Perform EU

The Perform EU initiative is a call for proposals under the Creative Europe Programme, specifically designated as CREA-CULT-2026-PERFORM-EU. This opportunity aims to support the performing arts sector by implementing innovative models for sustainable, inclusive, and diverse touring. The funding mechanism involves a total budget of €2,000,000, which will be allocated to a single coordinating project responsible for regranting funds to at least 25 smaller projects. The application process is open, single-stage, and submissions must be made by 15 January 2026.

Eligible applicants must be organizations actively engaged in the performing arts sector with significant sectorial and geographical representation. This includes legal entities such as performing arts organizations, production companies, and cultural institutions capable of managing a large-scale initiative that involves financial regranting and support for other projects. The geographic eligibility encompasses all countries participating in the Creative Europe Programme, with a particular focus on projects that support Ukrainian artists and cultural professionals.

The target sector includes various sub-disciplines of performing arts like theatre, dance, and circus, with an emphasis on cross-border touring and digital distribution. The initiative also aligns with broader EU priorities like sustainability, inclusion, and gender equality.

The selected lead organization will manage an open call process for project proposals, provide training and mentorship to grantees, maintain a digital platform for visibility, and conduct analysis on the outcomes of funded projects, focusing on themes such as artist remuneration and inclusive practices.

While the success rate for applicants is not explicitly stated, it is anticipated to be below 10%, given that only one project will ultimately be funded. The application will require detailed project descriptions and must adhere to specific guidelines regarding submission format and content.

In summary, the call for Perform EU represents a strategic effort to foster innovation in the performing arts, with a commitment to sustainable practices and equity within the sector, particularly in the context of supporting and delivering resources to underrepresented artists and cultural organizations.

The CREA-CULT-2026-PERFORM-EU call for proposals, under the Creative Europe Programme (CREA), aims to support the performing arts sector by testing and implementing innovative models for sustainable, inclusive, diverse, and balanced touring. This is achieved through changemaker projects that rethink touring in the performing arts. The call specifically targets applicants active in the performing arts sector with high sectorial, sub-sectorial representativity, and geographical coverage. The selected project will regrant a minimum of 25 projects from all performing arts sub-sectors and disciplines. The regranted projects' results will be observed and analysed, with analysis reports published on topics such as artists’ working conditions, fair remuneration, sustainable touring routes, inclusion, skills, employment, artistic creation, and youth.

The call emphasizes contributions to overarching EU priorities, including greening and digital transitions, inclusion, gender equality, and the international dimension, with a specific focus on supporting the performing arts sector and its sub-sectors through projects involving Ukrainian artists, cultural professionals, and organizations. It also prioritizes the principles of good working conditions and fair remuneration for artists and cultural professionals, referencing the Report of the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) group of EU Member States' experts and the Mutual learning workshop on Access to social protection for artists report.

Applications must present a program of activities that will develop, implement, and maintain sustainable models for cross-border touring and digital distribution in the performing arts sector. The program must include at least six types of activities: management and coordination of the overall project, design and management of open calls to select and regrant at least 25 projects, development of a support program for grant recipients, maintenance and development of the Perform Europe digital platform, development and implementation of a communication and dissemination strategy, and analysis and dissemination of data. Financial support to third parties is essential for the design, implementation, and management of open calls.

The call was published on 30 October 2025, and the deadline for submitting applications is 15 January 2026, at 17:00:00 CET (Brussels time). The evaluation period is scheduled for February to March 2026, with information to applicants in July 2026 and the signature of the grant agreement in October 2026.

The budget for this call is 2,000,000 EUR, and it is a single-stage application process. The type of action is CREA-LS CREA Lump Sum Grants, and the type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA) is CREA Lump Sum Grant [CREA-AG-LS].

Admissibility conditions include adhering to the proposal page limit and layout as described in the call document, with Part B of the application form (technical description) limited to a maximum of 70 pages. Eligible countries and other eligible conditions, such as consortium composition, eligible activities, duration, and ethics, are detailed in section 6 of the call document. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in section 7 of the call document. The submission and evaluation processes are also detailed in section 7, while award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are in section 8. The legal and financial setup of the grants is described in section 10 of the call document.

