FAQ

Eligibility

  • Who can apply?

    Festivals – as well as cultural spaces, venues, foundations and associations that organise a festival – 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 and Painting.

    Each residency must bring together at least three festivals from three eligible countries: one leading festival and at least two partner festivals. Both leading and partner festivals must:
    - have organised at least one festival edition;
    - be registered on FestivalFinder.eu before the application is submitted.

    Leading festivals must have their official address in one of the following 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, Moldova, 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, Palestine, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK.

    Proposed artists must have legal residence in one of the eligible countries. Artists from Israel, Palestine, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK may also be proposed.

  • Are venues, foundations, associations, also eligible?

    Yes, provided that they organise a festival.

    For EFFEA, a festival:
    - Has 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;
    - Has organised at least one edition before the application is submitted. (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?

    The three mandatory festivals – one leading festival and at least two partner festivals – must be based in three different eligible countries.

    Additional partner festivals beyond the mandatory two may be based in any eligible country.

  • Can festivals apply as leading festivals more than once?

    A festival may apply for one grant as a leading festival and may participate in multiple other applications as a partner festival.

    Festivals that participated in previous EFFEA Calls, whether selected or not, may apply again. Partnerships formed in previous EFFEA Calls may also apply again.

    The eligibility and exclusion criteria concerning previously supported artists still apply. Artists who have previously received a Discovery grant are eligible to participate in a Springboard residency. Artists who have previously received a Springboard grant are not eligible for a new EFFEA grant.

    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, companies, collectives, ensembles or groups of any size and artistic genre.

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

    No. Membership 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.

    It is, however, mandatory for all participating festivals to register on FestivalFinder.eu before the application is submitted. FestivalFinder.eu is a platform to explore and connect with festivals across Europe and beyond.

Artists

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

    Artists who have previously received a Discovery grant remain eligible to participate in a Springboard residency.
    Artists who have already been selected for a Discovery residency are not eligible for another Discovery residency, but they can be supported through a Springboard residency.
    Artists who have been selected for a Springboard residency in the past are not eligible for future Springboard residencies.

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

    No. The artist does not need to come from a different country than the participating festivals.
    The requirement for three different countries applies to the three mandatory festivals: one leading festival and at least two partner festivals.

    The artist must have legal residence in one of the eligible countries: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, 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 limit for artists?

    No. There is no age limit for either EFFEA Discovery or EFFEA Springboard.

    EFFEA defines emerging artists by their stage of professional and international development rather than by age. This applies to both individual artists and groups/collectives across all artistic disciplines.

Festival Finder

Residency

  • What is the role of the partner festivals in the Discovery category?

    The work-in-progress presentation takes place at the leading festival.

    The workshop is also hosted by the leading festival and must involve at least one programmer from each partner festival.

    Partner festivals participate according to the roles and responsibilities agreed with the leading festival. They are expected to support the artist's professional development, promote their work, provide feedback and exchange, explore future collaboration and touring opportunities, and participate in the EFFEA Intake and Outtake Seminars.

  • What is the role of the partner festivals in the Springboard category?

    The artist must present the production result at the leading festival and each partner festival, with at least three presentations in total.

    A live masterclass led by the artist must also take place at the leading festival and each partner festival, in at least three countries.

    Partner festivals are expected to support and promote the artist, contribute to their professional and international development, explore further collaboration and touring opportunities, and participate in the EFFEA Intake and Outtake Seminars.

  • How long should be the residency?

    There is no prescribed duration for an EFFEA Residency. The EFFEA-supported residency must take place within the implementation period from 1 January to 31 December 2027.

    If activities begin earlier or continue beyond this period, any costs related to the extended period must not be included in the budget submitted to EFFEA.

  • Who needs to sign the letter of intent?

    The leading festival must provide:
    - a signed letter of intent with the proposed artist or collective;
    - a signed letter of intent with the partner festivals.

    The official Call #5 templates must be used and are available on the EFFEA application page.

  • What is EFFEA Intake Seminar and EFFEA Outtake Seminar?

    The EFFEA Intake and Outtake Seminars are online meetings bringing together the selected EFFEA Festivals and Artists at the beginning and towards the end of the residency implementation period.

    Participation is part of the EFFEA Residency. For Call #5:
    - EFFEA Intake Seminar: 26 January 2027
    - EFFEA Outtake Seminar: 21 September 2027

  • Is it possible to apply with an already existing network project?

    Yes, provided that the proposed residency meets all the eligibility criteria, conditions and requirements of EFFEA Call #5.

Financial

  • Is the leading festival responsible for the financial management of the residency?

    Yes. The EFFEA grant is paid directly to the leading festival, which is responsible for the overall financial management of the residency and for submitting the final report to EFA.

    The distribution of funds between the artist, leading festival and partner festivals should be agreed internally between the partners and must reflect the budget submitted with the application. Partners will formalise their collaboration through a partnership agreement before the residency begins.

  • Can we have a budget that includes costs not related to the artist residency?

    Yes, you can, as long as the amount that you invest in the residency of the artist is minimum 8.000/15.000€.

    As one of EFFEA's main objectives is to support emerging artists:
    - at least 80% of the grant value must cover costs incurred by the artist(s), such as fees, travel, accommodation and subsistence;
    - a maximum of 20% of the grant value may be used to support the implementation of the residency, including the production of workshops, masterclasses and presentations, communication and promotion;
    - in-kind costs related to the residency may not exceed 10% of the grant value.

    The use of the official EFFEA Budget Template is mandatory.

  • Are there any guidelines as to how the budget should be distributed between the leading and participating festivals?

    There is no fixed percentage for how the grant should be divided between the participating festivals. The distribution should reflect the respective roles and responsibilities agreed within the partnership and the activities proposed in the application.

    The budget must show how the artist is supported in the best way. This can be very different project by project. The overall budget must, however, comply with the EFFEA financial conditions, including the requirement that at least 80% of the grant value is used to cover costs incurred by the artist(s).

  • Why do selected applicants contribute €1,000 or €2,000 to the overall EFFEA project?

    The grant that EFA receives from the European Commission only covers 80% of the total budget. The remaining 20% is partly funded by EFA and its partners and partially by the selected applicants.

    For an EFFEA Discovery Residency, a contribution of €1,000 is deducted directly from the grant payment.
    For an EFFEA Springboard Residency, a contribution of €2,000 is deducted directly from the grant payment.

    These contributions support central EFFEA activities, including the Intake and Outtake Seminars, networking activities and the broader communication and promotion of participating artists and festivals.

  • When will the grant be paid?

    The grant will be disbursed in two instalments. The first instalment, which amounts to 70% of the grant, will be transferred to the leading festival upon receipt of the signed contract at the beginning of the residency. The second instalment will be transferred upon submission of the final report at the end of the residency period.

Timeline

  • EFFEA Call #5

    Pre-announcement: 24 June 2026
    Start online applications: 1 September 2026
    Application deadline: 3 November 2026
    Jury evaluation: November 2026
    Results communicated to applicants: December 2026
    Public announcement of selected residencies: December 2026
    Residency implementation period: 1 January 2027 – 31 December 2027
    EFFEA Generation #5 Intake Seminar: 26 January 2027
    EFFEA Generation #5 Outtake Seminar: 21 September 2027

  • When can residencies begin and end?

    The start and end date of the residency must fall within the grant period. 

    If activities start earlier or end later, costs related to the extended period must not be included in the EFFEA budget.

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.