As a first step to the establishment of the Caribbean Culture Fund, a feasibility study and advocacy campaign has been commissioned.

The study examines how best to provide support to the arts and culture field of the Caribbean and combines research, consultations, and advocacy towards the establishment of a cultural fund and program that is relevant and responsive to the context in which it will operate, and that is owned and supported by its Caribbean stakeholders. The feasibility study involves: roundtable discussions, conversations and consultations with diverse stakeholders and initiatives in the region; a broad review of the Caribbean cultural sector, regionally and in the diverse national contexts; the production of an overview of the cultural philanthropy that already exists in the region; the identification of the crucial issues, gaps, challenges and priority needs in the field of the arts and culture of the Caribbean; and establishing what such a fund should focus on, how it should be structured, and what needs to be done to ensure its sustainability. This approach will ensure that the design of the fund and its programs is based on a sound understanding and broad consensus about actual needs and priorities in the field.

The study also seeks to identify and activate a variety of funding sources to finance such an entity and to make informed recommendations on its governance structure and operational and financial modalities. It will culminate with the articulation of the proposed terms of reference, funding and partnership arrangements, and priorities and operational modalities of the CCF.

The Caribbean Culture Fund feasibility study was commissioned by Le Centre d’Art in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and is supported by a grant from the Open Society Foundations.

Steering Committee: Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis (Haiti, interim chairperson), Edwidge Danticat (Haiti/USA), Laurent Dubois (USA), Albertine Kopp (Switzerland), Lorraine Mangones (Haiti), Courtenay Williams (Trinidad and Tobago), Yolanda Wood Pujols (Cuba), Oussama Rifahi (Lebanon, consultant); Allenby Augustin (Haiti, project manager).

Study Team: Veerle Poupeye (Belgium/Jamaica, lead researcher), Kishan Munroe (Bahamas, associate researcher), Antwain Clarke (Jamaica, project assistant).