Deadline For Creative Caribbean Project Grants Is July 8

Interested persons who meet the eligibility criteria have until July 8 to apply for funding under the ‘Creative Caribbean: An Ecosystem of Play for Growth and Development project’.

The project targets culture and creative industries (CCIs) actors, artists and entrepreneurs; registered CCI professional organisations, associations, civil society and secondary and tertiary academic institutions, students and researchers.

Speaking recently at a business development information session for small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMTEs), hosted by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, Creative Caribbean Project Coordinator, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Cluster Office for the Caribbean, Olayinka Jacobs-Bonnick, encouraged SMTEs to take advantage of the opportunity, as they, too, can benefit from the grants.

“If you feel that you cannot meet the eligibility criteria, you are not excluded. You simply need to collaborate with an organisation, a business, an entity or individual who does meet all the eligibility criteria,” she urged.

Mrs. Jacobs-Bonnick, who is also Associate National Project Officer for Culture, UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean, added that the criteria include the provision of up-to-date and audited financial documents.

Others include being registered as a “legal person” with the Companies Office of Jamaica, established three years from the date of application, and have directly implemented during the last two years at least one project in the cultural and creative sector for at least 50 per cent of the grant amount requested.

Mrs. Jacobs-Bonnick further pointed out that the project consists of three grant schemes with several categories; however, only the Enabling Environment and Industry schemes are open during this round of grant calls.

Grants available under the Enabling Environment scheme are National Artist Registries; Visual Literacy/Performing Arts; Cultural Policy, Legislation, National Implementation Plan, Institutional Strengthening; and Creative City Sub-Sector and Accelerators, while the Industry Grant Scheme includes Festival Development and Marketplace; Work Placement & Knowledge Transfer; Artist Mobility – artist residencies; Product Development and Content Production; Small Grants for Professional Associations, Emerging Creative Content Originator; and Scaling Grants for Export-Ready Creatives and CCI Festival Business Exchange Networks and Fora.

Successful applicants will be notified within eight to 10 weeks after the application date closes.

Meanwhile, Programme Specialist for Culture, UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean, Yuri Peshkov, said that the objective of the project is “quite straightforward”.

“We are supporting economic, human and social development of the Caribbean region by stimulating inclusive, diverse and sustainable growth of the cultural economy. We are creating jobs, we are supporting the creation, production and distribution of cultural and creative goods and services,” said Mr. Peshkov.

He added that the project is also improving market access and supporting regional and national policies and measures.

Creative Caribbean is a joint project by UNESCO, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the University of the West Indies (UWI), supported by the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) programme with the financial contribution of the European Union and the support of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States.

For more information, including the value of the grants, persons may visit: https://en.unesco.org/creative-caribbean/home.