CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

2025
© Ankush/Pexels.com
 On 19 March 2025,
the International Fund for Cultural Diversity
(IFCD) launches its 16th call for funding
requests

The International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) is a key instrument of

international cooperation and assistance for the UNESCO Convention on the
Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005).

Its purpose is to foster the emergence of dynamic cultural sectors in developing

countries that are Parties to the 2005 Convention, through strengthening the means
to create, produce, distribute and have access to diverse cultural goods and services.
As a multi-donor fund, the IFCD promotes South-South and North-South
cooperation, while contributing to the achievement of the UN Sustainable
Development Goals, including gender equality and poverty reduction.

Since 2010, the IFCD has invested US$12.6 million through 164 projects in 76
countries in support of the creative economy and to bolster inclusive and sustainable
economic growth. These projects cover a wide range of areas, from the development
and implementation of cultural policies, capacity-building for cultural professionals
and entrepreneurs, access to new markets, to greater participation in cultural life.

The UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of

the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005) is an international
standard-setting instrument that recognizes the sovereign right of
States to formulate and implement policies and measures that
support the emergence of dynamic and diverse cultural sectors.
 © Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock.com
© Ahmad Odeh/Unsplash.com

Basic information
Eligible countries Projects must be implemented and/or benefit eligible
countries only (developing countries that are Parties to the
2005 Convention). Applications from international non-
governmental organizations (INGOs) must be
implemented in two or more eligible countries and
demonstrate that the proposed project has an impact at
the sub-regional, regional or inter-regional level.

Project Duration 12 to 24 months

Project launch date From April 2026 at the earliest (upon the approval of the
project by the Intergovernmental Committee in February
2026)

Amount US$ 100,000 is the maximum amount that can be

requested*

Allocations will be sent in several installments:

-Beginning of the project: 50%
-Mid-way through the project: 30 %
-Completion of the project: 20%**

Language The application and accompanying documents

must be in English or French

Submission deadline 21 May 2025 (12:00PM, Paris time)

* The project budget must include the allocation of resources for project communication. It must also include the costs of an external financial
audit to be conducted at the end of the project.
** If approved, a funding contract will be signed between UNESCO and the applicant. All payments by UNESCO to finance the project will be
made in US$ dollars. Please note that the recipient must be able to advance resources corresponding to the last payment, which amounts to
20% of the funding granted, in order to allow the finalization of the project activities.
 Who is
eligible?
The IFCD invests in projects that lead to structural
and sustainable change through:
• The introduction and/or elaboration of policies and mesures that have a
direct effect on the creation, production, distribution of and access to a diversity
of cultural expressions, including cultural goods, services and activities

• The reinforcement of human and institutional capacities of public sector and

civil society organizations deemed necessary to support viable local and
regional cultural industries and markets in developing countries

Who can apply?

• Public authorities and institutions from eligible countries (developing
countries that are Parties to the 2005 Convention)

• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from eligible countries (developing

countries that are Parties to the 2005 Convention) that meet the definition of
civil society*

• International non-governmental organizations (INGOs) registered in

countries Parties to the 2005 Convention, that meet the definition of civil
society* in the Operational Guidelines and that present projects that have an
impact in developing countries at the sub-regional, regional or inter-regional
level

Sectors of intervention
Projects may have a transversal (cultural policies or strategies, copyright, etc.)
or sectoral focus. There are seven eligible sectors:

Audio-visual/cinema Design
Media arts Music Performing arts
Publishing Visual arts

* For the purposes of the 2005 Convention, civil society means non-governmental organizations, non-profit organizations, professionals in
the culture sector and associated sectors, groups that support the work of artists and cultural communities. Criteria identified in the
Operational Guidelines on civil society are: civil society have interests and activities in one or more fields covered by the Convention; they have
a legal status in compliance with the established rules of the jurisdiction in the State of registration; they are representative of their respective
field of activity, or of the respective social or professional groups they represent. (Operational Guidelines on the Role and Participation of Civil
Society, Article 11).
 Types of eligible projects
1. Projects submitted by public authorities and institutions that:

• Develop tools that contribute to decision-making and planning (mappings, sustainable

statistical collection and processing systems, sectoral strategies, etc.)
• Create and/or strengthen public cultural agencies and institutions essential to the
development of cultural industries, including developing the expertise of civil servants
• Establish and/or strengthen financing and market development mechanisms for cultural
goods and services
• Implement international cooperation agreements and treaties aimed at a more balanced
exchange of cultural goods and services
• Create and/or strengthen the pedagogical and organizational capacities of educational,
vocational and technical training institutes in the cultural and creative sectors
• Promote the development of cultural industries in the digital environment, in accordance
with the roadmap for the Implementation of Guidelines to Promote the Diversity of Cultural
Expressions in the Digital Environment
• Strengthen participation in cultural life, in particular measures to promote engagement of
vulnerable groups (including persons belonging to minorities and indigenous peoples) in
the creation, production, distribution and access to diverse cultural expressions
• Create and implement measures or policies to promote gender equality in the cultural and
creative sectors

2. Projects submitted by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that:

• Strengthen capacities of civil society focusing on policy participation, communication

and/or networking
• Contribute to inform policy making, including monitoring and evaluation activities to
determine the impact of cultural policies and measures to promote cultural industries
• Strengthen the pedagogical and organizational capacities of educational, vocational and
technical training institutes in the cultural and creative sectors
• Create new financing opportunities and promote access to national and international
markets for cultural goods and services
• Promote the development of cultural industries in the digital environment, in accordance
with the roadmap for the Implementation of Guidelines to Promote the Diversity of Cultural
Expressions in the Digital Environment
• Strengthen participation in cultural life, including measures to promote engagement of
vulnerable groups (including persons belonging to minorities and indigenous peoples) in
the creation, production, distribution and access to diverse cultural expressions
• Create and implement measures to promote gender equality in the cultural and creative
sectors
 What
projects
are not
eligible?* © Hanson Lu/Unsplash.com
© Valeria andersson/Unsplash.com

