In light of the loss of revenue by Creative Industry (CI) practitioners due to the effects of COVID-19, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has allocated has allocated USD 100,000 for Emergency Relief Grants through its Cultural and Creative Industries Innovation Fund (CIIF).

Of these funds, the CDB has allocated USD 50,000 for the Music sub-sector and USD 50,000 for the Festivals and Carnivals sub-sector.

This grant is targeted at CI entrepreneurs who can demonstrate loss of income for music, festival and carnival events that have been cancelled as a result of COVID-19.

This grant is to be used for one of the following:

• Product development: to produce an online/virtual product or event on an existing platform external to CDB, that leads to revenue generation;
• Market distribution & channelling: to on board and promote new Caribbean content from emerging and established producers through existing regional and international electronic platforms; and
• Digital disruptive technologies for music & festivals and carnivals: to support the further development of an existing electronic solution that will facilitate revenue generation through online CI showcases, exchanges and performances.

Projects should be community oriented where possible with a percentage of funds raised going towards associations of health care workers or sanitation workers or registered charities.

To participate in this programme, practitioners are asked to read the call document and complete the online application form by May 20, 2020.

Apply here!

About the Cultural and Creative Industries Innovation Fund:

The Cultural and Creative Industries Innovation Fund (CIIF) was established in 2017 with an initial USD2.6 million in capitalisation from the Caribbean Development Bank. It is intended to be a multi-donor fund, which will support the development of the Creative Industries (CI) sector in the Caribbean. CIIF’s goal is to enable the Region’s cultural and creative industries to be globally competitive.