Jamaica’s creative sector has earned international recognition after Kingston Creative became the first non-governmental organization in the Caribbean to receive funding under the UNESCO-Aschberg Programme for Artists and Cultural Professionals, a landmark achievement for the region’s cultural industries.
Selected from 1,068 applications worldwide, Kingston Creative was among just 16 organizations chosen for the 2026 programme. The grant will support the launch of the Caribbean Artist Resilience and Empowerment (CARE) Programme, an 18-month initiative designed to strengthen the rights, economic security and disaster preparedness of artists and cultural professionals across the Caribbean.
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The programme will begin in Jamaica before expanding to Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. Planned activities include research on the challenges facing artists during times of crisis, training workshops for approximately 250 creative professionals, financial support for cultural institutions assisting displaced artists, and the development of a regional resilience model tailored to Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
The award also recognizes Kingston Creative’s leadership following Hurricane Melissa, when the organization conducted rapid assessments of more than 500 artists affected by the disaster. The findings helped inform Jamaica’s first UNESCO Post-Disaster Needs Assessment that formally included the country’s creative sector, while its Creative Resilience Fund provided emergency financial assistance to dozens of artists impacted by the storm.
Andrea Dempster Chung, Co-founder and Executive Director of Kingston Creative, described the grant as an important milestone for Caribbean creatives.
“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.”
UNESCO’s Head of the Culture Programme for the Caribbean, Yuri Peshkov, said the initiative demonstrates the importance of investing in artists and cultural professionals, noting that stronger creative industries contribute to more resilient communities and sustainable development throughout the region.
The CARE Programme will place particular emphasis on supporting women, youth, Indigenous cultural practitioners, including the Maroons, and informally employed artists. By strengthening artistic freedom, improving working conditions and enhancing emergency preparedness, the initiative is expected to serve as a model for protecting and advancing the Caribbean’s vibrant creative sector in the years ahead.
