Film & media grants in Canada — see which you qualify for
Answer a few quick questions and watch the map narrow to the ones your production company can actually get — free, no account.
Applying as an individual filmmaker or video artist rather than a production company? See our arts-funding directory for film & video.
Canadian film funding stacks in three layers: a federal tax credit (25% for Canadian-content productions via CPTC, 16% for foreign/service productions via PSTC), a provincial credit or grant that varies by province (22% in Alberta up to 65% in Manitoba), and funds on top from Telefilm and the Canada Media Fund, which are competitive and mostly restricted to Canadian-owned content. Pick your province and production type below to see your actual stack.
Build your production's funding stack
Pick your province and production type. We'll show the federal credit, the provincial credit or grant, and the funds that can stack on top, using the real program names, amounts, and status.
Two credits on the same labour aren't always a straight sum: some programs deduct other government assistance from their base first. See the verdicts further down for how this actually plays out.
Tax credits are the floor, not the ceiling. See everything your production company qualifies for, including grants and funds most stack builders miss.
See my full funding matches →Updated July 10, 2026. Every amount on this page is verified against the GrantCompass catalog (697 programs, 456 active).
How film financing layers in Canada
Canadian film funding stacks three layers: an entitlement tax credit, a competitive provincial grant, and Telefilm or CMF funds on top.Canadian film funding isn't one program, it's three layers that stack on top of each other, and each layer behaves differently. Tax credits (CPTC, PSTC, and every provincial credit in the table below) are entitlements: there's no competition to win them, no application deadline in most cases, and once you've spent the eligible labour, you claim them with your corporate tax return. Provincial grants like Alberta's AMPG or Quebec's SODEC production support are discretionary and competitive, applied for before or during production, with narrower budgets and real intake windows. Funds on top, meaning Telefilm and the Canada Media Fund, sit above both: they're competitive, usually require a broadcaster or distributor commitment, and in CMF's case the production money is recoupable equity, not a grant, meaning CMF has a financial interest recouped from the film's revenue.
Every Canadian production has a Stack Floor: the funding a qualified applicant can count on before any competitive program, entitlement-style tax credits and guaranteed-access financing that pay every eligible claim. For a Canadian-content production, that floor is the federal CPTC (25%) plus its provincial credit. Treat Telefilm, CMF, and the provincial grants as the ceiling you build toward on top of that floor, each with its own timeline and eligibility bar. Most Canadian productions never touch every layer: a service production, for instance, usually stops at the Stack Floor, since Telefilm and CMF are built around Canadian content and ownership.
How CAVCO scores Canadian content
CPTC eligibility runs on a 10-point Canadian content scale, and CAVCO (the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office) requires a minimum of 6 out of 10 points before certifying a production. The director earns 2 points, the screenwriter earns 2 points, and the lead performer, director of photography, composer, and editor each earn 1 point when a Canadian fills the role. A production with a Canadian director and screenwriter already holds 4 points, one Canadian lead performer away from the 6-point threshold that unlocks CPTC. Miss the threshold and the production can still claim PSTC at 16%, which carries no Canadian content requirement at all. One route skips the point count entirely: CAVCO certifies an official treaty co-production as Canadian content automatically, regardless of how the points would otherwise land.
When the money actually lands
The three layers pay out on different clocks. The federal tax credit, CPTC or PSTC, pays last: a production claims it with its T2 corporate tax return after the production wraps, and CRA's own service standard targets 60 days from filing (45 days starting April 2026) for claims not selected for review, or up to 180 days if one is selected. Provincial credits generally follow the same after-the-fact, file-with-your-return pattern. Grants and equity, meaning AMPG, SODEC, Telefilm, and CMF, pay earliest: producers apply before or during production, months ahead of any tax-credit claim, because Telefilm and CMF want a production's other financing already lined up before they commit. That gap between production wrap and tax-credit refund is exactly why production accountants arrange interim financing, a bridge loan secured against a confirmed but not-yet-paid credit, on almost every larger Canadian shoot.
What happens if CAVCO says no
CAVCO's most common reasons for declining a CPTC application are concrete and avoidable: the production misses the 6-of-10 Canadian content points, the corporation isn't Canadian-controlled, the genre is excluded (news, sports, reality TV, game shows, and advertising all fail automatically), the Part A application arrives late, or a labour expenditure claimed turns out ineligible. A decline at Part A stops the claim before principal photography starts, which is exactly why producers file Part A early rather than after the fact. CPTC's own risk profile rates it low clawback risk once certified, but certification isn't permanent: if a production fails to meet Canadian content requirements after Part B certification, the CRA can recapture the credit already paid. PSTC carries less of this risk since it has no Canadian content test to fail in the first place.
