FACTOR


FACTOR is a "private non-profit organization,... dedicated to providing assistance toward the growth and development of the Canadian independent recording industry".
Founded in 1982, FACTOR has been administering public money since 1986. From an inaugural budget of $200,000 CAD, they now distribute over $11.5 million annually.
The merit-based approach of monetary distribution used by FACTOR and Canadian music video funding organization VideoFACT, is not without critics. In 2009, the organizations came under public scrutiny when a letter written by Unfamiliar Records founder Greg Ipp was republished on the internet - in turn promoting the idea that bigger image-based bands shouldn’t be getting such a huge amount of those finite funds as it leaves relatively little, if any, funding for the smaller up-and-coming bands.
Notable recording artists who have received FACTOR grants include: