Rogers Group of Funds

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 Rogers Documentary and Cable Network Fund, a federal not-for-profit corporation operating at arm's length from Rogers Communications under an independent Board of Directors. The Board 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 current Executive Director oversees day-to-day operations and reports to the Board of Directors.

Rogers Documentary Fund

The Rogers Documentary Fund was established in 1996 to foster documentary film production in Canada in both English and French. The fund provides non-recoupable advances to a maximum of $100,000 per project. Producers may apply for the full amount, but the actual level of support is determined by the Board based on application quality and available resources.

Key Terms

• Maximum contribution: Up to $100,000 per project, as a non-recoupable advance
• Annual budget: Up to $3.5 million per year
• Language split: Two-thirds of resources allocated to English-language productions, one-third to French-language productions
• Platform requirement: Projects must be licensed by a national Canadian broadcaster, cable or pay TV channel, or an online platform available to Canadian audiences
• Purpose: Completes project financing rather than serving as primary funding

The non-recoupable structure is a significant advantage for producers. Unlike equity investments or recoupable loans, the Rogers Documentary Fund advance does not need to be repaid and does not take a position in the project's revenue waterfall. This makes it functionally equivalent to a grant from the producer's perspective.

2026 Deadlines

• Wednesday, April 22, 2026
• Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Projects are selected for funding 10 to 12 weeks after each deadline. The Board meets twice per year to make funding decisions.

Historical Impact

The Documentary Fund has supported films that achieved significant recognition. To Kill a Tiger, a Ted Rogers Fund recipient, received a Best Documentary Feature Film nomination at the 2024 Academy Awards. The fund has financed documentaries on 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, not the Rogers Group of Funds) was a $1-million fund founded in 2016 that provided production grants of up to $20,000 to Canadian documentary projects. It 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, and Stateless (Michele Stephenson), which premiered at Tribeca 2020.

Rogers Series Fund

The Rogers Series Fund supports the production of high-quality, independently produced television series in Canada. It provides $4-6 million per year to Canadian independent producers.

Key Terms

• Maximum contribution: Up to 20% of the lesser of the total production budget or final cost, to a maximum of $500,000 per project
• Under $350,000: Non-recoupable advance
• $350,001 or more: Equity investment
• Eligible genres: Drama, documentary, lifestyle, children's programming, animation, educational, instructional, performing arts, and variety programming (scripted or unscripted)
• Ineligible: News, reporting and actualities, and sports programming
• Minimum episodes: 6 episodes of 30 minutes each
• Language: English, third-language, or Indigenous
• Canadian content: Must achieve at least 6/10 CAVCO points
• Distribution rights: Canadian distribution rights must be held by a Canadian company

Trigger Requirements

The Series Fund requires two triggering commitments:

1. Canadian Broadcast Commitment: A cash licence fee of fair market value from an English-language, private Canadian licensed television service with national reach, plus a guarantee of prime time broadcast within two years of delivery
2. Streaming Commitment: A pre-sale in the form of a fair market value cash licence fee with an Eligible Streaming Service available to Canadian audiences, with availability within two years of delivery

The Canadian Broadcast Commitment and Streaming Commitment may be from related parties (e.g., APTN and APTN+, or Bell Media and Crave).

2026 Deadlines

• Wednesday, June 24, 2026
• Wednesday, October 28, 2026

Co-Production Provisions

For co-ventures, the 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, to a maximum of $500,000.

The Fund's contribution may not be used to reduce amounts received by the applicant through the Canadian Broadcast Commitment or Streaming Commitment. If the contribution is an equity investment, the Fund participates in recoupment according to the terms outlined in the guidelines.

Eligibility

Documentary Fund Eligibility

• Open to Canadian documentary filmmakers or Canadian production companies
• Projects must be original, high-quality, provocative, and/or controversial documentaries
• Must be licensed by a national Canadian broadcaster, cable or pay TV channel, or online platform available to Canadian audiences
• English and French-language productions are eligible
• Two-thirds of funding goes to English-language productions, one-third to French-language productions
• For bilingual projects with both francophone and anglophone platform pre-sales, the producer must specify which language envelope they are applying to, based on: (1) which platform participated in development, (2) which platform has first window, and (3) level of creative control

Series Fund Eligibility

• Open to Canadian independent production companies
• Series must have a minimum of six 30-minute episodes
• Must fit within an eligible genre (drama, documentary, lifestyle, children's, animation, educational, instructional, performing arts, variety)
• Must have a Canadian Broadcast Commitment from an English-language, private Canadian licensed TV service with national reach
• Must have a Streaming Commitment from an Eligible Streaming Service
• 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 exclusively through the RGF Portal. The portal requires organization registration and a primary contact. Producers should read the portal operating instructions before registering.

Required application materials vary by fund. 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. Decisions are made 10 to 12 weeks after each deadline by the independent Board of Directors.

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:

• Banff World Media Festival: $25,000 for the "Rogers Prize for Excellence in Canadian Content"
• Hot Docs: $50,000 for the "Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary"
• Toronto Film Critics Association Awards: $120,000 for the "Rogers Best Canadian Film Award" and "Rogers Best Canadian Documentary Award" (winner and runners-up)
• VIFF: $15,000 for "Best Canadian Documentary"

Additional grants and sponsorships were provided to Access Canada, CMPA, Doc Institute, DOXA, Hot Docs, RIDM, Reelworld, and other organizations.

How the Rogers Group of Funds Differs from Other Canadian Funds

The Rogers Group of Funds is a CRTC-certified Independent Production Fund (CIPF), which distinguishes it from government funding bodies like the Canada Media Fund (CMF) or Telefilm Canada. Key differences:

• Rogers Documentary Fund: Provides non-recoupable advances (effectively grants) up to $100,000. The CMF POV Program provides up to $400,000 but requires broadcaster/distributor envelope commitments and has complex recoupment structures. Telefilm Canada funds theatrical features, not broadcast documentaries.
• Rogers Series Fund: Requires both a broadcaster commitment and a streaming commitment. The CMF requires broadcaster licensing but has different envelope structures. Rogers can fund up to $500,000 per project as either a non-recoupable advance or equity investment.
• Independence: The Board operates at arm's length from Rogers Communications, meaning funding decisions are made independently of the broadcaster's commercial interests.

Who Should Apply

Documentary Fund: Canadian documentary filmmakers and production companies with a project that has a confirmed licence from a national Canadian broadcaster, cable/pay TV channel, or online platform. The fund completes project financing, so applicants should have most of their budget secured before applying. The non-recoupable advance structure makes this fund particularly attractive compared to recoupable financing options. Apply if your project is original, provocative, and ready for production.

Series Fund: Canadian independent production companies with a series project (minimum 6 x 30 minutes) that has both a Canadian Broadcast Commitment from a private national broadcaster and a Streaming Commitment from an eligible streaming service. Both commitments must include fair market value cash licence fees. Apply if your series fits an eligible genre and meets 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.

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. For the full 2026 Documentary Fund guidelines (PDF), visit the Rogers Documentary Fund page. For the full 2026 Series Fund guidelines (PDF), visit the Rogers Series Fund page.