The applicant, the Municipal Administration Department of Cienfuegos, has extensive experience in running communitarian projects for social transformation, and there have been renowned art-based community programs, namely the Trazos LIbres project in the city’s “La Gloria” community. However, no staff members are proposed in the team description, a major question and perhaps weakness of the project.

The activities are detailed and address relevant issues. The methodology according to IFCD submission form is on the whole well-conceived except concerning the creative industries development program and capacity building, of which there is too little detail or information

The two-year program is realistic and coherent with the activities

The direct and indirect beneficiaries have been clearly identified except that no mention is made on how they will be selected. The outputs and activities have been detailed to suit their needs

The budget is adapted to the proposed activities, but these raise a series of questions: what is the logic of having 4 test districts involving a lot of travelling and per diem for a big team (over $17 360) instead of concentrating on the target city, Cienfuegos? The substantial communication budget ($22 330) is also difficult to understand as there are no details how or what it will be used for (‘promotional activities/ Events/ Advertisements is not information enough for such a sum). The fact that there is no budget for the project staff is also not explained

The overhead costs provided by self-funding are reasonable and well within the IFCD limits

$5000 of self-funding, no co-funding

The National Committee will follow the financial commitments and reports of the Cienfuegos Municipal Council.

The expected outputs are concrete and measurable but unfortunately not very realistic since it is difficult to link the activities to the outputs and thus concretely to the objectives

The main activities and the budget are not well enough conceived or planned to achieve the intended outputs. For example, the section on the Activities begins with the involvement of ‘300 prepared beneficiaries but nothing has been said on how they are selected or ‘prepared’

The idea of the project is good and if the applicant had concentrated on just one target, the city of Cienfuegos as well as the relevant objectives, outputs and activities, it would have been appropriate and no doubt feasible

The project is too dispersed to bring about structural change and nothing is said about how it would affect national or local policy making except by becoming a ‘model’.

A long list of partners is provided, mostly local governments and cultural institutions. The contractors have not been identified as such, but one can conclude that there are at least 9 contractors, 5 of whom are curiously labelled ‘restorer’, difficult to comprehend in the project description.

Very little is said about the national context except that there is a need to develop the cultural industries (with no details given on any specific needs or policies) and creative zones

It is possible that a successful project could be a model for other Cuban cities and their cultural and creative industries development. As it stands, however, there is little chance of this happening. The applicant has responded to the question of long term objectives mainly by describing its communications strategy and repeating its objectives, which is hardly sufficient

Further monitoring of the beneficiaries is proposed with the hope that the trained entrepreneurs will go on to encourage other creative industry and socio-cultural projects. A coordination group will also oversee a strategy named ‘A product per people’ for community cultural industries projects specific to each region, but what this exactly entails is hard to comprehend

The Cienfuegos Municipality has experience into community culture and art interventions. The project is inspired into the work of the visual artist Santiago Hermes who since 2009 has been working into how visual arts favorably influence community life. The project will count with the collaboration of artists with a solid background. The applicant does not demonstrate that the staff or the instructors have solid competences into the specific business skills that are required to prepare 300 people as creative industries entrepreneurs.

Each of the activities included in the corresponding section is oriented towards the construction of the "Trazos Libres" methodology. It is noteworthy that the activities integrate a broad participation of the community in the construction of knowledge. However, although they give some examples, the applicant is not very clear in its description on the specific issues that will be dealt with in each of the stages, especially those themes that have to do with the skills and abilities that are necessary to train entrepreneurs in the areas of creative industries. The methodology of having a theoretical session followed by practices is useful and permits to have constant evaluations and to identify gaps that need to be addressed.

The time frame realistic and coherent.

The applicant adds as part of the beneficiaries to the staff members and collaborators in the project, which is not correct. Although it breaks down the number of each of the groups of participants very punctually, it is not very clear in terms of defining the profile of the participants, especially as to whether they should have some kind of background in terms of artistic expression or as novels creative entrepreneurs. The outputs are precise for the achievement of objective 1 of the project and although it is true that the description is much more specific in terms of the areas of knowledge that the methodology will cover, it is still weak in terms of including administration, organizational, marketing or commercial -among others- that are necessary for the training of entrepreneurs in the creative industries

