Overview
WHO WE ARE
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.
WHAT WE DO
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
2. Visual Arts
3. Audio-visual (Film, Animation, Gaming)
4. Festivals and Carnivals
5. Music
Taking lead from CIIF’s guiding pillars, projects and partnerships are expected to demonstrate a significant measure of innovation, collaboration and sustainability.
WHO DOES CIIF SERVE
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.
LEARN MORE
CDB introduces a more robust and responsive support for Caribbean creatives
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
Grant Funding Opportunities
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.
Visit our Frequently Asked Questions section below for more information
Open Grant Call - Caribbean Stock Photography: Digital Business Solution
Overview of the Open Grant Call
The USD100,000 Caribbean Stock Photography grant call invites qualified entities to design and operationalise a business model and digitised solution dedicated to Caribbean stock visual content. The intention is to centralise resources, enhance commercial viability, improve multimedia archiving and boost the overall competitiveness of these subsectors. The grant provides funding for solution development and testing activities and is intended to be a launch pad for attracting future investment and sustained operations. The grant is supported through the CIIF Enabling Environment Grant Stream.
This grant opportunity simultaneously promotes digital innovation and enterprise development, while supporting and promoting visual arts and audio-visual subsector stakeholders.
Grant Objective
To award an entity with funding to design/procure a business model for a Caribbean Stock Photography digital business solution; coordinate the implementation of a testing phase in collaboration with Regional multimedia professionals/bodies including Photographic Societies/Membership.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants should have a formally registered business.
- Applicants should be citizens of CDB's Borrowing Member Countries
- Applicants/Entities should have at least five (5) years’ experience in software development including the design and development of digital e-commercial platforms.
- Entities should have experience designing and operating digital e-commerce platforms
- Entities are expected to source/provide adequate cross-sectional skillsets required for the project for example, creative software development, business development and marketing skills.
- Entities should include testing and training components with supporting instructional content as part of the project to serve as a CIIF Additionality Mechanism.
- Applications must include a business plan/model framework that will enable long-term growth and investment beyond the 1-year grant funded period of implementation.
Successful applicants must be willing to allow for monitoring and evaluation of enterprise for impact assessment up to 24 months after the close of the programme and allow for publishing of non-sensitive business information for programme promotional purposes.
Application Process
The application process is straightforward and consists of the following steps:
- Read the CIIF Grant Guidelines: CIIF General Applicant Guidelines for comprehensive details on eligibility and evaluation.
- Prepare Your Proposal: Applicants must develop a comprehensive project proposal using the application form that clearly outlines the business goals, project objectives, and how the grant will be utilized. The proposal should demonstrate how the project aligns with the CIIF Grant Call. The proposal must include:
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A detailed title and description of the project:
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Implementation activities and timelines;
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A budget that breaks down the costs aligned with implementation activities;
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A timeline for implementation;
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An explanation of the expected impact on the business and community.
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Applicants are encouraged to ensure that all necessary elements are well-prepared before submitting an application.
Where to access the application form
The application form can be accessed via CDB’s Grant Application Portal on the Submittable Platform: Caribbean Development Bank Submission Manager. You will need to create a free Submittable account or sign in with Google or Facebook credentials to submit your application. Follow the instructions on the page to access the CIIF Grant application form. The Submittable Grant Application Portal is the only source for the CIIF Grant Application Form.
- Submit Your Application: When completing the Grant Application Form through the Submittable platform, applicants must upload all required supporting documents. Each form includes clear instructions to help ensure accurate and complete submissions. Applicants are encouraged to follow these guidelines closely.
The deadline for applications is May 30, 2025.
Consultations
Potential applicants are invited to participate in a Virtual Group Consultation on Friday, May 16, 2025 at 10:30am AST. The link will be provided at a later date.
Grant Process Timeline
The project design and launch should be completed in one (1) year.
Funding Information
Up to USD100,000 will be awarded through CIIF’s Enabling Environment Grant stream; Entities applying should be able to contribute co-financing (in-kind, etc.) amounting to at least 10% of the total project budget. Grants will be disbursed in tranches with payments tied to project component deliverables and reporting requirements.
Evaluation, Award and Contract Information
All project applications will be assessed at least four (4) weeks after the application submission deadline. Shortlisted applications will be assessed by an external Evaluation Panel consisting of industry professionals/experts who will recommend the highest scoring application/project for the grant award based on approved established assessment criteria. All applicants will be notified of the outcome at least two (2) months after completion of final evaluation.
Grant awardees will be required to collaborate with CIIF to design a detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) covering the project deliverables that will inform the contractual requirements.
APPLY FOR THE CARIBBEAN STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY GRANT
REGISTER – CIIF CONSULTANTS' DIRECTORY
If you are an experienced practitioner with at least 5 years’ experience in consulting, you are invited to apply to our CIIF Consultants' Directory. Subscribers are considered for CIIF consultancies relevant to their qualifications and experience.
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.
Videos
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).
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.
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.
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.
Currently, grant funding opportunities will be open quarterly over a period of 36 months.
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.
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.
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).
An external evaluation panel of sector experts will assess project applications and make recommendations for funding.
Grant calls are shared via CDB databases, website and some social media channels. We encourage you to subscribe to our Consultancy and Stakeholder databases via www.caribank.org/ciif and follow the CDB’s social media channels.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Grant funds are aligned to project deliverables and are disbursed in tranches.
Yes, currently past grant awardees may submit applications for scheduled grant calls. In addition, CIIF intends on launching grant opportunities that target past grantees.
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.
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.
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.
Contact
CONTACT OUR TEAM: ciif@caribank.org
