Community and campus radio stations across the country are to get a stream of funding from commercial broadcasters.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has approved a fund to provide financial help to non-commercial stations.

The federal broadcast regulator announced Thursday it will direct about $775,000 annually to the Community Radio Fund of Canada to distribute among 140 community and campus stations. That's $700,000 more than the association has had in the past.

The money is being redirected from a fund that supports Canadian content. Commercial radio broadcasters must contribute annually to the fund for development of Canadian content — but their fees won't be rising, the CRTC said.

Two organizations that support the music industry, FACTOR and MUSICACTION, are likely to get a little less from the fund under this new ruling.

The decision is a response to a request from the CRFC for stable funding.

The organization that represents non-profit stations says its members are committed to providing exposure and airplay to emerging, independent, local, and/or niche musicians, and so the new money will directly contribute to the Canadian music industry.

Community and campus stations need some stable revenue to be able to train volunteers and put shows on air, the CRFC argued.

"It gives them a stream of revenue they didn't have. They will be able to develop some genuine content," said Michel Arpin, vice-chair of broadcasting at the CRTC.

Station manager Erin Flynn of University of Ottawa's CHUO said the money won't be enough to transform her budget, but a few thousand dollars will help.

"We're about to celebrate 20 years, so a lot of our equipment is as old as this station," she said.

Flynn said the station allows students to pick up radio skills and put on shows they're passionate about.

"It's nice that they're putting more money into the sector," she said. "I think most people involved in the process hoped for twice as much money. But it's a first step, so it's good."

The CRFC, created in 2007, has already distributed more than $300,000 to support local programming and training initiatives across the country, including a training program for immigrant women who want to tell their stories.

In the same decision, released Thursday, the regulator said it would streamline licensing requirements for community and campus radio and make advertising rules more flexible for campus stations.

With files from CBC's Kate Porter