Audience Development and Film Education

Funding instrument:CREA Project Grants (CREA‑PJG) under the Creative Europe MEDIA strand; CREA Action Grant Budget‑Based (CREA‑AG) model 1.

Where to find full call documentation:Topic page and call documents on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, including the Call Document, application templates and the CREA Model Grant Agreement Audience Development and Film Education topic 1.

Call title:Audience Development and Film Education CREA-MEDIA. Programme: Creative Europe, MEDIA strand. Type of action: CREA Project Grants (CREA-PJG). Type of Model Grant Agreement: CREA Action Grant Budget-Based (CREA-AG). Call open date: 30 September 2026. Deadline: 2 March 2027, 17:00 Brussels time. Submission method: single-stage, electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Indicative available budget: €7,000,000 for the topic in 2027. Expected evaluation period March–August 2027; information to applicants September 2027; grant agreement signature December 2027. Proposals must be submitted in the Portal submission system using Part A, Part B (PDF), Part C and mandatory annexes. Paper submissions are not accepted.

Call documents and guidance:Applicants must read and comply with the Call Document, the Standard Application Form (CREA MEDIA) available in the Submission System, the CREA Model Grant Agreement, the Guide for Applicants, the CREA Annual Work Programmes and the EU Financial Regulation and referenced guidance. The Call Document contains detailed admissibility, eligibility, evaluation, award, financial and legal provisions. The application template for Part B and annex templates are available inside the Portal Submission System Call document and templates Call PDFMGA CREA Application form template1

Scope:support pan-European, innovative audience development and film education projects, prioritising robust needs analyses of audiences, evidence-based strategies, and targeting especially young audiences. Projects should increase interest, knowledge and access to European films (including film heritage), other audiovisual works, videogames and immersive content; enhance pan-European impact and outreach; and promote existing European works as educational resources. Activities should include audience-oriented events and innovative or cross-border film education initiatives; cooperation with film institutions and online platforms is encouraged. Proposals must present quantifiable expected impacts and demonstrate environmental sustainability, gender balance, inclusion, diversity and representativeness. Projects are encouraged to engage audiences in cinema deserts and to use new digital tools for pan-European reach.

Expected impact:Stimulate audience interest and knowledge in European films and audiovisual works including heritage and immersive content; strengthen pan-European cooperation for innovative audience development and film education, particularly via digital tools; increase pan-European audience outreach; develop film education across European and non-European territories.

Legal entities only:beneficiaries and affiliated entities must be legal persons established in eligible countries. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed natural persons (sole traders) when the company has no separate legal personality. International organisations are eligible. Entities without legal personality may exceptionally participate provided their representatives can undertake legal obligations. EU bodies (except the Commission's Joint Research Centre) cannot be beneficiaries. Creative Europe Desk host organisations can be coordinators/beneficiaries if they separate functions and costs. Participants must register in the Participant Register and obtain a PIC; validation will be done by the Central Validation Service. Associated partners, subcontractors and third parties giving in-kind contributions may participate under defined roles; financial support to third parties is not allowed under this call. Proposals must reach at least 5 MEDIA participating countries and films/audiovisual works in the project must be at least 50% from MEDIA participating countries. Project duration is normally 24 to 36 months. Projects can be single-beneficiary or consortia of at least 2 beneficiaries.

Eligible countries and geographic coverage:Eligible applicants are legal entities established in Creative Europe participating countries: EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories), EEA countries and countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme, as listed in the programme documentation. Projects must have pan-European audience reach, covering at least five MEDIA participating countries; activities may also target non-European territories as part of outreach.

Funding type:budget-based action grants (CREA Action Grant Budget-Based). Form of grant: budget-based mixed actual costs reimbursement with possible unit costs / flat-rates where authorised. Funding rate: 70% of eligible costs. Project requested grant amount: no formal upper limit stated in the call; final grant limited by available budget and evaluation results. Indicative topic budget: €7,000,000 for 2027. Grants may not produce profit; for-profit organisations must declare revenues and any profit will be deducted from the final grant amount. VAT rules: non-deductible/non-refundable VAT is eligible except VAT paid by public bodies acting as public authority. Indirect costs: flat-rate 7% of eligible direct costs (A-D excluding volunteer costs and exempted categories). Financial support to third parties is not allowed under this topic. Subcontracting beyond 30% of total eligible costs must be justified in the application; procurement must follow best value for money and avoid conflicts of interest. Prefinancing: typically 40% of maximum grant amount, subject to prefinancing guarantees where required; payment schedule defined in Grant Agreement. Certificates (CFS) thresholds apply according to the Grant Agreement and Data Sheet. Recoveries, joint and several liability options and financial guarantees are detailed in the Model Grant Agreement.

Budget and indicative number of grants:Topic budget (2027): €7,000,000. The number of grants to be awarded is indicative and dependent on proposals received, evaluation results and grant sizes. The Agency reserves the right not to award all available funds.

