CJF Emerging News Voices Program

The CJF Emerging News Voices Program empowers independent news creators and lean digital news startups to establish sustainable frameworks for online reporting, audience growth, and diverse revenue streams.

Supported by the Google News Initiative, the six-month training and capacity-building program combines virtual group workshops, peer learning, and one-on-one coaching. Building on the CJF NextGen Creator-Journalists Training Program, the program’s sessions are facilitated by experienced coaches from the Google News Initiative, YouTube, and Blue Engine Collaborative, alongside guest experts from Canada’s leading digital-first publishers and journalism innovators. Participants will work on a specific growth project and receive guidance from mentors to help shape, test, and refine their ideas.

Participants are expected to actively engage in sessions, complete assignments, report on their progress, and share lessons learned. They will also have the unique opportunity to celebrate their growth, pitch their success, and network with other creators at a Showcase event.

Program goals:

The primary objectives of the program are to help participants:

• Use Google’s AI products and tools to support their journalism and meet audience needs
• Implement YouTube best practices to grow their audiences
• Develop audience insight through first-party data growth to strengthen their online presence
• Achieve financial sustainability through revenue diversification
• Successfully launch 1-2 projects, with the support of a mentor

Program format:

Primarily online with an in-person Showcase event in Toronto.

This program is provided at no cost to participants by the Canadian Journalism Foundation.

Eligibility Criteria

Independent news creators and lean digital news startups in Canada seeking to expand their reach and diversify audience engagement strategies. Ideal candidates include independent journalists with social media and video platforms, newsletter publishers, podcasters, and news organizations with owned-and-operated websites.

Participants of the 2025 CJF NextGen Creator-Journalists Training Program are not eligible to reapply.

Primary Applicants Must Have

• Canadian permanent residency or citizenship
• Early-stage or established open web presence as a news creator or digital natives
• Commitment to expanding reach and diversifying audience engagement strategies
• Readiness to experiment with new platforms, formats, and distribution methods
• Dedicated time to participate fully in sessions and complete the assignments

Applicants must propose a project that grows audiences, diversifies revenue, or integrates AI products and other digital tools into their workflows. The project should be substantially completed by January 2027.

Program Timeline

• August 2026: Orientation and program foundations.
• September 2026: Sessions on audience development, business model foundations, and YouTube strategy.
• October 2026: Bi-weekly mentorship and guest expert sessions commence alongside continuation of sessions on analytics, audience engagement, and product development workshops.
• November 2026: Sessions on creating practical growth plans and digital-first content strategy, the Showcase event.
• December 2026: Sessions on pitch development, partnerships, project planning, sustainable and trustworthy news ventures, editorial standards and ethics; holiday break with optional mentorship check-ins.
• January 2027: Final sessions on business-model review, implementation planning, fundraising and independent creation, program wrap-up.

The program includes six training sessions led by Google, generally spaced two to three weeks apart. This inverted classroom model gives participants ample time to complete the preparatory and follow-up work and optimize discussion and knowledge sharing among participants. To enrich the experience, the schedule also includes guest expert presentations and interactive workshops facilitated by Blue Engine Collaborative between the main modules.

Guest Expert Series

Throughout the program, participants will hear directly from Canada’s leading digital-first publishers and journalism innovators. Our guest experts share real-world insights on successfully building thriving independent news organizations.

Post-Program Funding Opportunities

Upon completion of the program, participants will be eligible for up to $5,000 in support to implement projects that grow audiences, diversify revenue, or integrate AI products and other digital tools into their workflows.

Funding cannot be used to support editorial or reporting projects.

Application Information

Now accepting applications. Program seeks content producers ready to implement innovative distribution tactics and committed to building sustainable, impactful journalism ventures.

For more information about the CJF Emerging News Voices Program, contact NewsVoices@cjf-fjc.ca. 

For more information about the Google News Initiative, please visit newsinitiative.withgoogle.com 

Testimonials from the 2025 CJF NextGen Creator-Journalists Training Program participants:

“We are grateful to the CJF NextGen program for introducing The Green Line team to some of the most innovative media startups and creators in Canada, from whom we’ve taken inspiration when it comes to audience engagement and storytelling best practices. The work we do inhabits a unique space between traditional journalism and creator culture, and our team now feels like we are part of a like-minded community that we can tap into for feedback and ideas.” — Anita Li, The Green Line

“I came into the CJF NetGen program with an idea: to take the freelance reporting I’ve been working on for The Globe and Mail and expand it into my own publication … Weekly sessions with guest experts such as Village Media’s Jeff Elgie, Google News Initative’s Arun Venkataraman, and Kathy English have taught me how to build a start up, understand audience trends and build trust with my subscribers through clear editorial standards. I’ve since adopted BeeHiiv for my newsletter, set up a website that I’m proud of, and built a set of editorial standards that my audience can take as promises … Now, I’ll bring Cart Culture to Canadians. — Daniel Reale-Chin, Cart Culture

“Since joining the program, my work with Vainqueur has evolved into a more defined, data-led editorial platform offering industry-facing insight into Canada’s fashion and beauty sectors. We clarified our audience and formalized our offerings through a 2026 media kit, strengthening our audience value proposition across channels, including a redesigned subscription page and the introduction of a donation model … In parallel, we expanded into new formats with the launch of the Vainqueur Podcast … These developments reflect a shift toward a more structured, insight-driven newsroom with growing audience engagement and early revenue validation.” — Danica Samuel, Vainqueur

“As a first-time journalist/news creator, having access to such a roster of guest speakers and trainers has been immensely helpful … I’ve also connected with other creators across the country which reminds me I’m not the only one crazy enough to do this. Prior to joining the program, The Level’s subscriber base was entirely through word of mouth. Our open rate of over 60% demonstrated the content was resonating. After joining the program, we launched our first paid ad campaign to expand our reach and build brand awareness faster. In less than 8 weeks, our list has grown by 64% with minimal dropoff in engagement metrics.” — Neil Malik, The Level