{"id":69021,"date":"2026-05-06T14:08:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T10:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/?p=69021"},"modified":"2026-05-06T14:21:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T10:21:43","slug":"aed-1bn-in-support-for-dubais-creative-sector-coming-real-soon-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/aed-1bn-in-support-for-dubais-creative-sector-coming-real-soon-now\/","title":{"rendered":"AED 1bn in support for Dubai&#8217;s creative sector: coming real soon now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Dubai Culture has produced a \u2018Creative Sector Resilience Portfolio\u2019 in the form of what is described as a new AED 1 billion support package for the creative sector.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"756\" height=\"1008\" src=\"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/portfolio.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-69036\" style=\"width:210px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The broad outlines have been published, but there\u2019s nothing on the detail \u2013 no PDFs, no open calls or \u2018how to apply\u2019 docs, no specific informational websites. We don&#8217;t know how the AED 1bn is calculated \u2013 a lot of the Portfolio\u2019s content seem to come in resources and discount deals rather than hard cash. There&#8217;s no timescale over which the AED 1bn is expected to be distributed. And on the face of it, it seems probable \u2013 desirable, indeed \u2013 that a number of existing initiatives will be rolled into the Portfolio of offers and products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For now, we just have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wam.ae\/en\/article\/bzyla5y-latifa-bint-mohammed-launches-%E2%80%98creative-sector\">an enthusiastic press release<\/a> and accompanying social media graphic that promise initiatives across five \u2018pillars\u2019. Of those, the two big ones relate to <strong>spaces<\/strong> (studios and production spaces, presentation\/performance areas, office-type facilities for white-collar creativity) and <strong>money<\/strong> (grants, commissions, other types of funding). There&#8217;s a nod towards <strong>exposure<\/strong> (exhibition spaces, marcomms) and another &#8216;pillar&#8217; covers <strong>talent identification and professional development<\/strong>. The fifth seems a somewhat opportunistic bolt-on to put more <strong>public art around the city<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, from the top: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-iconlist kt-svg-icon-list-items kt-svg-icon-list-items69021_8acfce-87 kt-svg-icon-list-columns-1 alignnone kt-list-icon-aligntop\"><ul class=\"kt-svg-icon-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-kadence-listitem kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-69021_ee7ca0-45\"><span data-name=\"USE_PARENT_DEFAULT_ICON\" data-stroke=\"USE_PARENT_DEFAULT_WIDTH\" data-class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single\" class=\"kadence-dynamic-icon\"><\/span><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\"><strong><mark>Cultural Infrastructure<\/mark><\/strong> \u2014 affordable and free spaces. Multipurpose venues and dedicated spaces will be delivered through partnerships with <strong>Dubai Municipality<\/strong>, <strong>Dubai CommerCity<\/strong>, <strong>Dubai Holding<\/strong>, <strong>DIFC<\/strong>, and <strong>Dubai South<\/strong>, all of whom have commercial property available; there&#8217;s the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.expocitydubai.com\/en\/things-to-do\/attractions\/house-of-arts\/\">House of Arts<\/a><\/strong> at Expo City Dubai, too, which is more specifically geared to creative endeavours with studios, exhibition spaces and rehearsal rooms. <\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-kadence-listitem kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-69021_72c093-7d\"><div class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single\" style=\"display: inline-flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center;\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"1em\" width=\"1em\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" style=\"display: inline-block; vertical-align: middle;\"><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">But there are so many questions: how appropriate will those options be? Making sculptures can be a messy, noisy, affair: rehearsing an art-noise opera might fit badly with other tenants. Just how many dedicated spaces for exhibition or production studios will be available, and how does that compare to demand? Are they equipped or bare? How long would a tenancy normally last? How would insurance and liabilities work? Are they <em>really<\/em> free? <\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-kadence-listitem kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-69021_360be7-21\"><div class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single\" style=\"display: inline-flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center;\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"1em\" width=\"1em\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" style=\"display: inline-block; vertical-align: middle;\"><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">As for the &#8216;affordable&#8217; option, it seems that will be offered via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.letswork.io\/coworking\/united-arab-emirates\/dubai\"><strong>Letswork<\/strong><\/a>. When we checked a couple of days ago, Letswork had around 150 coworking &#8216;spaces&#8217; in the UAE, a mix of hotels, caf\u00e9s, and seats in business centres. Now, back in 2021 Dubai Culture did a deal with Letswork that gives creatives free credits to use in Letswork workspaces, and while there&#8217;s currently no mention of this on the Dubai Culture website it is still live <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.letswork.io\/campaign-register\/dubai-culture-creatives-get-aed-50-worth-of-free-letswork-credits\">here<\/a><\/strong>. It&#8217;s easy to sign up; and it gets you AED 75 worth of credits, good for a day pass or two (but if you want a fully equipped studio, expect to pay more like AED 2,000 a day). This arrangement will presumably be included in the Portfolio mix \u2013 and will hopefully be extended: one day isn&#8217;t much. <\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-kadence-listitem kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-69021_76e9de-e0\"><div class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single\" style=\"display: inline-flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center;\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"1em\" width=\"1em\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" style=\"display: inline-block; vertical-align: middle;\"><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">Potentially more exciting is the line that &#8220;Dubai Culture will also make dedicated space available within its own assets&#8221;. We&#8217;re not sure exactly what assets those might be; Dubai Culture doesn&#8217;t have masses of spare office and studio space of its own &#8230; but there is the possibility of below-market-rent space in the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dubaiculture.gov.ae\/en\/about-us\/special-projects\/our-projects-events\/al-quoz-creative-zone\">Al Quoz Creative Zone<\/a><\/strong>, which does promise that multipurpose studios and workspaces will become available. That\u2019s not directly in the gift of Dubai Culture; the Creative Zone is being developed and managed by wasl Asset Management Group, which doesn&#8217;t seem to be among the partners listed in the Portfolio press release. Dubai Culture is providing strategic input and pump-priming, though, and maybe the strategy could include discounts or freebies.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-kadence-listitem kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-69021_21dc1a-89\"><div class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single\" style=\"display: inline-flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center;\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"1em\" width=\"1em\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" style=\"display: inline-block; vertical-align: middle;\"><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">On the downside, it&#8217;s clear that the Al Quoz Creative Zone is a long way off its original 2025 completion target. The master plan envisioned growing the number of creatives in the zone from 900 to 20,000, expanding creative spaces eightfold, and building housing for over 8,000 residents. The end-of-year review slipped out a few numbers for progress since the Zone&#8217;s launch in 2021 \u2013 incentive packages worth over AED 68 million to support creative businesses, more than 3,500 new business licences, more than 6,400 creative jobs (though some of those will have come from other areas so shouldn&#8217;t count as new jobs). But clearly the spades-in-the-ground bit has been limited to the (admittedly impressive) transport infrastructure works by RTA, and we don&#8217;t expect any great influx of low-cost Alserkal-style spaces any time soon.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-iconlist kt-svg-icon-list-items kt-svg-icon-list-items69021_965bfd-ba kt-svg-icon-list-columns-1 alignnone kt-list-icon-aligntop\"><ul class=\"kt-svg-icon-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-kadence-listitem kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-69021_72f39d-23\"><span data-name=\"USE_PARENT_DEFAULT_ICON\" data-stroke=\"USE_PARENT_DEFAULT_WIDTH\" data-class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single\" class=\"kadence-dynamic-icon\"><\/span><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\"><strong><mark>Creative Production<\/mark><\/strong> \u2014 support delivered via grant funding and commissioning. This includes the previously-announced <a href=\"https:\/\/mediaoffice.ae\/en\/news\/2024\/november\/17-11\/latifa-bint-mohammed-announces-aed180-million-dubai-cultural-grant-programme\"><strong>Dubai Cultural Grant<\/strong><\/a>, AED 180m allocated over 10 years \u2013 the first-year rollout included 18 grants totalling AED 12m \u2013 for projects in a variety of creative fields. <\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-kadence-listitem kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-69021_ee3f9d-ab\"><div class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single\" style=\"display: inline-flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center;\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"1em\" width=\"1em\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" style=\"display: inline-block; vertical-align: middle;\"><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">There&#8217;s also &#8230;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-kadence-listitem kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-69021_0ca3cc-55\"><div class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single\" style=\"display: inline-flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center;\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"1em\" width=\"1em\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" style=\"display: inline-block; vertical-align: middle;\"><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">\u2013<mark true=\"true\" class=\"kt-highlight\"> <strong>a micro-grants programme with Art Jameel<\/strong> <\/mark>(small-scale project funding for artists, writers, curators and creatives for production, research and short-term projects \u2013 probably a continuation of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/artjameel.org\/sustainability\/art-jameel-research-and-practice-platform\/\">existing Art Jameel grant programmes<\/a><\/strong>, though the Art Jameel Research and Practice Platform referenced here has apparently been folded into the Dubai Cultural Grant programme)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-kadence-listitem kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-69021_2bb9de-99\"><div class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single\" style=\"display: inline-flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center;\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"1em\" width=\"1em\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" style=\"display: inline-block; vertical-align: middle;\"><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">\u2013 <mark true=\"true\" class=\"kt-highlight\">a <strong>micro-commissioning programme with Luxuriant Design<\/strong> <\/mark>(small-scale&nbsp;design projects to support local designers and makers. We know nothing about Luxuriant, but we found <a href=\"https:\/\/luxuriant.me\/\"><strong>this<\/strong><\/a> company which appears to be a specialised decorative homewares business: not sure how that