Submission:single-stage. Admissibility: proposals must comply with Part B formatting and page limits (Part B limited to 70 pages), and be complete in Part A, Part B, Part C and mandatory annexes uploaded to the correct submission slots. Evaluators will ignore excess pages. Evaluation period: March–August 2027. Information to applicants: September 2027. Grant signature: December 2027. Invitation to grant preparation is not a funding commitment; legal validation (LE studies), financial capacity checks and exclusion checks will be performed before signature.

Award criteria, scoring and thresholds:Maximum score: 100 points. Overall threshold to pass: 70 points. No individual criterion thresholds. Criteria and weighting: Relevance 45 points, Quality of content and activities 35 points, Project management 10 points, Dissemination 10 points. Relevance sub-criteria include potential to increase audience interest especially among young audiences, evidence-based needs analysis, European added value and partnership, environmental sustainability strategies, and gender balance/inclusion/diversity measures. Quality and innovation, feasibility and cost-efficiency, and use of technology are emphasised.

How to submit:create EU Login and register organisations in Participant Register (obtain PIC); access Submission System from the topic page; choose action type CREA-PJG and model grant CREA-AG; complete Part A online; download Part B template from Submission System, complete and upload as PDF; fill Part C online; attach annexes in specific upload slots. Do not use documents from Topic page; use templates inside Submission System. Confirm mandate to act for all applicants and confirm completeness and correctness of information. Part B layout rules: A4, Arial minimum 9pt, margins at least 15 mm, maximum 70 pages. CVs and other annexes must be attached where required. Use Portal Online Manual and Guide for Applicants for detailed instructions. The Portal IT Helpdesk and EACEA contact address are provided for support.

Application form structure and templates:Application Form consists of Part A Administrative forms (online), Part B Technical description (PDF template filled and uploaded) and Part C additional data (online). Part B template sections include: Cover page and Project summary; 1 Relevance (background, needs analysis, European added value, sustainability, gender and diversity); 2 Quality (concept, methodology, format, potential, cost effectiveness, risk management); 3 Project management (partnership, teams, development and financing strategies); 4 Dissemination (communication, distribution, impact indicators and data collection methods); 5 Workplan and work packages (WP1 mandatory project management plus other WPs), deliverables, milestones, staff effort, subcontracting, events and trainings, timetable; 6 Ethics and security; 7 Declarations. Annexes required depend on the call and may include detailed budget tables, CVs, list of previous projects and other supporting documents. Part B must not exceed the 70-page limit; annexes do not count towards Part B page limit. The detailed budget calculator is required for cases where detailed cost reporting is asked.

Mandatory checks at pre-award:admissibility (timely & correct submission, compliance with page limits and templates), eligibility of applicants and activities, minimum consortium composition where applicable, financial capacity (coordinator normally) and operational capacity checks, exclusion checks (bankruptcy, fraud, breach of social security/tax obligations, grave professional misconduct, links to crime, etc.). Financial capacity documentation may include last closed-year accounts, profit and loss, balance sheet, audit reports. Public bodies and organisations funded >50% by public sources and actions requesting ≤ €60,000 may be exempted from financial capacity checks. Pillar assessment and specific derogations apply where relevant. Legal Entity Validation via Participant Register and LEAR appointment required for beneficiaries and affiliated entities.

Evaluation timeline:Call publication: 30 September 2026. Deadline: 2 March 2027, 17:00 Brussels time. Evaluation: March to August 2027. Information to applicants: September 2027. Grant agreement signature: December 2027. Submission session becomes available in the Portal on opening date.

Eligible applicant types:public bodies (local, regional, national authorities), private legal entities active in the cultural and audiovisual sectors (including production, distribution, exhibition organisations), SMEs, large enterprises, universities and higher education establishments, research institutes, non-profit organisations and NGOs, international organisations, self-employed natural persons/sole traders where applicable, affiliated entities linked to beneficiaries, associated partners, subcontractors and third parties giving in-kind contributions in defined roles. Natural persons are NOT eligible except self-employed sole traders where there is no separate legal personality. Creative Europe Desks host organisations are eligible provided cost separation is demonstrable.

Primary financial mechanism:grant. Specifically, CREA Project Grants under the Creative Europe Programme delivered as budget-based action grants (budget-based actual costs with authorised unit costs/flat-rates as applicable) using the CREA Action Grant Budget-Based Model Grant Agreement.

Allowed options:single (mono-beneficiary) or consortium. The call accepts single applicants and consortia of at least two beneficiaries. Projects must achieve pan-European impact and reach at least five MEDIA participating countries — consortium composition should reflect ambition to reach the geographic coverage required.

Geographic eligibility:legal entities established in Creative Europe participating countries: EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories), EEA countries, and countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme. Projects must reach at least five MEDIA participating countries; action may also include activities in non-European territories as part of outreach but participants must be established in eligible countries to receive grant funding.

Target sectors:film and audiovisual sector with emphasis on audience development and film education; includes film heritage, cinemas, film festivals, VOD/online platforms cooperation, videogames and immersive content where relevant, digital tools and audience engagement technologies, education and pedagogical methods for film literacy, cultural and creative sectors crossover where relevant.