In short: the tax-credit floor is guaranteed and pays last, the grants and funds on top are competitive and pay first, and knowing which is which changes how you sequence your applications.
Sources: CAVCO / Canada Revenue Agency (CPTC, PSTC); Telefilm Canada; Canada Media Fund.The provincial credit or grant, region by region
Every province runs its own film credit or grant, from Alberta's 22% FTTC up to Manitoba's 65% Cost-of-Salaries ceiling.Every province runs its own film incentive, and several run more than one, split by whether your production has Canadian content or is a foreign/service shoot. These are grouped by region rather than one long table so you can find yours.
Western Canada
| Province | Program | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| BC: FIBC (Canadian-content) | Refundable tax credit | 40% base + bonuses (12.5% regional, 6% distant, 30% training, 16% DAVE, 35% scriptwriting) |
| BC: PSTC (service) | Refundable tax credit | 36% base + bonuses (6% distant, 16% DAVE, 2% major $200M+); no cap |
| Alberta: FTTC | Refundable tax credit | 22% refundable; 30% for Alberta-owned productions |
| Alberta: AMPG | Grant | 25% up to $125,000, + up to $35,000 training incentive |
| Alberta: PPG (post/VFX) | Grant (reimbursement) | 18% of eligible labour, up to $200,000/org/yr |
| Manitoba | Refundable tax credit | Up to 65% (Cost-of-Salaries) or up to 38% (Cost-of-Production) |
| Saskatchewan | Grant | Up to $5,000,000/project; 30% Sask Stream / 25% Service Stream |
Central Canada
| Province | Program | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario: OFTTC (Canadian-content) | Refundable tax credit | 35% of Ontario labour; 40% for first-time producers on the first $240,000; +10% regional bonus |
| Ontario: OPSTC (service) | Refundable tax credit | 21.5% on all qualifying Ontario production expenditures |
| Quebec: QC-PSTC (service) | Refundable tax credit | 25% on all qualified Quebec spend; +16% CASE bonus on animation/VFX |
| Quebec: SODEC (Canadian-content grant) | Grant | Up to 65% of costs; max $4,000,000 features, $165,000 shorts |
| Quebec: CDTIM (interactive) | Tax credit | Up to 37.5% of eligible labour |
Ontario's interactive digital-media productions don't use OFTTC or OPSTC at all. They run through the separate Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit (OIDMTC), which has its own eligibility and rate structure.
The territories
| Territory | Program | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Northwest Territories | Rebate | 20–40% on NWT spend (scripted 40%, documentary 30%, commercial 20%) |
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, and Nunavut aren't in the table above. That's not because they have nothing (several run their own film office credit or rebate), it's because we don't have a source-verified 2026 rate for them here yet. Run the funding-match quiz and we'll surface what applies once it's verified. Nova Scotia is the newest addition to the tool above: the Digital Animation Tax Credit (NSDATC) is a verified, active program worth up to 42.5% of eligible Nova Scotia labour (a 25% base rate plus a 17.5% animation bonus) for animation and visual-effects work specifically, and the Nova Scotia Digital Media Tax Credit (NSDMTC) pays 25-50% of qualifying expenditures on interactive productions, plus a 10% geographic bonus outside Halifax. NSDATC is narrower than a general live-action credit, so the tool labels it as animation-specific.
In short: your primary production province sets your tax-credit ceiling, from 22% in Alberta to 65% in Manitoba, and it's worth confirming your province's current rate before you budget, since these numbers move most years.
Sources: respective provincial and territorial film offices, Creative BC, Ontario Creates, Manitoba Film & Music, Creative Saskatchewan, SODEC, Government of the Northwest Territories.Who this looks like
Your real funding stack depends on whether you're a first-feature CanCon producer, a service line producer, an interactive studio, or a co-production.Ontario, CanCon, first feature
Your floor is OFTTC (40% on your first $240,000 of Ontario labour as a first-time producer, 35% after that) plus the federal CPTC (25%) on the same labour pool. Telefilm's Talent to Watch program (up to $250,000, though currently between intake windows) is built for exactly this scenario once it reopens. Talent to Watch wants a confirmed Canadian distributor attached, so line that up early.
BC or Ontario, foreign studio shoot
Your government-support stack is almost entirely tax credits: the federal PSTC (16%) plus BC PSTC (36% base) or OPSTC (21.5%). BC's own program materials cite a combined effective rate of up to 52% for DAVE (visual effects) work. Telefilm and CMF generally aren't in reach here since both are built around Canadian content and ownership, so don't budget for them.
