The Caribbean Culture Fund (CCF) has announced its second cohort of grantees awarding
twenty-five grants to creatives and cultural organizations from Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Curaçao, and the Cayman Islands.
The selected projects will receive total funding valued at USD 400,000.
These grants, awarded under three categories—Migration, Archiving & Memory, and Caribbean Collaboration—will support projects that preserve and celebrate Caribbean heritage, explore migration’s cultural impact, and foster regional artistic partnerships.
The selection process was led by a jury of experts from the eligible countries in this round. Executive Director of the Cultural Development Foundation in St Lucia, Raymona Henry-Wynne, was one of the jurors for Cohort 2. She described the experience as “an eye-opening glimpse into the vast creative potential of the region.”
Five projects under the migration category received grants of USD 10,000 each. These projects explore migration’s cultural impact and fosters regional connections. They are
- Narratives of Change (Cayman Islands)
- Mama Baranka (Curaçao)
- Bigidi (Guadeloupe)
- Para Impresionar ¿A Quién? (Puerto Rico)
- Lakay (andépandans) (St. Lucia)
Archiving & Memory (10 grants, USD 10,000 each): Projects preserving and documenting 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 (St. Lucia)
- Machete, Masquerade & Memory (St. Lucia)
- O.N.G. (Operation Nex’ Generation) (St. Vincent & the Grenadines)
Caribbean Collaboration (10 grants, USD 25,000 each): Projects fostering artistic partnerships across the region
- Les News de la MAF (Guadeloupe/French Guiana)
- Pawòl a Mas (Guadeloupe/St. Lucia/Trinidad & 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 (St. Vincent & the Grenadines/Haiti)
- Music, Film & Storytelling (St. Vincent & the Grenadines/Trinidad & Tobago)
According to CCF Executive Director, Kellie Magnus, “The success of our first round allowed us to raise additional funds, making our second cohort even larger. We believe deeply in fostering Caribbean collaboration and we are excited to continue expanding opportunities for creatives across the region.”
Cohort 1 grantee, Victoria Apolinario, a Dominican filmmaker knows this first-hand. “With the support of the Caribbean Culture Fund, I can now say that I am the Coordinator of Muestra Karibe, a non-fiction film space for the Caribbean and its diasporas.
“This is no small feat—beyond advancing my individual career, it is also a political statement, creating spaces for us to see and know each other through art.”
“One of the greatest challenges artists face is access to resources. The Caribbean Culture Fund understands that we are independent creators. It provides validation for our proposals, attracting more partners and enabling further growth” added Apolinario.
This experience was echoed by Haitian culinary artist Wizeman Seide, whose Caribbean Culinary Community project also benefited from the first round of funding.
“This fund is not just support—it is a lever. It opens doors, validates creative projects, and creates new opportunities.”
The Caribbean Culture Fund was created to provide financial support to Caribbean creatives, helping them overcome barriers to funding and expand their work. Funds for the second round of grants were provided by the Andrew W Mellon Foundation and Open Society Foundations.
With this second cohort now underway, CCF is preparing to launch new funding initiatives, including a matching grants program to attract new donors to the cultural sector.
Additionally, CCF is working on a searchable online database of funding opportunities, providing artists with ongoing access to resources and financial support.
