Ontario Arts Council announces major changes to grants to periodicals program

The Ontario Arts Council has revised its guidelines for its Grants to Periodicals Program. There are a number of significant changes, including removing the ceiling on grant amounts, allowing controlled circulation and online magazines to apply, instituting an easier-to-use application process and providing for three-year funding.

[Disclosure: my company, Impresa Communications Limited, did the review of the program on which the new guidelines are based, in part.]

In a memorandum that has gone out to publishers across the province today, here are the highlights:

1. The circulation ceiling funding categories have been eliminated to allow magazines to apply for what they need to publish, promote and distribute. The grant levels will be based on a percentage of their revenues as appropriate to the sector, the program budget, their assessments and the OAC’s current strategies. Grant increases will be phased in over a few years.

2. Grants are generally intended for magazines with circulations below 30,000 but exceptions will be made for culturally significant publications that fit all of the other eligibility criteria.

3. Free-circulation magazines will be eligible to apply to the program if they fit all of the other eligibility criteria and if at least 60% of their pages are editorial content and at least 25 per cent of their revenues come from advertising sales or a combination of advertising and circulation sales.

4. Online magazines are eligible to apply if they fit all of the other eligibility criteria, are published on a regular basis and can demonstrate at least 2,000 unique hits per month.

5. The assessment criteria are now Artistic Merit (50% weighting), Impact (25% weighting) and Viability/Governance (25% weighting.

6. The application forms have been modified to better suit the sector and to allow greater ease of application.

7. Three-year funding will become available in 2009/10.