Cultural and Creative Industries Innovation Fund (CIIF) Grant Funding Opportunities

Cultural and Creative Industries Innovation Fund (CIIF) Grant Funding Opportunities is sponsored by Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

Cultural and Creative Industries Innovation Fund | Caribbean Development Bank 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 a multi-donor fund, which supports 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. CIIF completed a pilot cycle of operations and grant funding between 2018-2023. The fund awarded 30 grants resulting in directly serving over 500 stakeholders across our 19 BMCs.

CIIF also launched and piloted technical assistance to the CIs in Haiti from 2020-2023, through dedicated grant funding valued at USD198,000, directly serving 90 beneficiaries. In June 2023, CIIF was granted approval and additional resources for a further period of operations to 2027. The CIIF is designed to provide support to the Caribbean region’s CI sector through technical assistance.

Alongside facilitating industry training, research and business development activities, CIIF provides grant funding for innovative projects within the cultural and creative industries, aligned to three grant streams - Enabling Environment, Data Intelligence, and Improved Competitiveness of Creative MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises). CIIF has five priority sub-sectors: 1. Fashion & Contemporary Design 3.

Audio-visual (Film, Animation, Gaming) 4. Festivals and Carnivals Taking lead from CIIF’s guiding pillars, projects and partnerships are expected to demonstrate a significant measure of innovation, collaboration and sustainability. Governments, Business Support Organisations, Universities, Non-Governmental Organisations and Creative Enterprises in CDB’s 19 Borrowing Member Countries .

Visit our Frequently Asked Questions section below for more information.

CIIF supports women spurring rebirth of Mayan art and fashion CIIF helps tap Haitian festivals for growth CDB issues US$100,000 in Emergency Relief Grants for Creative Industries Sector Open Call for Caribbean Women in Music- Market Access Programme for WOMEX 2026 A new opportunity for Caribbean Women in Music has been launched through a collaboration between the Cultural and Creative Industries Innovation Fund (CIIF) and SheTrades Caribbean.

Through funding of a total of USD75,000, this project supports a group of women-led music businesses to attend the World Music Expo (WOMEX) from October 21 to 25, 2026 in Gran Canaria, Spain. This opportunity covers airfare, accommodation, all-access passes to WOMEX, business features in a digital catalogue, onsite networking, post-WOMEX business lead reviews and provides 3 months of market entry preparation support.

Open to women business managers, publishers, songwriters, music technology developers, or producers operating under a formally registered business across CDB’s 19 Borrowing Member Countries. Applicants must be members of the SheTrades Caribbean Hub. This opportunity is not open to recording or performing artistes.

Apply before June 7, 2026! APPLY TO ATTEND THE WORLD MUSIC EXPO (WOMEX) Open to women business managers, publishers, songwriters, music technology developers, or producers operating under a formally registered business across CDB’s 19 Borrowing Member Countries.

CIIF currently awards funding via calls for proposals/applications for the priority sub-sectors: Visual Arts, Music, Fashion and Contemporary Design, Audio Visual (Film and Animation) and Festival and Carnivals. Selection is via a series of competitive public calls for applicants. The application window for Support to Regional Creative Economy Conferences and Events is closed.

Grant awardees will be announced by the first week of June 2026. Digital Solution for Establishment/Enhancement of National Cultural Registries and Databases (open to formally registered businesses/organisations) with grant value of USD150,000. Sustainable Festival Production Training and Grant programme There will be ongoing opportunities and calls for participation in grant projects under implementation.

There will also be opportunities for participation in training programmes and access to knowledge resources under our Community of Practice portfolio. Applications for participation in CIIF’s Proposal Writing for the Cultural and Creative Industries e-learning course re-opens soon.

Request for Expressions of Interest: Participation in Pilot of Digital Solution for Establishment and Enhancement of Cultural Registries and Databases (open to Government Bodies and Agencies); Request for Expressions of Interest: Regional CI Business Support Organisations – Technical Assistance Implementation Training and Partnership (open to formally registered companies/organisations).

Request for Expressions of Interest: Participation in Pilot of Regional Group Insurance for Creatives (open to Government Bodies and Agencies) To learn more about upcoming initiatives that may be of interest and to access any additional resources that may become available through CIIF or our partners.

REGISTER – CIIF CONSULTANTS' DIRECTORY Grant Application Resources CIIF developed the Creative Industry (CI) Profiles with the aim of addressing the primary constraints to the growth of CIs in the Caribbean. These include financial, capacity building, networking, access to CI data and market barriers that are impeding the growth of smaller scale creative enterprises in the Region, despite global growth trends for this sector.

The CIIF List provides valuable information as at 2020 on the resources available in each country which are relevant to building a robust and globally competitive CI sector. View our first 10 profiles.

The CIIF List: Bahamas - Creative Industry Profile The CIIF List: Barbados - Creative Industry Profile The CIIF List: Belize - Creative Industry Profile The CIIF List: Cayman Islands - Creative Industry Profile The CIIF List: Dominica - Creative Industry Profile The CIIF List: Guyana - Creative Industry Profile The CIIF List: Haiti - Creative Industry Profile The CIIF List: Jamaica - Creative Industry Profile The CIIF List: Suriname - Creative Industry Profile The CIIF List: Trinidad and Tobago - Creative Industry Profile CIIF Creative Talk 8 Collect, Analyse, Activate!

