Kingston Creative First Caribbean NGO to Receive Prestigious UNESCO-Aschberg Grant

Kingston Creative has made history by becoming the first non-governmental organization in the Caribbean to be awarded the prestigious UNESCO-Aschberg Programme grant for Artists and Cultural Professionals. Selected from over 1,000 applications worldwide, Kingston Creative is one of only 16 organizations chosen for this funding in 2026.

The grant will fuel the Caribbean Artist Resilience & Empowerment (CARE) Programme, an ambitious 18-month initiative designed to bolster the rights, economic stability, mobility, and disaster preparedness of artists and cultural professionals across Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The program is set to launch in Jamaica before extending its reach to Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.

Yuri Peshkov, Head of the Culture Programme at the UNESCO Office for the Caribbean, highlighted the significance of this initiative. He stated that supporting artists is an investment in resilient communities, emphasizing that the UNESCO Aschberg Programme backs practical solutions to enhance artistic freedom, improve working conditions for cultural professionals, and ensure creativity remains a vital driver of sustainable development throughout the Caribbean.

“

This initiative demonstrates that sustaining artists is an investment in resilient communities. Through the UNESCO Aschberg Programme, we are supporting practical solutions that strengthen artistic freedom, improve the working conditions of cultural professionals and ensure that creativity remains a driving force for sustainable development across the Caribbean.

The award acknowledges Kingston Creative's crucial work in reinforcing cultural resilience, particularly in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. Their rapid assessments revealed that over 70 percent of artists lost income due to event cancellations, and 60 percent suffered damage to their tools or studios. This data was instrumental in the UNESCO Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), marking the first time Jamaica's creative sector was formally included in the nation's disaster response planning. Kingston Creative also established a Creative Resilience Fund, providing emergency stipends to over 80 artists affected by the hurricane, with support from foundations like the Clara Lionel Foundation and the Miami Foundation.

Andrea Dempster Chung, Co-founder and Executive Director of Kingston Creative, stressed the grant's importance in highlighting the need for better protection for Caribbean creatives. She noted that artists in SIDS are often on the front lines of the climate crisis but are frequently overlooked in recovery planning. "This grant is recognition that Caribbean creatives matter – and that the systems that protect them must be built here, by us, for the region and for the world," she asserted.

“

Artists in Small Island Developing States are on the front line of the climate crisis, yet they are too often invisible in recovery planning. This grant is recognition that Caribbean creatives matter – and that the systems that protect them must be built here, by us, for the region and for the world.