If you already have an assigned Project Coordinator, please contact them directly. To check if you have been assigned a Project Coordinator look on the home page of your Artist and Applicant Profiles.

If you have not yet been assigned to a Project Coordinator, you can email us at general.info@factor.ca, or call 877-696-2215.

• Contact your Project Coordinator

Make sure you are using the same email address you registered with us previously. Forgotten passwords can be retrieved by clicking the ‘Forgot Password?’ link on the sign in page. If you have yet to register your email with us, or if your last sign in was before April 2013, you’ll need to create a new user profile. If you are still unable to sign in, contact FACTOR.

It takes up to 12 weeks for most projects to be reviewed. Take a look at the individual program guidelines for details. You’ll receive an email notification letting you know whether your application was successful or not once the review process is complete. You don’t need to wait until your application has been reviewed to start your project. Eligible expenses incurred after the date you submitted your application will be considered by FACTOR if your application was successful.

To create a new project application you must have access to an approved applicant profile (your own, or another’s if you are applying on someone else’s behalf), and in most cases, an approved and rated artist profile. Both of these rated profiles need to be connected to the user profile that’s logged in when you’re creating a new project. If either the artist or applicant profile has not yet been assigned a rating, the dropdown menu will appear blank. You’ll need to complete and submit the unrated profile for review and rating before you can continue.

• Profiles & Ratings for Artists

• Profiles & Ratings for Music Companies

FACTOR has several programs that fund sound recordings, including the Artist Development and two Juried Sound Recording programs, Album and Single/EP. Make sure to read the program guidelines carefully to determine project eligibility.

• Artist Development

• Juried Sound Recording: Album

• Juried Sound Recording: Single/EP

It may be that you, a bandmate, or a member of your team may have started a profile in the past. Email your Project Coordinator if you have one (or general.info@factor.ca if you don’t) with your name and the name of the profile you are trying to create, and we can look into the issue. We will be able to either grant you access to the existing profile, or instruct you on how to differentiate your profile from the existing one.

A Project Coordinator is your dedicated FACTOR expert. Once you have submitted your artist or applicant profile for review, it is assigned to a Project Coordinator. This is the primary person that you will be dealing with for the duration of your relationship with FACTOR. They can offer guidance, will instruct you on important steps once you’ve received funding, and see your project through to completion.

All new artist profiles will receive the “General” artist rating, and the vast majority of FACTOR applicants remain at the General rating. General artist is now the default rating that allows artists to be eligible for our most popular programs – Artist Development, Juried Sound Recording, and Live Performance: Showcase component.

All artists have the opportunity to supply Additional Information under the Qualifying Criteria section in their Artist Profile in advance of our profile review deadlines in the hopes of upgrading their artist rating.

• Profiles & Ratings for Artists

• Artist Development

• Juried Sound Recording

• Live Performance: Showcase

Applicant and Artist profile ratings are used to help determine which programs you are eligible to apply to. In order to create new applications you must have rated profiles.

• Profiles & Ratings for Artists

• Profiles & Ratings for Music Companies

See Profiles & Ratings for Artists for further information.

For step-by-step instructions see our Application Details page.

Your rating(s) determine your eligibility to FACTOR programs.

• Profiles & Ratings for Artists

• Profiles & Ratings for Music Companies

See What We Fund and Our Programs.

Extensions are never granted automatically; you must email your Project Coordinator with a preferred new deadline date and the reason for your extension request. Please also describe the current status of the project, the work you have already done and the work you have left to do. Make sure you’re aware of the details of your extension. If you run out of extensions or do not submit your materials before your extension runs up, you may end up in breach of your funding agreement.

See Business Policies: Deadlines and Extensions for more information on what extensions are allowed in each program.

You will need to acknowledge FACTOR, the Government of Canada and Canada’s Private Broadcasters on any FACTOR-funded projects, and on any materials produced in support of a FACTOR-funded project. Please consult the appropriate program page in the Logo and Acknowledgment Guide, or review your General Agreement for details.

Contact your Project Coordinator if you have any questions about your logo and acknowledgment requirements.

Get in touch with your Project Coordinator ASAP. They can help advise you of cost-effective solutions to rectify the missing or incorrect logo. Inappropriate credit or acknowledgement may result in a reduction to your final offer, or be considered an Event of Default with FACTOR, so make sure that you are aware of your obligations.

FACTOR will allow you to alter the colour of the FACTOR logo if the original colours conflict with any graphic design elements on finished materials. However, you may not modify the Canada wordmark, or cause it to appear in a colour scheme that is not explicitly allowed by the Treasury Board of Canada. For more details, please see the Treasury Board of Canada’s Canada Wordmark – Technical Specifications (2012).

You may change the size of the logo, provided that:

– such changes do not conflict with the usage guidelines for the FACTOR logo or the Canada wordmark;

– both appear at least as large as the logo of any other funder; and

– the logo and wordmark (along with any mandatory text acknowledgement) appear clearly and legibly.

See FACTOR’s Completion Guide, or Artist Development Completion Guide for eligibility requirements and tips. For examples of eligible expense documentation, check out our Expense Documentation Guide. If you’re still unsure, you can always check in with your project coordinator.

See this tutorial on Security and Sharing Information for instructions on how to grant another user access to FACTOR profiles or projects.

Partially. FACTOR will allow up to 25% of total eligible in-house costs related to employee salaries and exclusive contractor fees (for people who worked on a funded project). Beyond that, company administration and overhead costs including day-to-day office, equipment and supplies costs, rent and occupancy costs are ineligible. However, in many programs FACTOR allows an administration fee that can contribute to some of those costs.  Please see the program guidelines, or contact your Project Coordinator for more information.

Yes. The development of significant new artist-specific web assets is eligible in a marketing component. Ongoing artist-specific web maintenance costs (such as page re-design, updating content, programming, domain and hosting fees) will be recognized at a maximum of $1,000 per month.

Partially, but only if you applied to the Live Performance program. Gear and equipment purchases for a FACTOR-funded tour or showcase will be recognized up to a maximum of 10% of the total cost of the purchase. The date of purchase receipt must be consistent with the dates of the tour or showcase. Please note that no equipment, gear, or instrument purchases are eligible under any sound recording program.

Generally, no. However, FACTOR may allow, on a case-by-case basis, the costs of a non-Canadian producer coming to work in a Canadian studio located in Canada. Such costs may include travel, accommodation and producer fees. Contact your Project Coordinator before applying to explain why you want to hire a non-Canadian producer.

No. Manufacturing and duplication expenses are not eligible FACTOR expenses. Take a look at our Business Policies, or the program guidelines for the program you’re applying to, to see what kinds of expenses are eligible.

Generally, no.

Costs paid in cash may be accepted only for incidental purchases (costing under $100) and must be supported by an itemized store receipt. If traveling in a Tour, Showcase, or Business Travel component, suppliers such as hired musicians or eligible crew may be paid in cash, but payments will only be considered eligible when accompanied by a signed Receipt for Services and Per Diems form, available on our Recipient Resources page.

• Learn more about FACTOR's programs.

See the individual program guidelines for examples of eligible and ineligible costs. If you don’t see what you are looking for in the program guidelines, please contact your Project Coordinator to discuss the eligibility of your costs.

Maybe! You should always contact your Project Coordinator to discuss these changes and ensure your changes will be allowed.