Our Mission
The Inter-American Culture and Development Foundation (ICDF) seeks to strengthen cultural development in Latin America and the Caribbean through plans, programs, and projects designed to promote socio-economic sustainable ways of reducing poverty, improving quality-of-life, and achieving greater social equity in the region.
Read More >>Our Projects
The projects supported by the ICDF help to preserve the cultural patrimony, increase the community participation and education, strengthen cultural industries, and improve the living conditions of people in Latin America and the Caribbean through culture.
How to Apply
The Inter-American Culture and Development Foundation (ICDF) is a nonprofit public organization established in January 2005 in Washington, D.C. The Foundation’s purpose is to strengthen cultural development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The ICDF seeks to promote socio-economic sustainable ways of reducing poverty, improving quality-of-life and achieving greater social equity in the region.
The ICDF’s primary activities involve efforts to identify, promote and support specific projects in three thematic areas: strengthening of cultural heritage; strengthening of human resources and cultural management training; and strengthening of cultural and creative industries. Support from the ICDF could be in the form of grants or technical cooperation.
The ICDF will mainly focus on mobilizing resources from the private sector, and through partnerships with other organizations. In certain cases, financial support will also come from the ICDF’s own resources.
Private and public entities and institutions from Latin America and the Caribbean are eligible to receive grants and technical assistance from the ICDF provided their objectives are consistent with the ICDF’s goals and they meet the established eligibility criteria. As a Washington, D.C.-based corporation, the ICDF is subject to the laws and regulations of the United States of America.
Projects and initiatives presented for grant and/or technical cooperation support must contribute to the promotion of culture as a tool of development, produce measurable results, and be viable from a technical, socio-economic, financial, and environmental standpoint. Project evaluations will take into account, in particular, the extent to which each one helps to:
- ensure socio-economic impact over time;
- strengthen competitiveness and sustainability of the industry or initiative being developed;
- boost beneficiary income levels, particularly among lower income populations;
- strengthen social cohesion within the communities involved;
- serve as a model for best practices that can be replicated;
- mitigate environmental adverse impacts, when applicable.
Project proposals must include an execution timeline and a financing package with a breakdown of the respective costs and the sources and uses of the corresponding resources, including the applicant's own contribution. The ICDF will attempt to support beneficiaries one time only. Exceptions will require special justification.
Applicants for Foundation support must have the basic institutional capacity needed to design, develop, execute, evaluate, and sustain the corresponding project. The Foundation will seek to achieve an equitable distribution of its activities among all countries in the region.
If your project meets the ICDF’s eligibility criteria, please complete a “Proposal Summary Sheet” and return it by e-mail to culture@iacdf.org. Applicants whose proposals have a potential to be supported will be requested to send additional information.