• Projects exclusively aiming at the production of cultural and artistic works and
events
• Projects related to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (please refer to the
Fund for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage)
• Projects related to tangible cultural heritage including World Heritage sites
(please refer to the World Heritage Fund)
• Projects aimed at offsetting a deficit, repaying a debt or paying interest
• Projects exclusively financing permanent working spaces and/or equipment
• Projects that are conceived as scholarships or grants for personal needs
• Projects financing the physical construction or the restoration of buildings
• Projects that focus on primary and secondary school environments
• Projects sustaining ongoing activities with recurring costs
• Projects that focus on cultural tourism

* In accordance with the Operational Guidelines on the Use of the Resources of the IFCD, National Commissions for UNESCO and any other
organizations participating in the pre-selection or approval of projects submitted to the UNESCO Secretariat are also not eligible for IFCD
funding.
How to apply
Submission deadline
21 May 2025 (12:00PM, Paris time)*

Applications submitted after this date will not be considered for

evaluation.

Prepare the application

1. Review the “Call for Funding”

2. Create your account by registering here

3. Access your account by following the steps listed in the “User Guide” and
download the “Project Framework”

4. Review the “Annotated Guide”

5. Gather required complementary documents

Submit the application

1. Complete the “Project Framework”**

2. Fill out the online “Application Form”***

3. Upload the “Project Framework” and complementary documents

4. Click on “Save & Exit” to finalize your application

*To avoid technical problems at the time of submission, please ensure to submit your application well in advance of the deadline.
**Use Microsoft Excel (2011 or later versions) or similar applications.
***In order to avoid any loss of information, it is strongly recommended to prepare all the information requested in the form in a Word
document beforehand.
Selection Procedure
Step 1 © Note Thanun/Unsplash.com

National Commissions for UNESCO will form a pre-selection

panel consisting essentially of representatives from Ministries of
Culture and/or other Ministries responsible for the cultural
industries and members of civil society organizations specializing
in culture. They will review the application for relevance and
feasibility, whether it meets the State’s needs and priorities and if
the proposal has been subject to a consultation among
stakeholders. This panel will then perform an online pre-selection
of a maximum of four funding requests (two maximum from
public authorities/institutions and two maximum from NGOs) by
7 July 2025, midnight, Paris time.

Step 2
Upon receiving the pre-selected applications from the National
Commissions, the UNESCO Secretariat will perform a technical
assessment to ensure that the applications are complete and fall
within IFCD’s areas of intervention. The Secretariat will also review
applications from international non-governmental organizations
at this stage as they do not go through the National Commission
panel.

Step 3
All eligible applications will be evaluated by an International
Panel of Experts from UNESCO’s six regions. Each application will
be reviewed by two members of the Panel against the evaluation
criteria established for the IFCD. The results of the pre-selection,
the technical assessment and the IFCD International Panel of
Experts’ evaluation will be published in January 2026 on the IFCD
website.

Step 4
Final recommendations by the International Panel of Experts will
be communicated to the Intergovernmental Committee of the
2005 Convention, which will make the final decision on projects
to receive the funding during its 19th ordinary session at UNESCO
Headquarters in Paris from 17 -20 February 2026.

Step 5
The UNESCO Secretariat will inform the beneficiaries of the
approval of their application, as well as the steps necessary to
proceed with the elaboration of a contract for the
implementation of the project. © Austin Neill/Unsplash.com
 Evaluation criteria

© Hulki Okan Tabak/Unsplash.com

Applications for funding requests to the IFCD will be evaluated against

criteria on how the funding request:

Addresses the objectives, priorities and areas of intervention of the 2005 Convention and
the IFCD
Contributes to achieving concrete, measurable, realistic and sustainable results
Meets the needs and priorities of the State where the project will be implemented, is
feasible and relevant
Has a potential structural impact leading to the emergence of a dynamic cultural sector
Promotes South-South and North-South-South cooperation; and supports UNESCO
priorities for: Africa, Gender Equality, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and youth
Ensures that the project’s impact/long-term benefits can be achieved and promotes the
sustainability of the project
Satisfies the principle of financial accountability

The skills and competences of key people involved in the implementation of the proposed
activities as well as the involvement of stakeholders in the design and implementation of the
project will also be evaluated*

An International Panel of Experts will evaluate the capacity of the

applicant to implement the work plan and manage
the budget, ensuring that:

Overhead costs do not exceed 30% of the total budget

Requested funds are to be spent principally on project activities
Resources are not spread too thinly and are not used to support sporadic activities

Additional financial assistance, either in the form of self or co-funding, is highly advisable
as a means to engage more partners in the process and to contribute to the smooth
implementation and sustainability of the project*

*To this end, it is recommended to attach supporting documents confirming the involvement of the project partners in its implementation, if
applicable.
 © Ankush/Pexels.com

For more information:

[email protected]
www.unesco.org/creativity/en/international-fund-
cultural-diversity

Published in 2025 by the United Nations

Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization 7, place de Fontenoy,
75352 Paris 07 SP, France under CC-BY-
SA 3.0 IGO license

© UNESCO 2025

Original version: French

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