Caribbean – Caribbean Cultural Fund: Essential support for the region’s creators

Caribbean Culture Fund

The Caribbean Culture Fund (CCF) has announced its second cohort of grantees, awarding twenty-five grants to creatives and cultural organizations in Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Curaçao and the Cayman Islands. These projects receive a total of USD 400,000 in funding. These grants, awarded in three categories – Migration, Archiving & Memory, and Caribbean Collaboration – support initiatives that preserve and enhance Caribbean heritage, analyze the cultural impact of migration, and encourage regional artistic cooperation. The Caribbean Cultural Fund thus confirms its commitment to culture diversity and regional creativity.

Subsidy categories

The selection process was carried out by a jury of experts from the eligible countries. Raymona Henry-Wynne, Executive Director of the Saint Lucia Cultural Development Foundation, participated in the evaluation of this second cohort. She describes the experience as “a revealing insight into the immense creative potential of the region”.

Migration

Five projects have been awarded grants of USD 10,000 each to explore the cultural impact of migration and strengthen links between territories. They include:

  • Narratives of Change (Cayman Islands)
  • Mama Baranka (Curaçao)
  • Bigidi (Guadeloupe)
  • Para Impresionar ¿A Quién? (Puerto Rico)
  • Lakay (andépandans) (Saint Lucia)

Archiving & Memory

Ten projects have also been awarded grants of USD 10,000 each to document and conserve Caribbean heritage:

  • Bon Kabei (Good Hair) (Curaçao)
  • Cinuca (Guadeloupe)
  • I Am Lolita Lebrón (Puerto Rico)
  • Matronas de las Luchas (Puerto Rico)
  • MAC en el Barrio Digital Archive (Puerto Rico)
  • Mujeres del Cine Boricua (Puerto Rico)
  • Paradoja en el Paraíso (Puerto Rico)
  • Bolom Birth (Saint Lucia)
  • Machete, Masquerade & Memory (Saint Lucia)
  • O.N.G. (Operation Nex’ Generation) (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

Caribbean collaboration

Ten projects promoting artistic cooperation across the region received grants of USD 25,000 each:

  • News from MAF (Guadeloupe/French Guiana)
  • Pawòl a Mas (Guadeloupe/Saint Lucia/Trinidad and Tobago)
  • Temporal: Sanando el Cuerpo y la Tierra (Puerto Rico/Barbados)
  • Conjunto Antillano (Puerto Rico/Dominican Republic/Cuba)
  • Bridging the Archipelago (Puerto Rico/Dominican Republic)
  • La Memoria de la Arcilla (Puerto Rico/Cuba/Dominican Republic)
  • It Takes a Village: Honoring Caribbean Matriarchs (Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands)
  • Entre Cosmovisiones y Resistencia (Puerto Rico/Guadeloupe/Aruba)
  • Hairouna Film Festival (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines/Haiti)
  • Music, Film & Storytelling (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines/Trinidad and Tobago)
Caribbean Culture Fund

Impact of the Caribbean Culture Fund

According to CCF Executive Director Kellie Magnus, “the success of our first cohort has enabled us to raise additional funds, making our second cohort even more significant. We believe in regional cooperation and are enthusiastic about opening up new opportunities for creative people in the Caribbean”. The Caribbean Culture Fund thus becomes a key player in the structuring of the regional cultural sector.

Victoria Apolinario, a Dominican filmmaker and beneficiary of the first cohort, illustrates this impact: “Thanks to the CCF, I can now say that I am the coordinator of Muestra Karibe, a cinematographic space dedicated to the Caribbean and its diasporas. It’s more than a professional advancement, it’s also a way of taking a stand, a way of making our artistic identities more visible”.

Wizeman Seide, a Haitian culinary artist, confirms that the CCF is “much more than financial support: it’s a real springboard. It gives legitimacy to cultural initiatives and opens up new horizons”. This support from the Caribbean Culture Fund represents a major step forward for the development of cultural and creative industries.

Caribbean Culture Fund

Future prospects

The mission of the Caribbean Culture Fund is to support creators in the Caribbean by reducing financial barriers and encouraging artistic development. Funding for this second cohort was provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Open Society Foundations. To build on this momentum, the Caribbean Culture Fund is preparing to launch new initiatives, including a matching grants program to attract other cultural funders.

In addition, an online database of funding opportunities will be made available to artists for simplified access to resources.
The Caribbean Culture Fund plays a major role in promoting and developing regional artistic creation. By supporting local initiatives and fostering collaborations, the Caribbean Culture Fund contributes to enriching Caribbean cultural expression, while offering it new prospects for expansion.

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