Funding

The objective of the Commercial Projects Program is to fund projects that have a greater probability of commercial success. Starting in 2026-2027, this program shall fund projects through two streams: 1. The Main Stream, a selective process in which projects are evaluated based on their potential to attain stated commercial objectives, demonstrate business opportunity and achieve profitability. And 2. The Third-Party Investment Stream, a first-come first-serve pilot initiative for projects that have a viable locked financing plan including a minimum 25% of bona-fide third-party investment at the time of application.

The Conceptualization Program allocates funding to Eligible Projects at the very beginning of a Project’s creative process with the objective of giving a Project a better chance to succeed for future stages of financing. Specifically, this Program is designed to allow an Eligible Applicant to create and test a proof of concept and verify either the design idea, concept assumption or demonstrate a functionality in preparation for the Prototyping phase and beyond.

Indie Ignition is a 12-week accelerator designed to help entrepreneurs in the Calgary region develop and launch businesses in game development, esports, and film and animation. Participants receive guidance in project planning, market research, branding, viability testing, business models, industry trends, creative direction, and pitching, with the goal of leaving the program with a clear and sustainable business plan. The program culminates in a pitch competition, where participants can compete for seed funding to help launch their businesses. The top three pitches in each stream receive funding, with successful concepts supported through key startup stages including ideation, validation, and commitment.

Projects funded through Innovation & Experimentation Program are Canadian interactive digital media content and software applications that are innovative and leading-edge.

The Iteration Program is a pilot initiative with the objective to support the creation of new content for previously CMF-funded IDM Projects that have demonstrated success in the marketplace. Eligible Applicants can propose the creation of new content or significant features to maximize their opportunities to reach new and returning audiences and ensure continued success for an existing Project.

The Prototyping Program allocates funding to projects at the early stages of building a product to demonstrate its intended functionalities and design. Specifically, this phase is for experimenting, testing and validating different concepts and hypotheses to arrive at a first functional prototype.