Pahuja): Premiered at TIFF 2022, winning the Amplify Voices Award for Best Canadian Feature. Received a 2024 Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature. Won Best Documentary Feature at the Canadian Screen Awards. Streamed worldwide on Netflix.
- *Yintah* (Michael Toledano, Jennifer Wickham, Brenda Michell): Won the Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary at Hot Docs. Chronicles the Witsuwit'en First Nation's decade-long fight to defend their land from pipeline expansion. Now streaming on Netflix and CBC Gem.
- *Last of the Right Whales* (Nadine Pequeneza): Nominated for 3 Canadian Screen Awards including Best Directing and Best Writing. Broadcast on CBC and distributed internationally. Follows the North Atlantic right whale migration and the people committed to saving the species.
- *Buffy Sainte-Marie: Power in the Blood* (White Pine Pictures): A CTV original documentary celebrating the musician and activist. Funded in a 2020 round that invested $2.4 million across 29 documentary films.
- *RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World* (Catherine Bainbridge, Alfonso Maiorana): Won the Special Jury Prize for Masterful Storytelling at Sundance and the Hot Docs Audience Award. Reveals the Indigenous influence on popular music in North America.
The Series Fund has supported 17 productions in 2025 alone, contributing to 83 hours of new Canadian series content across drama, documentary, and lifestyle programming.
Typical Award Size Range
| Fund | Typical | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Documentary Fund | $30,000-$75,000 | $100,000 (non-recoupable) |
| Series Fund | $100,000-$300,000 | $500,000 |
The Documentary Fund provides non-recoupable advances up to $100,000. The actual level of support is determined by the Board based on application quality and available resources. Producers may apply for the full $100,000, but most awards fall below the maximum.
The Series Fund provides up to 20% of the lesser of the total production budget or final cost, capped at $500,000. Awards under $350,000 are non-recoupable advances. Awards of $350,001 or more are equity investments with recoupment participation.
What Makes an Application Competitive
The Board evaluates applications on several concrete criteria:
- Confirmed platform commitment: Both funds require a confirmed license from a national Canadian broadcaster, cable/pay TV channel, or online platform. Applications without confirmed commitments are not accepted.
- Financing completeness: The Documentary Fund completes project financing. Applicants should have most of their budget secured before applying.
- Originality and provocation: The Documentary Fund seeks original, provocative, and/or controversial documentaries. Projects tackling underrepresented subjects or challenging perspectives score higher.
- Canadian content compliance: The Series Fund requires at least 6/10 CAVCO points. The Board verifies that productions meet Canadian content thresholds.
- Fair market value license fees: The Series Fund requires both a broadcaster and streaming commitment with fair market value cash license fees. Below-market fees weaken the application.
- Production team track record: The Board considers the producer's and director's previous work. A strong portfolio of completed, distributed projects improves competitiveness.
- Budget realism: The Board reviews the budget for accuracy and realism. Inflated budgets or unrealistic projections reduce competitiveness.
What Filmmakers Should Know
Documentary Fund: Canadian documentary filmmakers and production companies with a confirmed license from a national Canadian broadcaster or online platform should apply. The fund completes financing, so have most of your budget secured first. The non-recoupable advance structure makes this particularly attractive compared to recoupable financing options.
Series Fund: Canadian independent production companies with a series project (minimum 6 x 30 minutes) need both a Canadian Broadcast Commitment and a Streaming Commitment. Both must include fair market value cash license fees. The series must meet the 6/10 CAVCO Canadian content threshold.
Producers without broadcaster or streaming platform relationships should secure those commitments before applying. The fund does not accept applications without confirmed platform commitments. Applications are submitted through the RGF Portal.
Watch
See Also
For the Canada Media Fund as a complementary federal funding source, see the Canada Media Fund entry. For understanding how Canadian broadcaster and streaming deals structure documentary financing, see Documentary Financing: Building Your Stack. For modeling revenue projections across broadcast and streaming windows, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator.
