The project
The Creativity Pioneers Fund is a fund established in 2021 by the Moleskine Foundation to support cultural and creative organisations all over the world. Creativity Pioneers are small to medium-sized organisations working in the field of creativity with a focus on social change. They are organisations rooted in local communities but engaged with complex issues on a global scale.
The aim of the Fund is not only to support individual organisations in strengthening their capacities and impact on their communities, but also to create the Creativity for Social Change platform to channel resources and partnerships into this sector and to provide opportunities for networking and training for those involved.
Since 2022, thanks to the support of Fondazione Marcegaglia, the Fund has supported 24 organisations in Italy and abroad, all characterised by female leadership and/or a mission focused on improving women’s living conditions. In 2025, the Foundation’s support materialised in the awarding of three structural grants of €20,000 each, allocated to three Creativity Pioneers previously selected in past years.
The organisations supported by Fondazione Marcegaglia
In 2022
Trama Plaza Lab – Italy
Trama Plaza Lab promotes sustainable fashion and design, and more broadly raises awareness of sustainability issues in the textile industry through art, education, and training. Trama Plaza Lab aims to increase awareness of the value of ethical and circular production to encourage critical thinking about the relationship between consumer and product, as well as to promote social inclusion and respect for natural resources.
CHEAP – Italy
CHEAP is a public art project that synthesises artistic and political urgencies, curatorial practice, and social responsibility. It uses contemporary visual languages and designs public space through the posting of posters featuring public art interventions, social communication campaigns, promotion of contemporary-related events, works created by artists in residence, outcomes of calls for artists, and its own projects. Alongside these public art postings, CHEAP fosters public conversation focused on the city, through talks and collective discussions about designing urban spaces as places of inclusive citizenship.
Opera for Peace – Italy & France
Opera for Peace is an organisation that promotes activities at an international level by offering support and guidance to opera artists from disadvantaged backgrounds who do not have immediate access to professional development opportunities, while promoting social justice and equity. Working closely with opera houses, orchestras, festivals, institutions, and international organisations, it facilitates cultural understanding by connecting and mentoring the next generation of opera professionals. Artistic development is ensured through high-level training programmes, concerts, masterclasses, educational exchanges, special projects, and cultural diplomatic events.
Plug – Italy
Plug is a non-profit cultural association focused on social communication and sustainable design. Among its main projects is the social communication contest Posterheroes, which each year addresses different social and environmental issues to foster international debate.
Milano Mediterranea – Italy
Milano Mediterranea is a cultural association dedicated to creating participatory performance projects in complex territories. The association aims to help reshape the narrative around migration by building a dialogue with Mediterranean artists based in the city of Milan, with a particular focus on the Giambellino neighbourhood.
Milano Mediterranea engages local residents through participatory artistic residencies, a permanent workshop aimed at young people, and a neighbourhood committee that supports the association in selecting residency projects and cultural programming.
Hibiscus 1949 – Ivory Coast
Hibiscus, operating under the name 1949, is a library housing works by women authors from Africa and the Black world, located in Yopougon, one of the most populous districts (1.5 million people) of Abidjan. Its mission is to uncover and amplify the contributions of African and Black women to inspire present and future generations. The library organises literary gatherings and seminars for children and adults, vocal coaching workshops, dance, drawing, slam poetry writing sessions, and events aimed at engaging and empowering the local community.
Somali Arts Foundation – Somalia
A recipient of the CPF in 2021, the Somali Arts Foundation (SAF) is the first contemporary art institution in Somalia. SAF provides training in photography, filmmaking, and content production to creative young women in Mogadishu. SAF aims to promote and create favourable environments for creative industries to thrive in Somalia, while using the arts to spark critical discussions on ideas, identity, memory, loss, healing, and what it means to be “Soomaali” in the 21st century.
Moongirls Live – Ghana, Accra
A recipient of the CPF in 2022, Moongirls Live is an organisation that aims, through the production of graphic novels, to encourage richer conversations about women and queer lives, and their roles in society. By providing a contemporary narrative that challenges the status quo, Moongirls Live encourages its audience to question patriarchal rules, norms, and ideas about gender and the role of women. Moongirls Live is grounded in the ancient African philosophy of Ma’at, which encompasses concepts of truth, justice, balance, righteousness, fairness, order, and harmony. The stories of Moongirls’ superheroines address various issues such as corruption, environmental and marine pollution, homophobia, food security, power, and more.
In 2023
Capli Foundation (Turkey)
KizBasina, a non-profit organisation based in Turkey, is dedicated to fighting for gender equality and women’s empowerment through campaigns and projects that raise societal awareness of gender-based violence and its negative impact on women, while promoting female empowerment and grassroots activism.