Applicants can find application form templates, including the standard application form (CREA CULTURE) and a detailed budget table (CREA LSII), in the Submission System. Additional documents such as CREA Annual Work Programmes, CREA Regulation 2021/818, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement are also available.

The call encourages applicants to look for synergies with other initiatives under Creative Europe, such as the first iteration of Perform Europe (2023-2026) and the European Theatre Initiative. Applicants are advised to carefully read all provisions before preparing their application and can find help through the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, the IT Helpdesk, and the Online Manual.

In summary, this Creative Europe call seeks to fund a single project that will act as an intermediary, regranting funds to at least 25 smaller performing arts projects. The selected project will also be responsible for monitoring these smaller projects, analyzing their impact, and disseminating best practices related to sustainable touring, fair artist compensation, and inclusion within the performing arts sector. The overall goal is to foster innovation and promote a more equitable and environmentally responsible approach to performing arts touring and digital distribution across Europe, with a particular emphasis on supporting Ukrainian artists and organizations.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call addresses applicants that are active in the performing arts sector and have a high sectorial, sub-sectorial representativity and geographical coverage. The specific types of organizations are not explicitly detailed in the provided text, but it can be inferred that eligible applicants would include organizations involved in the management, promotion, or support of performing arts. This could include NGOs, cultural institutions, associations, or other relevant entities.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a CREA Lump Sum Grant (CREA-LS). The call for proposals will select one single project which will regrant a minimum of 25 projects from all performing arts sub-sectors and disciplines.

Consortium Requirement: The provided text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required. However, given the scope of the project, which involves regranting funds to at least 25 other projects, it is likely that a single applicant with the capacity to manage such a large-scale regranting program is preferred. The call document section 6 (Eligibility) mentions "Consortium composition", so a consortium is possible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The projects to be regranted will be implemented in the countries participating in the Creative Europe Programme. The specific countries are not listed in the provided text, but it refers to section 6 of the Call document for more information.

Target Sector: The target sector is the performing arts, encompassing all its sub-sectors and disciplines. This includes but is not limited to theatre, dance, music, opera, circus, street arts, and other live performance forms.

Mentioned Countries: The text mentions Ukraine, specifically referring to the support of performing arts sector, its sub-sectors through projects involving Ukrainian artists, cultural professionals and organisations working in the performing arts sector. The call also refers to countries participating in the Creative Europe Programme.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on testing and implementing innovative models through changemaker projects, to rethink touring in the performing arts in a more sustainable, inclusive, diverse and balanced way. This suggests a stage of development, validation, and demonstration, with an emphasis on implementing and scaling up existing ideas rather than basic research.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic is EUR 2,000,000. This amount is intended to fund a single project that will then regrant funds to a minimum of 25 other projects.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, as indicated by the "Open For Submission" status and the defined deadline. The deadline model is single-stage.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants. The selected project will then provide financial support to third parties (at least 25 projects) through regranting.

Application Stages: The application process appears to be single-stage, as indicated by the "single-stage" deadline model. This means applicants submit a full proposal by the deadline, which is then evaluated.

Success Rates: The success rate is not explicitly mentioned, but given that only one project will be selected from all applications, the success rate is likely to be below 10%.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This is a call for proposals under the Creative Europe Programme, specifically the Perform Europe initiative. The call aims to support the performing arts sector by funding a single project with a budget of EUR 2,000,000. The selected project will be responsible for regranting funds to a minimum of 25 smaller projects focused on cross-border touring and digital distribution of performing arts works. The call prioritizes projects that contribute to EU priorities such as greening and digital transitions, inclusion, and gender equality, and that support Ukrainian artists and cultural organizations. Applicants should be active in the performing arts sector and have a broad sectorial and geographical reach. The application process is single-stage, with a deadline of January 15, 2026. The selected project will also be responsible for monitoring and analyzing the results of the regranted projects, developing a support program for grant recipients, maintaining a digital platform, and implementing a communication strategy. The call emphasizes good working conditions and fair remuneration for artists and cultural professionals.