EXP.NO. All activities.1, “Domestic travels”, cost $100, units 110. The applicant shall present a more precise explanation if the cost is for a single person or includes many people and in general where the travels are going to be. EXP.NO. 2.4.1.5, “Staff and cultural entrepreneur’s movement”, cost $500, units 10. The applicant shall present a more precise explanation if the cost is for a single person or includes many people in order to evaluate if the per-diem amount is enough or underestimated. EXP.NO. All activities.8 “cell phone payment cards”. The applicant shall specify who will be using the cards. EXP.NO. All activities.58, “Photo printing”, cost $3, units 1000. The applicant shall evaluate the convenience of buying a printer and the photo paper that its needed to print those 1000 units instead of paying for the service. EXP.NO. 1.2.1.2, “Prices to the best 6 students”, cost $90, units 12. The applicant shall explain why if six students are rewarded, there are 12 units required, and also how those students will be selected. EXP.NO. All activities 72, “Accommodation and food”, cost $35, units 172. The applicant shall specify who are going to be the beneficiaries of that expenditure and when. EX.NO. Al activities. 73. “Food fees”, cost $24 units, 288. The applicant shall specify who are going to be the beneficiaries of that expenditure and when. EXP.NO. All activities. 74, “Importation expenditures”, cost $11,344.63, units 1. That cost is too high because all the imported goods are coming from Islas Baleares. The applicant must present alternative quotations to import the same or similar goods from countries closer to Cuba and where certainly all the goods to be bought are available with the same quality, as the ones quoted in Spain; for example, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, or Colombia. The applicant must specify the institution that will be in charge of storing and controlling the consumable goods, and which institution will keep the durable goods (printers, cameras, chairs, etc.) that will be acquired with resources from the fund.

The applicant does not adequately classify the items of expenditure, where the amount of 26,941.66 that he establishes as overhead is not correct. Nevertheless, the overhead costs are following the limit of a maximum of 30% of the total project budget.

The budget indicates a contribution of $ 5,000 for the payment of import expenses, however the total amount of this concept of expenditure is poorly calculated. Regarding the unit cost there is a deficit of $ 3,000.

The project´s general administration will be responsible of a Committee integrated by the Director, the Manager, the Technician Coordinator and the Secretary of the project. The Committee will be supported on the technical and economic-administrative subgroups. It is not clear who will be in charge of the accounting and daily administrative responsibilities. There´s not a staff member with an administrative/accounting background.

The evaluator considers that the final outputs are unrealistic because they do not include training topics that are fundamental for the formation of creative entrepreneurs and the consequent development of creative industries. Some activities consist of artistic interventions in public spaces and others in the development of products with creative content, which can be considered as a result of a process of industrial production of goods. The evaluator understands that this project is part of the first explorations of an alternative model of economic development in Cuba but recommends that the applicant incorporates as part of the project advisors and specialists in cultural industries from the Latin American community, who could share their experience in essential issues for the development of a new business model in the area of creative entrepreneurship. In addition to the artistic and community benefit aspect that could be developed by the project, skills and abilities must be generated in each of the stages of the value chain.

The activities are relevant, with the limitations noted above. Although in the first instance the budget covers the main items for the development of the project, it is generally observed that although there are resources for the purchase of materials, there are no specific items for the production and logistics of the planned activities. As an example, if the presence of artistic groups in other communities is considered, it is not clear where the necessary resources will be obtained for the production of the show, and its realization where it will be presented (lighting, sound, stage, technicians, etc.)

In the context of the exploration of alternative economic models in Cuba, the project can become a relevant example of a first stage of community intervention, which sensitizes the population and the authorities about the creative potentialities existing in the communities, its importance in the construction of new business opportunities and the need to establish public policies for their sustainable development.

The project demonstrates potential for structural change the policy environment and the availability of economic resources into the Cienfuegos Municipality Culture Area, with the benefits and risks that this entails, especially in terms of the fact that public policy ends up privileging only those activities that can potentially generate an economic return to the detriment of those that are less likely to achieve it.

The partners will be involved into the implementation of the project´s activities. The role of partners and contractors is clearly described.

Due the transformation of the Cuba´s economic model, the project is related to the interest of the Cuban government into exploring the creative economy business models to promote sustainable development for the country´s communities, especially in those from the provinces and those far from the capital and other major cities.

In the first place, an international financing platform will be created. With the support of universities in the United States, Mexico and France, activities will be carried out that involve the granting of economic resources for the project "Trazos Libres" and the Cuban participants. On the other hand, in collaboration with the Universities and cultural groups of Cuba, workshops, courses and consultancies will be encouraged, with experts, according to the specific needs of the communities.

The capacities of the participants will be evaluated to manage the economic, environmental, social, and cultural sustainability of the territories every two months. The necessary regulatory measures will be taken to guarantee the preservation of the material and immaterial results of the Creative Zone Trazos Libres and it will be promoted that it be a space of inter-institutional confluence and of the organizations, not only for economic projects, but also of those with social impact. The Group Coordinator will promote the development of a "Products for People" strategy that allows differentiating and singling them out on the Cuban map.