Games, apps, and interactive digital media
There's no federal tax credit for interactive work. Your stack is the Canada Media Fund's Interactive Digital Media stream (up to $1,500,000) plus whatever your province runs. Quebec's CDTIM (up to 37.5% of labour) is the strongest provincial credit in this table; Ontario's separate OIDMTC covers the same lane there.
Two countries, one production, still counts as Canadian content
CAVCO, the same office that certifies CPTC, recognizes a second route into Canadian content status. Ontario's OFTTC eligibility criteria confirm it directly: a production qualifies by reaching 6 of 10 Canadian content points, or by holding official treaty co-production status, no points calculation required either way. A treaty co-production splits its creative team and financing across two countries under a bilateral agreement, yet still opens the same federal CPTC (25%) and matching provincial credit a fully domestic production would claim. Telefilm and CMF fund treaty co-productions on the same terms as wholly Canadian projects, since both are built around Canadian content status, not around where every dollar or crew member originates. Budget extra certification lead time regardless: a co-production still starts with CAVCO Part A, the same first step as any CPTC claim.
In short: match your persona to your province and production type, then use the tool above to see the exact program names and dollar figures behind each layer.
The verdicts
Three real production stacks, priced in full: an Ontario first feature, a BC visual-effects service shoot, and a fast Alberta grant window.The floor is OFTTC (40% on your first $240,000, 35% after) plus the federal CPTC (25%) on the same Ontario labour. These aren't simply additive: Ontario Creates' own rules require government assistance received to be deducted from the federal credit's base first, so the true combined benefit is meaningfully more than either credit alone, but less than a straight 65%. Model the real number with your accountant before you budget against it.
The federal PSTC (16%) plus BC's own PSTC (36% base) combine to a stated effective rate up to 52% on DAVE (digital animation and visual effects) work; that figure comes directly from BC's own program materials, not our arithmetic.
If you're under a $500,000 total budget and can apply in the July 2–16, 2026 window, AMPG alone covers 25% of eligible Alberta costs up to $125,000, plus up to $35,000 more with the training incentive, for up to $160,000 before you've touched a single tax credit.
GrantCompass's verified catalog tracks 19 active federal and provincial film and media production programs, every one of them mapped in the funding-stack tool above. Ten of those 19, more than half, sit in the Stack Floor: entitlement-style tax credits that pay every qualifying claim rather than compete for a limited pool of dollars. A Canadian-content production's own Stack Floor is CPTC at 25% on qualifying labour plus its provincial credit, before a single dollar of Telefilm or CMF money arrives.
In short: two credits on the same labour are rarely a straight sum once deduction rules apply, but the tax credits themselves pay out on every qualifying claim, unlike the competitive grants and funds layered on top.
What's changed in 2026
Alberta's AMPG reopened, both BC credits rose after December 31, 2024, and Saskatchewan's grant restarted its fiscal-year intake.Alberta's AMPG reopened for its second 2026 window. The Alberta Made Production Grant runs only two intake windows a year, and the current one opened July 2 and closes July 16, 2026, days away as of this writing. It's the fastest-moving deadline anywhere on this page.
BC's rates moved up. Both BC credits increased for productions with principal photography starting after December 31, 2024: FIBC rose from 35% to 40% base, and BC PSTC rose from 33% to 36% base. If you're still budgeting off the old numbers, you're leaving money on the table.
Saskatchewan's grant reopened for the new fiscal year. Creative Saskatchewan's Feature Film & TV Production Grant opened its 2026-27 intake April 1, 2026, with roughly $10 million allocated for the year on a first-come, first-served basis.
Quebec's AI-adoption and digital-transformation programs keep evolving separately from film funding. If your production company is also investing in software or automation, that's a different funding lane entirely (see our Quebec digital grants guide) and not the film credits on this page.
Sources: Government of Alberta; Government of British Columbia; Creative Saskatchewan.FAQ
The eight questions producers ask most about stacking Canadian film credits, grants, and funds, answered with real numbers.What is the difference between CPTC and PSTC?
Which province has the highest film tax credit or grant in Canada?
Can I stack a film grant with a tax credit?
Is the Alberta Made Production Grant open right now?
Do foreign or service productions qualify for Telefilm or CMF funding?
What funding exists for interactive digital media and games in Canada?
What funding is available for short films and documentaries specifically?
Is there dedicated funding for Indigenous filmmakers in Canada?
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