FAQ

Eligibility

  • Who can apply?

    All festivals (and cultural spaces, venues, foundations, associations if running festivals) working 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.

    The festivals exist for at least one edition and have their official address in one of the eligible countries:
    Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, and Ukraine.

    Festivals with their official address from the following countries are allowed to participate as partner festivals only: Israel, Moldova, Palestine, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK.

    Leading festivals are free to collaborate with any arts festival, even if it is not yet registered on FestivalFinder.eu. Festivals may register on FestivalFinder.eu before submitting their application.

  • Are venues, foundations, associations, also eligible?

    Yes, if they organise a festival.

    We define a festival as:
    - Its primary focus is on the development, presentation and/or participation in arts and culture
    - Occurs in a defined area/ region and within a defined period of time
    - Exists for at least one edition. (Note: it may be the first edition of the festival if it is an additional partner — beyond the mandatory partnership of 1 leading festival and 2 partners)

  • Are festivals from the same country allowed to apply for one residency together?

    Each of the two mandatory partner festivals must be based in a country different from that of the leading festival. Any additional partner festivals (beyond the required two) can be from any eligible country.

  • Can festivals apply as leading festivals more than once?

    A festival can apply as a leading festival for one grant and may also participate as a partner festival in multiple other applications.
    Festivals that participated in previous EFFEA Calls (#1, #2, or #3) are still eligible to apply to EFFEA Call #4.

    Artists who have received a Discovery grant in previous Calls are also eligible for a Springboard residency in Call #4.
    Jury members may apply with their festival to one residency only, either as a leading festival or a partner festival, but not both.

  • What do we mean by emerging artists?

    In this fund, emerging artists are not defined in terms of age, but rather by their novelty to programmers and festival audiences, their potential to ‘break through’ internationally and to impact the artistic field in their discipline(s): a chance such artists did not have before.

    By artists, we mean: individual artists or companies of any size and artistic genre.

  • Is it necessary to pay for EFA Membership in order to apply for EFFEA?

    No. Being a member of the European Festivals Association (EFA) is not required to apply for EFFEA.

    EFFEA is an initiative of EFA, and while we encourage all festivals to join the network, it is not a prerequisite.

    However, it is mandatory for festivals to register on FestivalFinder.eu, a platform to explore and connect with festivals across Europe. Registration of the festival edition on FestivalFinder is free.

Artists

  • Are emerging artists eligible for more than one EFFEA grant?

    If an artist has received a Discovery grant in a prior EFFEA Call (EFFEA Call #1, #2 or #3), they remain eligible for a Springboard residency in Call #4.

    Artists selected for a Discovery residency in prior EFFEA Calls are not eligible for another Discovery residency. Note: they are eligible to be supported by a Springboard residency.
    Artists selected for a Springboard residency in past EFFEA Calls are not eligible for consideration in future EFFEA calls.

  • Does the artist need to come from a different country than the 3 partner festivals?

    The artist does not need to be from a different country than the 3 partner festivals. The rule that each festival (one leading and at least two partners) comes from different countries applies only to the festivals themselves. The artist needs to hold nationality of or have an official address in one of the eligible countries: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, the UK, and Ukraine.

  • How does an artist register to be part of a residency?

    Artists cannot apply directly. The grant application must be submitted by the leading festival (the festival responsible for the application and the main contact for the residency).

    Artists are encouraged to approach potential festival partners and propose a collaboration. Festivals then prepare and submit the application together with the artist. FestivalFinder.eu
    can help you discover and connect with festivals that match your work.

  • Is there an age limitation for artists who want to apply?

    No, there is no age limitation for artists in either of the two categories (Discovery/ Springboard).
    The EFFEA Fund defines emerging artists not by age, but by their novelty to programmers and audiences and their potential for international breakthrough. This applies to both individual artists and groups/collectives across all artistic disciplines.

Festival Finder

Residency

Financial

Timeline

  • EFFEA Call #4

    Pre-announcement: 20 June 2025
    Start online applications: 1 September 2025
    Application deadline: 3 November 2025
    Results announcement: December 2025
    Implementation period: 1 January 2026 – 31 December 2026

  • When can residencies begin and end?

    The start and end date of the residency must fall within the grant period. The applicants are free to start earlier or end later as long as the costs related to the extension are not included in the budget submitted to EFFEA.

Other

  • Problem with login?

    The 2 platforms FestivalFinder.eu and EFFEA are not linked at this moment. Your login on FestivalFinder.eu can not be used for EFFEA.

    - On FestivalFinder.eu you already have an account or you create an account when creating for the first time your festival edition.
    - On EFFEA you apply with the application form - the account is automatically created when you apply.