How to Apply for the 2025 Creative Economy Development Fund (CEDF) in Nigeria

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The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has launched the Creative Economy Development Fund (CEDF), an initiative designed to provide sustainable funding to budding companies and organizations in the creative economy, in line with the government's bid to stimulate the economy via job creation, innovation, and economic diversification.

Apply for 2025 Creative Economy Development Fund in Nigeria


Key Objectives of the CEDF 

  • Stimulate Growth in Creative and Cultural Industries 

  • Increase Access to Finance

  • Support Job Creation and Economic Diversification

  • Leveraging Intellectual Property as an Asset


The funding targets both large scale businesses in the creative economy, as well as MSMEs, with the application done in two phases.

Phase 1 - Targets large scale companies with large ticket sized investments from $100,000 and above.


Phase 2 - Targets MSMEs with smaller ticket sized investments. This phase will commence on the 4th of August, 2025.

How to Apply for the 2025 CEDF Fund

If you run a large scale company in the creative economy and are looking to access funding of $100,000 up to $1million, then the CEDF might just be the right opportunity.


To apply simply log on to the CEDF website at www.cedfnigeria.com


To be eligible for funding, applying businesses should operate in the following sectors:


  • Visual Arts & Crafts

  • Creative Cities

  • Music & Audio

  • Film & Video Production

  • Festivals & Carnivals 

  • Animation & VFX

  • Heritage Sites

  • Gaming & Interactive Media

  • Performing Arts

  • Adventure Tourism 

  • Eco Tourism

  • Beach Tourism

  • Cultural & Heritage Tourism

  • Museums & Galleries

  • Events, Festivals & Exhibitions

  • Publishing & Literary Arts

  • Fashion & Textiles

  • Design

  • Advertising, Marketing & PR

  • Photography & Imaging

  • Culinary, Gastronomy & Creative Hospitality 

  • Creative Education & Training 

Documents Required to Access the CEDF

Proof of Registration 

Applying businesses must be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and are required to provide documents as proof of registration.

Business Case Document 

Applicants are required to submit a business case document in Excel format that includes key assumptions over a 5-year projection. The key assumptions include:

  • Revenue Assumptions

  • Cost Assumptions 

  • Opex & Capex Spending

  • EBITDA 

Internal Rate of Return (IRR) Document 

This is not a compulsory requirement, but applicants are expected to submit a 5-year IRR for their business case in order to strengthen their application. 

Financial Model Document 

Again, not a compulsory requirement, but submitting a financial model for their business case would strengthen applicants' submission.

Supporting Business Presentation

Applicants are expected to provide a supporting presentation for their business case in order to demonstrate the feasibility of their project and to attract the right investment match. The presentation should be in PDF format.

Registration with the Creative Leap Accelerator Program (CLAP)

Applying businesses are expected to be registered on the CLAP database at https://clap.gov.ng and provide the Tax Identification Number (TIN) or phone number used in registering on the platform.

CEDF Funding Options

Different funding options are available to applying businesses, depending on the business structure and investment need.


The CEDF has made available the following investment options for applying businesses:


  • Public-Private Partnership (PPP)

  • Equity Investment 

  • Quasi-Equity Investment 

  • Debt Financing (Loan)

  • Grant Funding

  • Blended Finance

  • Concession / Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT)

Steps in Making a Strong CEDF Application 

Step 1: Update your Business Registration 

Before applying for the CEDF fund, applicants should make sure to update their business details with the Corporate Affairs. This could include change of director or change of contact information. 

Step 2: File your Tax Returns

As with any government funding programme in Nigeria, being tax-compliant is a mandatory requirement. As such, applying businesses should endeavor to file their tax returns and keep it up to date.

Step 3: Prepare all Supporting Documents

The strength of an application would depend on businesses providing the right documents to support their business case. Having a financial report with realistic revenue, cost and profit projection will help improve chances of getting funded.

Step 4: Register with the Creative Leap Accelerator Program (CLAP)

With this year's CEDF, the programme is designed like an accelerator for creative businesses. As such, it is mandatory that all applying businesses have to be appropriately registered on the CLAP database to be considered for funding.

Step 5: Create a Compelling Business Presentation

This step provides the opportunity for businesses to impress the judges with a compelling business presentation. Here they could showcase their products, people, plans or give a glimpse into what kind of growth or impact they are looking to achieve with their project.

Application Deadline

The first phase (Phase 1) of the programme opened on the 28th of April 2025 and will close on the 30th of May 2025.


The second phase (Phase 2) of the programme is scheduled to open on the 4th of August, 2025.


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