Aid to Artisans

Grant announced: July 7, 2010
Grant amount: $380,000
Location: Port-au-Prince, Labadee, and Jacmel
Key Partners: Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation and the Whitehead Foundation

Please click here to download the Aid to Artisans Fact Sheet.


In-home artisans working on papier-mache roosters that catalog and
internet retailer Viva Terra is carrying.

The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund awarded a grant to Aid to Artisans for their Haitian Business Growth Fund. Aid to Artisans aims to invigorate the Haitian art sector using the following tactics:

  • Provide product development and design consulting to Haitian artisans to ensure they can meet international market demands.
  • Fund three to four Haitian artists or representatives from Haitian art collectives to attend American gift shows, including International Gift Fairs in New York in order to simulate demand for Haitian art exports.
  • Arrange buyer trips to Haitian artist collectives where crafts are produced in order to showcase Haitian artisan capacity and boost orders.


President Bush visits with a local artisan during his March visit to Haiti.

Transforming Lives and Livelihoods
With support from the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, Aid to Artisans seeks to achieve the following targets by Spring 2011:

  • Create or re-establish over 3,000 artisan production jobs.
  • Generate orders worth a projected $400,000.
  • Boost local retail revenue in Port-au-Prince, Labadee, and Jacmel by 10% to 15%.


Hatian artisan crafts a papier-mâché rooster.

About Aid to Artisans
Aid to Artisans has spent 33 years creating economic opportunities for well over 100,000 artisans in more than 110 countries where their livelihoods, communities and craft traditions were at risk. Over the past 10 years, Aid to Artisan's efforts have leveraged nearly $230 million in retail sales. This income has empowered 125,000 artisans (70% of whom are women) in 41 emerging regions of the world and has brought lasting economic growth by providing an integrated approach to product development, business skills training, market access, and eco-effective processes.