Kingston Creative Becomes First Caribbean NGO Awarded UNESCO-Aschberg Programme Grant

Kingston Creative has become the first Caribbean non-governmental organization to receive funding under the UNESCO Aschberg Programme for Artists and Cultural Professionals , a major milestone for Jamaica and the Caribbean creative sector.

Selected by an independent panel of experts from 1,068 applications worldwide, Kingston Creative was one of only 16 initiatives selected under UNESCO's 2026 Aschberg Programme for Artists and Cultural Professionals.

Through the programme , UNESCO is investing more than US$750,000, with generous support from the Government of Norway, to strengthen the professional, social and economic status of artists while advancing artistic freedom around the world.

The award will support the Caribbean Artist Resilience and Empowerment (CARE) Programme , an 18-month regional initiative that will begin in Jamaica before expanding to Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. The initiative will strengthen the rights, economic resilience, mobility and disaster preparedness of artists and cultural professionals across the region.