In December 2008, the Board of Directors of Access Copyright, composed of equal numbers of elected representatives from publisher and creator organizations, agreed to make a contribution to a new foundation. Collectively, they recognized that after 20 years of existence Access Copyright had the maturity and the resources to support this important re-investment in the Canadian cultural community.

The Access Copyright Foundation was launched with a one-time contribution of $3 million from royalties accumulated by Access Copyright for the use of works that cannot be identified. Going forward, it will be sustained by an allocation of 1.5% of annual copyright licensing revenue from Access Copyright.

The Access Copyright Foundation promotes and supports Canadian culture by providing grants intended to encourage the development and dissemination of publishable Canadian works.