EFFEA Call #4

The European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA) is launching its fourth call for proposals aimed at supporting emerging artists through festival residencies. This initiative is part of the Creative Europe program and aims to facilitate international career development opportunities for artists. The call opens on September 1, 2025, and closes on November 3, 2025, with a total funding budget of €470,000 available for distribution.

The project encompasses two grant categories. The EFFEA Discovery category provides approximately 40 grants of €8,000 each for artists at the early stages of their careers, while the EFFEA Springboard category allocates around 10 grants of €15,000 each to support artists who are already established in their home countries and looking to expand internationally. The funding is intended to cover various residency-related costs such as artist fees, accommodation, and rehearsal expenses.

To participate, festivals must form consortia consisting of a leading festival and at least two partner festivals, totaling a minimum of three festivals from three different eligible countries. Both leading and partner festivals must have been operational for at least one edition and registered on FestivalFinder.eu prior to application. Eligible festivals can range widely in size and type, and they must contribute additional resources beyond the grant to provide comprehensive residency experiences.

The program covers a wide array of artistic disciplines, including but not limited to architecture, dance, digital arts, music, and theatre. The aim is to foster the careers of emerging artists while ensuring their opportunities align with contemporary cultural priorities like diversity, sustainability, and inclusion.

The evaluation process for applications is multi-staged; the EFA coordination team will first assess basic eligibility criteria, followed by a comprehensive evaluation by the EFFEA Jury based on artistic merit, potential career impacts, and the alignment of proposals with program priorities. Approximately 50 residencies are expected to be selected through this competitive process.

The implementation of the residencies is set to commence from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026. Successful applicants will also have access to networking opportunities and professional development resources to enhance the overall impact of the program on emerging artists' careers.

The European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA) II is launching its fourth call for festivals to support emerging artists. The call opens on September 1, 2025, and closes on November 3, 2025, at 23:59 Brussels time. This is a single-stage submission model. The expected duration of participation is one year, from January 2026 to December 2026. The total funding available is 470,000.00 €. The project acronym is EFFEA II, and the full name of the EU-funded project is European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists II. The grant agreement number is 101175876. The topic is CREA-CULT-2024-PLAT European Platforms for the promotion of emerging artists.

Approximately 50 residencies will be selected, involving 50 emerging artists (individuals, groups, or collectives) in the seat of around 150 festivals. This involves a leading festival in collaboration with a minimum of two partner festivals each.

There are two categories of residencies:

1. EFFEA Discovery: This category supports artists at the early stages of their careers but with a strong potential to break through internationally. Approximately 40 grants of 8,000 € will be attributed to this category.

2. EFFEA Springboard: This category supports artists already established in their own country, ready to develop their career internationally. Approximately 10 grants of 15,000 € will be attributed to this category.

Festivals applying should fulfill the following criteria and conditions:

The partnership must represent at least 3 festivals from 3 eligible countries (1 leading festival and 2 partner festivals). Both Leading and Partner festivals must exist for at least one edition. Both Leading and Partner festivals must be registered on FestivalFinder.eu before submitting their application. A festival may apply for one grant as a leading festival and is eligible to apply for multiple grants as a partner festival. Proposed artists may be individual artists, collectives, companies, ensembles, or groups of any age and nationality. Artists must have either nationality or legal residence in one of the eligible countries.

The festivals and artists work in one or more of the following artistic disciplines: Architecture, Ballet, Contemporary Dance, Circus, Design/ Applied arts, Digital arts, Film, Folklore and folk arts, Heritage, Interdisciplinary, Literature, Music, Opera, Street Art, Theatre, Photography/ Video, Puppetry, Sculpture, Painting.

Submitted proposals will be assessed for eligibility by the EFA coordination team. All eligible proposals will be evaluated by the EFFEA Jury. The EFFEA Jury is composed of members of diverse profiles in terms of disciplines, geographies, artistic backgrounds, gender, age, and, above all, knowledge of the arts field.

The selection criteria assume that: The residency is relevant for the artists, festivals, and audiences. It will have an impact on the artists’ careers. It offers a market to artists even beyond the residency period (longer term). The budget is built on the principle of fair remuneration towards the artists at all stages (stay, rehearsal time and payment, fees, etc.). The topics of today focus on diversity, sustainability (ecological, cultural, artistic, economic and social), digital tools, and inclusion. These can be cited as motivation and will be considered in evaluating the quality of the residency.

