UNESCO is launching the seventeenth call for funding requests to the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD). This call welcomes projects aimed at fostering the emergence of dynamic cultural and creative sectors in developing countries, in alignment with the objectives of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
The proposed projects should contribute to:
- The implementation and/or elaboration of policies and measures that have a direct, structural impact on the creation, production, distribution and access to a diversity of cultural goods and services, and/or
- The strengthening of capacities in public institutions and civil society organizations to support viable local and regional cultural industries and markets.
Public institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from eligible countries, as well as international NGOs registered in one of the States Parties to the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, are invited to submit their proposals.
Since 2010, the IFCD has invested US$13.6 million across 175 projects in 77 developing countries. These various initiatives have contributed to developing and implementing cultural policies, strengthening cultural entrepreneurship, facilitating access to new markets for cultural goods and services, and reinforcing the participation and inclusion of populations in cultural life.
Through this new call, UNESCO reaffirms its support to initiatives that translate its normative instruments into concrete actions at the local level.
The 17th call for funding requests opens on 23 March 2026 and closes on 6 May 2026, noon Paris time.
For more information about the call, please consult: Apply for funding