Leveraging National Creative Economy Data Imagineering: Using Creative Industry Research to Devise Development Strategies CIIF Relaunch and Creative Talk Imagineering: Using Creative Industry Research to Devise Development Strategies Cultural & Creative Industries Fund (CIIF) Re-launch and Creative Talk Frequently Asked Questions CIIF provides grant financing and technical assistance (TA) to cultural/creative practitioners who are 18 years and older, registered micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and business support organisations (BSOs), which support the CIs sector in CDB’s Borrowing Member countries (BMCs).

What are the base eligibility requirements? Entities/practitioners deemed as eligible to benefit from CIIF support must operate in at least one of CDB’s 19 BMCs under one or more of the following CI priority subsectors: Audiovisual, Fashion, Music, Festivals and Carnivals and Visual Arts.

Entities must be legally registered and can include: governments, universities and academia, non-governmental organisations and community-based organisations, and chambers of commerce, BSOs, including government agencies, ministries, and statutory bodies, providing technical support to MSMEs in the CIs sector. What if my project is not directly related to a listed priority subsector?

Projects not directly related to any of listed priority subsectors will be assessed using a special mechanism to determine its eligibility for support. The form of support will be determined by the outcome of the assessment. How much funding is available?

Overall Total Funding: USD1,694,000 2024 Total Funding: Over USD700,000 Component I – Up to USD90,000 each will be awarded through a competitive selection process to 6 projects under the enabling environment scheme. Component II – Up to USD100,000 each will be awarded through a competitive selection process to 3 projects with a focus on data intelligence.

Component III – Up to USD50,000 each will be awarded through a competitive selection process to 12 projects focusing on enterprise/MSME development. A call for applications will be advertised and will outline the project theme, requirements, link to official application form and submission date.

Applicants applying under Component III will also have the opportunity to apply through the CIIF designated Business Support Organisation (BSO) partner in their respective countries. How long is the application to award process? The application to award process varies and may range from 2 to 4 months depending on a number of factors including, volume and quality of applications received and availability of external evaluators.

If I am awarded a grant, how long do I have to implement my project? The implementation timelines for projects awarded may vary from 3 months to 1 year or any such period agreed to in the contract between CDB-CIIF and the grantee. I wish to apply for a grant as part of a team of collaborators.

Is that permitted? We encourage and require evidence of collaboration and give preference to project implementation activities that incorporate two (2) or more CDB Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs). How are the grants juried?

An external evaluation panel of sector experts will assess project applications and make recommendations for funding. How do I know when grant calls are open? (join database/ check website, etc.) Is there application help available?

CIIF will be engaging Business Support Organisation (BSO) partners across the region to assist applicants with completing their applications. Application consultation sessions will also be hosted by CIIF to engage grantees and provide further details on a given grant opportunity after the opening of the grant call. Will open CIIF grants include Haiti?

While CIIF programming remains open to all eligible BMCs, including Haiti, a further dedicated intervention will be contemplated for CIIF Haiti pending confirmation of the availability of additional resources, outside of CIIF’s financing structure. Do I need to co-finance my project? Beneficiary MSMEs and other eligible entities are expected to contribute a minimum of ten percent (10%) of project costs in cash and or in-kind.

I have been successfully awarded a CIIF grant. What happens next? Once a grant has been awarded, the grantee is invited to fine tune the selected project proposal and engage in a collaborative exercise to develop a Terms of Reference (TOR) in relation to the project with CIIF.

A contract agreement that outlines the project terms of engagement is then signed by the grantee and CDB. This is followed by the project implementation and grant disbursements as per agreed timelines. a.

How long does it take to receive the funds? The timelines for disbursement are dependent on the agreed terms outlined in the grant agreement contract. Once all payment conditions are met and a disbursement request is made through CIIF to CDB, the processing time for funds to be posted to the grantee’s approved bank may take a minimum of two (2) weeks.

b. Do I receive all of the funds at once? Grant funds are aligned to project deliverables and are disbursed in tranches.

I was awarded a grant from CIIF previously. Am I eligible for repeat funding? Yes, currently past grant awardees may submit applications for scheduled grant calls.

In addition, CIIF intends on launching grant opportunities that target past grantees. Can I submit a proposal outside of the scheduled grant periods? Grant proposals are primarily accepted in response to and during the period of scheduled grant calls.

CIIF offers training resources, opportunities to participate in grant-funded projects, opportunities to provide professional services to grant-funded projects. I applied for a grant in response to a scheduled grant call and was unsuccessful. Will I receive detailed feedback on my application?

All applicants - successful and unsuccessful will be notified about the outcome of their grant application. Regrettably, we are unable to provide detailed feedback to unsuccessful applicants at this time. How can I get more information?

Interested persons will get the opportunity to engage with CIIF through public stakeholder consultation sessions, discovery call requests and through our webpage at www. caribank. org/ciif .

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