Timeline:

Publication of the EFFEA Call #4: 1 September 2025
Application deadline: 3 November 2025
Jury Evaluations: November 2025
Results announcement to applicants: December 2025
Public results announcement: December 2025
Implementation period of residencies: 1 January 2026 - 31 December 2026
EFFEA Intake Seminar: 20 January 2026
EFFEA Outtake Seminar: 22 September 2026

Info sessions and networking moments:

EFFEA Info session: 9 September 2025
EFFEA Networking Session: 30 September 2025
EFFEA Networking Session: 7 October 2025
EFFEA Q&A: 21 October 2025

EFFEA is an initiative of the European Festivals Association, co-funded by the European Union, implemented in partnership with 14 EFFEA Platform Members: Croatian Composers Society (Croatia), Culture Matters (Czechia), PLMF Arts Management (Estonia), France Festivals (France), Festival Friends (Germany), Stichting Caucasus Foundation (Georgia), Summa Artium Kultúra Támogató Nonprofit Kft. (Hungary), Association of Irish Festival Events (Ireland), ItaliaFestival (Italy), ARC Research and Consultancy Ltd. (Malta), Asociația Centrul Cultural Clujean (Romania), ArtLink (Serbia), Sweden Festivals (Sweden), Development Centre "Democracy through Culture" (Ukraine).

Associated Partners: Culture Action Europe, European Music Council, Pearle, Circostrada, IETM, On the Move, European Dance Development Network, Művészetek Völgye Nonprofit Kft.

All information on the call can be found on: https://www.effea.eu/

In summary, the EFFEA II Call #4 provides funding for festivals to host residencies for emerging artists. There are two categories: Discovery for artists at the early stages of their careers, and Springboard for artists established in their own countries but seeking international development. Festivals must form partnerships of at least three festivals from three eligible countries and must be registered on FestivalFinder.eu. The call supports a wide range of artistic disciplines, and proposals are evaluated based on their relevance, impact, market opportunities for the artists, fair remuneration, and consideration of topics like diversity, sustainability, digital tools, and inclusion. The initiative is funded by the EU and implemented by the European Festivals Association in partnership with various platform members and associated partners. The goal is to support emerging artists and provide them with opportunities for international exposure and career development through festival residencies.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are festivals. Specifically, a leading festival in collaboration with a minimum of two partner festivals each. The partnership must represent at least 3 festivals from 3 eligible countries (1 leading festival and 2 partner festivals). Both Leading and Partner festivals must exist for at least one edition. Both Leading and Partner festivals must be registered on FestivalFinder.eu before submitting their application. A festival may apply for one grant as a leading festival and is eligible to apply for multiple grants as a partner festival. Proposed artists may be individual artists, collectives, companies, ensembles, or groups of any age and nationality. Artists must have either nationality or legal residence in one of the eligible countries.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required, consisting of a leading festival and at least two partner festivals, totaling a minimum of three festivals from three eligible countries.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The partnership must represent at least 3 festivals from 3 eligible countries. Artists must have either nationality or legal residence in one of the eligible countries. The eligible countries are those of the EFFEA Platform Members: Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, France, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, and Ukraine.

Target Sector: The target sector is culture and arts, specifically focusing on supporting emerging artists through festival residencies. The artistic disciplines covered include: Architecture, Ballet, Contemporary Dance, Circus, Design/ Applied arts, Digital arts, Film, Folklore and folk arts, Heritage, Interdisciplinary, Literature, Music, Opera, Street Art, Theatre, Photography/ Video, Puppetry, Sculpture, Painting.

Mentioned Countries: Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, France, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Ukraine.

Project Stage: The project stage targets artists at the early stages of their careers with strong potential to break through internationally (EFFEA Discovery) and artists already established in their own country, ready to develop their career internationally (EFFEA Springboard). This suggests a focus on development and validation stages.

Funding Amount: There are two categories of grants: EFFEA Discovery offers approximately 40 grants of 8,000€ each. EFFEA Springboard offers approximately 10 grants of 15,000€ each. The total funding available is 470,000€.

Application Type: The application type is an open call.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries (festivals) will receive money in the form of grants to support artist residencies.

Application Stages: The application process appears to be single-stage, with assessment by the EFA co-ordination team for eligibility and evaluation by the EFFEA Jury.

Success Rates: The success rate can be estimated based on the information provided. Approximately 50 residencies will be selected from the applications received. Without knowing the total number of applications, it is difficult to provide a precise success rate, but it is likely to be in the 10 to 39% range or below 10%, depending on the application volume.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary:

The European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA) is offering grants to festivals to support residencies for emerging artists. This fourth call for proposals, open from September 1 to November 3, 2025, aims to select approximately 50 residencies across around 150 festivals. The initiative is designed to foster the careers of artists in various disciplines, including architecture, dance, music, theatre, and digital arts. There are two grant categories: EFFEA Discovery, targeting artists at the early stages of their careers with 8,000€ grants, and EFFEA Springboard, supporting artists ready for international development with 15,000€ grants. Festivals must form a consortium of at least three festivals from three eligible countries, with one leading festival and two partner festivals. The residencies should be relevant for the artists, festivals, and audiences, and have a lasting impact on the artists' careers. The budget should ensure fair remuneration for the artists. The program encourages proposals that address diversity, sustainability, digital tools, and inclusion. The application process involves assessment by the EFA co-ordination team and evaluation by the EFFEA Jury. The implementation period for the residencies is from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026. This initiative is co-funded by the European Union and implemented by the European Festivals Association in partnership with 14 EFFEA Platform Members across Europe.