Over 400 artists from across the region applied for funding from the Caribbean Culture Fund (CCF) in the areas of visual, performing and festival arts, film, architecture and design or interdisciplinary art forms.

Applications closed on April 30, with English, Spanish and French ideas proposed. 

“It shows that in the Caribbean and its diaspora, people are waiting for such institutions,” shared Michèle Pierre-Louis, chair of the CCF Steering Committee.

“Artists can express through their chosen medium what society is all about, you know, its greatness, but also its disorders, its injustices, its chaos, but also its dream, and its hope,” Pierre-Louis continued.

Dr Ayoka Wiles from Open Society Foundations, lead donor for the CCF had encouraged applicants to be thorough and strategic in their proposals.

“It’s important to clearly identify the need for the project and the specific community it aims to serve. Applicants should define their project using the “who, what, where, why, and how” approach to cover all essential aspects.” 

Wiles further mused, “A simple, transparent budget and a timeline for monitoring and evaluation demonstrating how progress will be tracked is also needed. Finally, showcasing strong community engagement and setting realistic goals to adapt methods as needed are key to a successful application.”

This was the CCF’s first call for proposals,  focused on promoting social and cultural justice and fostering intercultural dialogue. The grant will support a wide range of artistic endeavours, including visual arts, performing arts, festival arts, film, interdisciplinary art forms, architecture, and design.

The inaugural call for proposals had two tranches, the first being grants of US$10,000 each to be distributed to projects under the theme ‘Art for Social Change and Civic Engagement‘. 

Six grants of US$25,000 each will be awarded to projects under the theme of Caribbean collaboration. Announcement of winners will be made in mid-June. 

The Caribbean Culture Fund seeks to enable an innovative, inclusive and socially transformative cultural ecology in the region and its diaspora, by supporting the arts and culture in a manner respectful of tradition and cultural specificity but attuned to social and cultural change.

The fund aims to promote social and cultural justice and foster intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding, by providing financial resources and programs to support individual and collaborative projects led by artists and cultural organizations based in the region.