The Caribbean Development Bank has announced a significant funding initiative through its Cultural and Creative Industries Innovation Fund (CIIF), making $190,000 available to support the region’s creative sector. This strategic investment targets organizations that can drive development and enhance competitiveness within Caribbean cultural industries.
Applications for the grant program will remain open until January 31, 2026, with selected projects scheduled for implementation between March 1, 2026, and February 28, 2027. The funding specifically seeks proposals that address critical growth areas including policy development, MSME capacity building, market intelligence enhancement, trade facilitation, and cultural heritage preservation.
Malene Joseph, Fund Coordinator, emphasized the program’s objectives: “Through this grant call, CDB aims to support home-grown activities that help unlock pathways for our creative Caribbean talent and businesses to become even more empowered. Beyond facilitating necessary policy dialogue and building data-driven insights, CIIF is further enabling creative MSMEs by offering financial support to these targeted events.”
The funding will be distributed across six grants in three distinct categories. Two $25,000 grants will focus on improving the enabling environment for cultural industries, while another two $20,000 grants will support data intelligence and sector insights initiatives. The remaining two grants, totaling $50,000, will be allocated to activities that prepare MSMEs for market entry and facilitate market access.
Eligibility is restricted to formally registered organizations operating within the Creative Industries sector, including Business Support Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations, universities, Community-Based Organizations, and government agencies. Applicants must demonstrate at least three years of experience in hosting industry-related events and provide a co-financing contribution equivalent to at least 10% of the total project budget.
Prospective applicants can submit proposals through the Bank’s online portal at https://cdb.submittable.com/submit. Additionally, CIIF will host a virtual consultation on January 14, 2026, to provide guidance to potential applicants.
Established in 2017, CIIF has consistently worked to enhance the global competitiveness of Caribbean cultural and creative sectors by promoting innovation, collaboration, and sustainability through technical assistance and grants across the Bank’s 19 Borrowing Member Countries.