€8,000 or €15,000 for three festivals in three countries to back an emerging artist's residency in 2027
Festivals apply to this one, not artists. If you run or programme a festival in Europe, the European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA) pays for a 2027 residency with an emerging artist. You share it with at least two partner festivals in other countries.
If you're the artist, this is the call to bring to a festival that already knows your work. The deadline is 3 November 2026.
EFFEA is run by the European Festivals Association with support from the European Union's Creative Europe programme. Call #5 funds around 50 residencies, all taking place between 1 January and 31 December 2027, in two strands: Discovery and Springboard.
Discovery is for artists early in their careers with strong potential to break through internationally: 40 grants of €8,000. The residency includes a work-in-progress showing and a workshop at the leading festival, with at least one programmer from each partner festival.
Springboard is for artists already established in their own country: 10 grants of €15,000. The work is shown at the leading festival and at each partner festival, and the artist gives a live masterclass at each, in at least three countries.
At least 80% of the grant has to cover the artist's costs, so €6,400 of a Discovery grant and €12,000 of a Springboard one. Both strands include a film about the residency and two EFFEA seminars, on 26 January and 21 September 2027.
EFFEA defines emerging by how new an artist is to programmers and audiences, not by age.
- ·The leading festival applies, with at least two partner festivals: three countries in all. Each festival must have held at least one edition and be registered on FestivalFinder.eu before applying. A festival can lead one application and be a partner on several.
- ·Leading festivals need their official address in one of these 41 countries: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Moldova, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia and Ukraine.
- ·Festivals in Israel, Palestine, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK can only be partners.
- ·Artists can be individuals, collectives, companies, ensembles or groups, of any age. They need nationality or legal residence in one of the 41 countries above, or in Israel, Palestine, Switzerland, Turkey or the UK.
- ·Disciplines named in the call: architecture, ballet, contemporary dance, circus, design and applied arts, digital arts, film, folklore and folk arts, heritage, interdisciplinary, literature, music, opera, street art, theatre, photography and video, puppetry, sculpture and painting.