International Fund for Cultural Diversity

Deadline: 16 April 2018
Open to: public authorities, institution, NGOs and INGIO from the eligible countries mentioned below
Grants: maximum amount is 100,000 USD.

The International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) is a multi-donor fund established under Article 18 of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Its purpose is to promote sustainable development and poverty reduction in developing countries that are Parties to the 2005 Convention.

It does this through support to projects that aim to foster the emergence of a dynamic cultural sector, primarily through activities facilitating the introduction and/or elaboration of policies and strategies that protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions as well as the reinforcement of institutional infrastructures supporting viable cultural industries. The IFCD is notably used to promote South-South and North-South-South cooperation, while contributing to achieving concrete and sustainable results as well as structural impacts, where appropriate, in the cultural field.

Since 2010, the IFCD has provided more than USD 7 million in funding for nearly 100 projects in over 50 developing countries, covering a wide range of areas, from the development and implementation of cultural policies to capacity-building of cultural entrepreneurs, mapping of cultural industries and the creation of new cultural industry business models.

The IFCD invests in projects that lead to structural change through:

• the introduction and/or elaboration of policies and strategies that have a direct effect on the creation, production, distribution of and access to a diversity of cultural expressions, including cultural goods, services and activities;
• the reinforcement of corresponding institutional infrastructures, including professional capacities and organizational structures, deemed necessary to support viable local and regional cultural industries and markets in developing countries.

The following types of projects ARE NOT eligible for IFCD funding:

• Projects related to the production of cultural and artistic works and events, exclusively;
• Projects related to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (Please refer to the Fund for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage);
• Projects related to tangible cultural heritage (e.g. World Heritage sites) (Please refer to the World Heritage Fund);
• Projects aimed at offsetting a deficit, repaying a debt or paying interest;
• Projects sustaining ongoing activities with recurring costs;
• Projects financing permanent working spaces and/or equipment, exclusively;
• Projects financing physical construction or the restoration of buildings;
• Projects that focus on art education, including bolstering artistic skills within primary and secondary school environments;
• Projects that focus on cultural tourism;
• Projects that are conceived as scholarships or grants for personal needs.

• Public authorities and institutions from eligible countries (developing countries Parties to the 2005 Convention);
• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from eligible countries (developing countries Parties to the 2005 Convention): Non-governmental organizations that, according to their national regulations, are non-governmental and non-profit and that meet the definition of civil society2 mentioned in the Operational Guidelines;
• International non-governmental organizations (INGOs) registered in countries Parties to the 2005 Convention: International non-governmental organizations (INGOs), which meet the definition of civil society mentioned in the Operational Guidelines; and which present projects that have an impact in developing countries at the sub-regional, regional or inter-regional level.

In accordance with the Operational Guidelines on the Use of the Resources of the IFCD, which were approved by the Conference of Parties in June 2013, National Commissions and any other organizations participating in the pre-selection or approval of projects submitted to the UNESCO Secretariat are not eligible for IFCD funding.

The maximum amount that can be requested is 100,000 USD.

Projects that are approved for funding will receive their allocations in several installments. Beneficiaries normally receive 50% of the total amount approved in the beginning of the project, another 30% mid-way through the project and the remaining 20% once all activities have been completed and the final reports are submitted.

Prepare the Application form:

• Download and review the Call for funding;
• Download and review the Annotated Guide;
• Download, save on your computer and complete the Project Framework (including the project objectives, budget, outputs/deliverables and list of team members). The Project Framework should be opened and completed in Microsoft Excel or similar applications;
• Gather digital copies for all Complementary Documents that are required for your application.

Complete the Application form:

All the project proposals must be submitted through the online Application Form.

• Create your account;
• Log in and complete all the fields in the online Application Form. During this process, you can save your application and come back later, using your login and password;
• Upload the Project Framework and Complementary Documents in the dedicated fields
• Before finalizing your application, ensure that all fields have been completed and accept the Terms and Conditions
• Date, sign and click on the ‘SUBMIT’ button to finalize your application.

Please note that the application and its complementary documents must be submitted in English or French.

For more information please visit the official website.