The UNESCO International Fund for the Promotion of Culture

The UNESCO International Fund for the Promotion of Culture has been created by the General Conference of UNESCO at its eighteenth session in November 1974. The original idea, which was to establish a kind of development bank intended for cultural managers, evolved towards the creation of a fund meant to support projects of cultural development. The main aim of the Fund is to help cultural artists and managers to find additional financing for their projects, so that cultural diversity may benefit from globalisation and better assert itself instead of being its victim.

The Fund’s resources are used to finance small projects as well as to support more considerable projects, which are financed in cooperation with other financing bodies pursuing the same objectives in the spirit of UNESCO’s ideals. The Administrative Council of IFPC wishes to give priority to projects that cannot benefit from other sources of financing in order to complete the necessary funds for their implementation.

Projects submitted for examination by the Administrative Council will have to fall within the following categories:

1/ Promotion of diversity in all its forms of contemporary cultural expression, through the promotion of various cultures (the values they embody and the forms of expression, which ensure their authenticity and identity) in accordance with the autonomy and freedom of expression of the artists.

2/ Improving the efficiency and the correct management of national or regional, cultural and artistic institutions, as well as of any other structure or equipment with a cultural calling, through, among others, the training of specialists in development and cultural action (planners, managers, artistic activity leaders, technicians).

3/ Research in the field of contemporary cultural practices. (Including cultural development, cultural production and circulation, etc.)

4/ Promotion of culture with new audiences and new publics, namely by the organization of exchanges and of network development.

The International Fund for the Promotion of Culture (IFPC) is intended to promote:

(a) cultures as sources of knowledge, meanings, values and identity;

(b) the role of culture for sustainable development;

(d) international and regional cultural cooperation.

To achieve these aims, the Fund’s resources will be used to support:

(a) the cultural and artistic projects of creators in developing countries;

(b) culture and development strategies and programmes;

(c) the reinforcement of national mechanisms, structures and facilities whose purpose is to support cultural activities and artistic creators in developing countries;

(d) the organization of exchanges to foster international cooperation support cultural and artistic projects

Priority is given to projects from young artists/creators (18-30 years old) or benefiting youth. Priority is also given, as far as possible, to projects from or benefiting developing countries.

UNESCO provides several funding opportunities, corresponding to specific scopes, activities and target groups.

The International Fund for the Promotion of Culture is the only UNESCO fund in the field of culture that also directly funds individuals, particularly artists and creators.

Other possible IFPC’s beneficiairies can be:

public bodies with specific responsibility for the promotion of culture and artistic creation

non-governmental organizations and non-profit private bodies whose objectives are in conformity with those of the Fund and whose activities contribute to the promotion of culture and artistic creation.

The IFPC is not linked to any UNESCO culture convention. It also does not aim to fund cultural policies, capacity building and training, inventories and safeguarding measures, which are covered by other UNESCO Funds established under the Organisation’s Culture Conventions.

Please click here to view the criteria for IFPC assistance as set out in the Operational Guidelines