Kingston, 15 January 2022 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, says the Ministry’s ECCI Covid-19 Grants programme has been oversubscribed and has stopped taking new applications.

“We anticipated about one thousand applications for the individual grants of $60,000 each to members of the Entertainment, Culture and Creative Industries. We’ve had a very good response in a very short time and we have now surpassed our target for applications,” said Minister Grange.

The Ministry announced the opening of applications for its ECCI Covid-19 Grants on December 17, 2021. Since then, it has received nearly 1,400 applications from a wide cross section of the Entertainment, Culture and Creative Industries practitioners including sound system operators, musicians, singers, sound engineers, stage hands, film and video producers, writers, journalists, among others.

“Up to yesterday afternoon, 331 members of the Entertainment, Culture and Creative Industries had already received their grants which means that so far we’ve paid out more than 19 million dollars. By Wednesday an additional 170 people should see the grants in their accounts. That would take us to 500 paid out. And then we would have another 800 or so applications left with the majority of those already processed and have met the criteria, and will be awarded grants,” said Minister Grange.

The award of individual grants is being funded by the Ninety Million Dollar special support package for entertainment, culture, and creative industries practitioners. The special support package will also benefit organisations in the sectors. Minister Grange will announce details of the support programme for organisations at a later date.

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