Book Bunk Trust (Kenya)
Since 2018, Book Bunk has been working to restore some of Nairobi’s most renowned public libraries, transforming them into inclusive, functional spaces where art, collective memory, knowledge production, shared experiences, cultural leadership, and information exchange can come together.
Escuela de Teatro Musical de Petare (Venezuela)
The Escuela de Teatro Musical de Petare is a non-profit civil association aiming to provide the community of Petare—one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in the world—with a free space for training and professional development in the performing arts for children and young people.
KLARA I ROSA (Serbia)
Klara I Rosa operates in Serbia and is committed to building an open society by providing a window to the world and opportunities for learning and active citizenship. For them, culture and the arts are perfect tools to create harmony, encourage reflection, inspire others, and take action in any area that requires attention, from ecology to freedom of speech.
Seenaryo (Lebanon)
Through theatre and performance, Seenaryo helps disadvantaged communities in Lebanon and Jordan find their voice as powerful agents of change. Their values include meaningful participation at all levels, innovation, inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, while remaining deeply rooted in local communities.
Spit it Out (UK)
Spit it Out is an award-winning organisation based in Scotland that aims to stimulate collective discussion on topics such as consent, mental health, and healing through creativity and community care. Spit it Out is creating a safe space where marginalised groups can share their work and strive to bring about lasting change with a strong impact on the community.
Writerz and Scribez C.I.C (UK)
Writerz and Scribez C.I.C, led by Black artists and driven by a strong passion for inclusion, accessibility, art, and self-discovery, is an organisation aiming to stay connected to the wider world. It provides the local community with a vibrant cultural centre that hosts exceptional artistic gatherings, where art is used as a tool for social change.
NNLE Usakhelo Galerea Tbilisi (Georgia)
The mission of Untitled Gallery Tbilisi is to advocate for human rights in the South Caucasus, using art as a powerful political tool to drive change. Their specific focus is on issues affecting queer and feminist communities as well as ethnic minorities, creating a safe space where marginalised individuals and communities can express themselves.
In 2024
Tracanelupa (Italy)
Tracanelupa addresses social, economic, educational, and cultural marginalisation in southeastern Bari through interdependence and self-determination principles. It promotes alternative practices and redefines the countryside as a cultural hub, emphasising art’s social and educational roles while supporting marginalised groups’ self-determination.
Nativas (Switzerland)
Nativas amplifies the voices of Latin and Native American women, providing a platform for their stories, and fostering a vision of creative, inclusive living. By connecting these women with local organisations in Europe and America, Nativas promotes cultural exchange, mutual support, and ecosystem protection, while inspiring new generations with powerful role models and innovative approaches.
Migration Collective (UK) Founded in 2016 by three women who met while pursuing their MSc in Migration & Development at SOAS, Migration Collective CIC was born from their shared passion to tackle the narrow narratives around migration that emerged during the Refugee Crisis. Through their programmes, the organisation challenges the mainstream narratives on migration.
Safe Place (Francia) The Safe Place collective was born following the observation made by the founders, who were teenagers at the time, about the lack of speaking out around violence. In 2017, the Safe Place collective began its actions by offering, for the first time in France, video testimonials from victims of sexist and sexual assault.
Safe Place becomes one of the first Instagram platforms to offer video testimonies of assaults, made by and for young people.
Ingoma Nshya Ingoma Nshya is a pioneering female drumming organisation established in 2004 to challenge traditional gender norms and promote female empowerment in Rwanda. It was created to address the aftermath of the 1994 genocide and to redefine women’s roles in Rwandan drumming and cultural practices.
Global Girl Media (US) Global Girl Media empowers young BIPOC women by providing training in digital and media skills, enabling them to become leaders and change-makers. By focusing on under-served communities, the organisation equips girls with the tools to create impactful digital content, fostering their personal and professional growth in media and beyond. It also supports their development through mentorship, bridging the gap between training and career opportunities.
Gender Amplified (US)
Gender Amplified was established in 2018 to celebrate women and gender-expansive music producers, raise their visibility and develop a pipeline to build equity in the music industry. The organisation focuses on building a national network of female producers, fostering academic dialogue on female visibility in the field, and creating safe, supportive environments for skill development.
Haven for Artists (Libano) Haven is a cultural organisation dedicated to supporting and empowering marginalised communities, particularly queer and women’s groups, through art and activism. It provides a platform for emerging international, regional, and local artists from the SWANA region to share their voices and work.