Explicit country references:EU Member States, EEA countries and countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme. No individual countries are named in the call text; the program references the set of Creative Europe participating countries and the requirement to reach at least five MEDIA participating countries. The call documentation refers to Brussels time deadlines and EU administrative authorities (EACEA).

Expected project maturity:development, implementation, demonstration and outreach stages. Projects can include education and training activities, events and cross-border initiatives. Projects are expected to be mature enough to implement cross-border activities and measurable audience outreach and may build on prior projects or be new initiatives; proposals should show operational capacity and track record, or credible measures to obtain it before implementation.

Indicative funding range:no per-project upper limit specified in the call document; total topic budget €7,000,000 for 2027. Funding rate: 70% of eligible costs. Applicants may request any amount but actual award depends on evaluation, budget availability and grant agreement. Applicants should justify requested budgets and provide cost-efficiency and sustainability plans.

Application submission method:open call single-stage, electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System). No paper submissions. Submission session opens on the call opening date.

Nature of support:monetary grants (financial support). The grant reimburses eligible actual costs and accepted unit/flat-rate/lump-sum elements where applicable. Non-monetary support (advice, visibility, networking) may be delivered through project activities but the core instrument is financial grant funding.

Number of application stages:1 (single-stage submission) followed by evaluation and, for successful projects, a grant preparation stage (dialogue to finalise the Grant Agreement). Thus applicants pass through submission -> evaluation -> invitation to grant preparation -> grant agreement signature — overall typically two practical stages (submission and grant preparation) but formal evaluation is a separate step.

Success rates:not specified in the call. The number of awards depends on proposals received, quality and budget available (€7,000,000). Historically Creative Europe MEDIA project calls are competitive; prospective applicants should assume limited success rates and ensure high relevance and quality to pass the 70/100 threshold.

Co-funding:co-financing is expected. The grant finances 70% of eligible costs, meaning 30% of eligible costs must be covered by applicants' own resources, third-party contributions or generated income. Projects must present a financing strategy and demonstrate stable and sufficient resources. There is no fixed mandatory co-financing percentage beyond the funding rate, but applicants must show financial sustainability and balanced budgets.

Application templates:Part A administrative forms are completed online in the Portal. Part B technical description template (CREA MEDIA) must be downloaded from the Submission System, completed and uploaded as PDF. Annex templates available in the Submission System include: detailed budget table/calculator (annex 1 if required), CV templates (annex 2), list of previous projects (annex 4) and any special annexes required by the call. The standard Part B structure includes sections: project summary, relevance (background, needs analysis, objectives, European added value, sustainability, gender/inclusion), quality (methodology, format, potential, cost-effectiveness, risk), project management (roles, teams, development and financing strategies), dissemination (communication, distribution, impact measurement), workplan and work packages (with WP1 mandatory for management), deliverables and milestones, staff effort and budget per WP, subcontracting details, events and training, timetable, ethics, security and declarations. Applicants must follow formatting rules: A4, Arial min 9pt, margins at least 15 mm and Part B max 70 pages. Annexes are uploaded in specified slots and do not count towards Part B page limit.

What this opportunity is about and how to approach it:This Creative Europe MEDIA call funds pan-European projects that develop audiences and deliver film education initiatives to increase interest, knowledge and access to European films and audiovisual works, including heritage, videogames and immersive content. The call prioritises projects that demonstrate pan-European cooperation, clear evidence-based needs analyses of audiences (particularly young audiences), measurable and quantifiable impact targets, use of digital and innovative tools to scale audience engagement across countries, and explicit attention to sustainability, inclusion, gender balance and diversity. Applicants should be legal entities established in Creative Europe participating countries. Projects can be led by a single beneficiary or a consortium and must reach audiences across at least five MEDIA participating countries. Financially, the call offers budget-based grants reimbursing 70% of eligible costs, with an indicative topic budget of €7,000,000. Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal following the prescribed Part A, Part B and Part C templates and annexes, and must respect page, layout and evidence requirements. Evaluation is competitive; proposals are scored on Relevance (45 points), Quality of content and activities (35 points), Project management (10 points) and Dissemination (10 points) and must achieve at least 70/100 to be considered for funding. Successful applicants enter grant preparation where legal and financial validation is completed and the Grant Agreement (CREA MGA) is finalised. Proposals should present a strong evidence base for audience needs, a clear and innovative methodology for film education and audience development, robust pan-European partnerships and outreach plans, precise and measurable impact indicators, a feasible workplan and budget, strategies for sustainability beyond EU funding and concrete measures for environmental responsibility, gender balance, inclusion and diversity. Engage with Creative Europe desks and EACEA for support and consult the Portal Online Manual and the call documents carefully when preparing the submission. The Portal submission session opens on 30 September 2026 and the deadline is 2 March 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time.

What the projects should do:Applicants should propose audience oriented events and innovative or cross border film education initiatives, and cooperation between film institutions and existing online platforms is encouraged. The call also expects strategies for sustainability, environmental responsibility, gender balance, inclusion, diversity and representativeness, with particular encouragement to reach audiences in areas with weak cinema infrastructure.69