works)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-kadence-listitem kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-69021_065604-c8\"><div class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single\" style=\"display: inline-flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center;\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" height=\"1em\" width=\"1em\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" style=\"display: inline-block; vertical-align: middle;\"><\/svg><\/div><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\">\u2013 <strong><mark true=\"true\" class=\"kt-highlight\">an exhibition grant in partnership with Art Dubai<\/mark><\/strong> (scope undefined \u2013 does it mean subsidised space within Art Dubai? Or is it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artdubai.ae\/grant\/\"><strong>the existing programme<\/strong><\/a><strong> <\/strong>that provides up to 50% funding for Dubai galleries to participate in international art fairs?) Again, there are no details about exactly how these grants will be delivered, let alone where how and when to apply \u2026<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-iconlist kt-svg-icon-list-items kt-svg-icon-list-items69021_754197-de kt-svg-icon-list-columns-1 alignnone kt-list-icon-aligntop\"><ul class=\"kt-svg-icon-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-kadence-listitem kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-69021_c5edc5-0d\"><span data-name=\"USE_PARENT_DEFAULT_ICON\" data-stroke=\"USE_PARENT_DEFAULT_WIDTH\" data-class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single\" class=\"kadence-dynamic-icon\"><\/span><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\"><strong><mark><strong>Participation &amp; Audiences<\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> \u2014 promotional\/media support and retail\/exhibition opportunities. This seems to refer primarily (maybe solely) to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.majidalfuttaim.com\/en\/media-centre\/press-releases\/detail\/2026\/04\/majid-al-futtaim-and-dubai-sme-launch-ma-an-to-boost-and-support-uae-s-homegrown-smes\">Majid Al Futtaim\u2019s Ma\u2019an programme<\/a><\/strong>. This provides complimentary retail\/exhibition spaces in the company\u2019s malls for small businesses of any kind. As for promotions and the like, there don\u2019t seem to be any Portfolio partners that might be geared to specific marcomms support.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-iconlist kt-svg-icon-list-items kt-svg-icon-list-items69021_227819-3e kt-svg-icon-list-columns-1 alignnone kt-list-icon-aligntop\"><ul class=\"kt-svg-icon-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-kadence-listitem kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-69021_2109b8-86\"><span data-name=\"USE_PARENT_DEFAULT_ICON\" data-stroke=\"USE_PARENT_DEFAULT_WIDTH\" data-class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single\" class=\"kadence-dynamic-icon\"><\/span><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\"><strong><mark><strong>Talent Development<\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> \u2014 training and professional development. Workshops, activation programmes and training courses, and continuation of Dubai Culture\u2019s e\u2011learning initiatives in partnership with LinkedIn. Several of the first-year Dubai Cultural Grant awards are for training and talent  identification, but maybe there will be a more systematic approach to professional development in the creative\/cultural sector \u2026<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-iconlist kt-svg-icon-list-items kt-svg-icon-list-items69021_fbe6c4-6c kt-svg-icon-list-columns-1 alignnone kt-list-icon-aligntop\"><ul class=\"kt-svg-icon-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-kadence-listitem kt-svg-icon-list-item-wrap kt-svg-icon-list-item-69021_b6a942-38\"><span data-name=\"USE_PARENT_DEFAULT_ICON\" data-stroke=\"USE_PARENT_DEFAULT_WIDTH\" data-class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-single\" class=\"kadence-dynamic-icon\"><\/span><span class=\"kt-svg-icon-list-text\"><strong><mark><strong>Cultural Impact<\/strong><\/mark><\/strong> \u2014 public art. This seems to relate to a deal with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.phiadvertising.com\/\">PHI Advertising<\/a><\/strong> to use outdoor billboards as sites for murals and similar creative works. PHI also has several digital-screen sites and giant bridge banners, which could be interesting. Dubai Culture has run other public art projects for specific sites in the past, and maybe there\u2019ll be more of these \u2013 the press release does after all talk about &#8220;turning Dubai into an open-air gallery&#8221;, and we don\u2019t think PHI has more than 400 or so sites in the city most of which will be taken by paying customers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Portfolio appears to be the principal outcome of the Creative Sector Resilience workshop run early last month by Dubai Culture and Dubai Future Foundation at Etihad Museum. At that event Hala Badri, Dubai Culture DG, emphasised the need for adaptability but also said that the workshop reflects the Authority\u2019s efforts to build innovative frameworks and actionable solutions \u2013 \u201cthrough this workshop, we are working to translate dialogue into practical steps that support continuity, strengthen performance, and ensure long-term growth\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All of which is of course highly desirable; let&#8217;s see how practical the steps are, and whether practicality extends to a click-here-to-apply button. We&#8217;ll report when we know more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">Dubai Culture has produced a \u2018Creative Sector Resilience Portfolio\u2019 in the form of what is described as a new AED 1 billion support package for the creative sector. The broad outlines have been published, but there\u2019s nothing on the detail <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/aed-1bn-in-support-for-dubais-creative-sector-coming-real-soon-now\/\" title=\"AED 1bn in support for Dubai&#8217;s creative sector: coming real soon now\"> [&#8230; more]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":69084,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[222,111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-creative-economy","category-policy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69021\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}