Team up with festival colleagues, take emerging artists under your wings, and be the platform for fresh voices to be heard across Europe and beyond.
The deadline for the European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA) Call #4 is on 3 November 2025 at 23:59 CET. One month to go ⏳
EFFEA is an initiative of the European Festivals Association (EFA) that empowers festivals to collaborate across borders and support artists at the stage of expanding their international careers. Through tailor-made residencies, festivals provide emerging artists the time, trust and support to grow and access new stages.
In 2026, EFFEA will fund around 50 residencies, connecting at least 150 festivals with around 50 emerging artists.
Prepare your residency proposal
1. TEAM UP: While festivals must submit the application, the initiative to form a partnership can come from either festivals or artists.
Looking for partners? Try:
- EFFEA Facebook Community: Post, connect, and chat.
- FestivalFinder.eu: Search festivals by discipline, country, dates, and more.
- EFFEA shared contact list: Add your info or browse others looking to team up.
- EFFEA Sessions: Connect with festival colleagues (more info below).
2. CHOOSE THE EMERGING ARTIST(S) YOUR PARTNERSHIP WILL SUPPORT
3. PICK THE RESIDENCY CATEGORY
- EFFEA Discovery - Festivals (1 leading festival + 2 partners from different eligible countries) support artist(s) at the early stages of their careers with a strong potential to break through internationally.
≈ 40 grants of €8,000 - EFFEA Springboard - Festivals (1 leading festival + 2 partners from different eligible countries) take a mid-career artist(s) established in their own country and ready to develop their career internationally under their wings.
≈ 10 grants of 15.000€
4. DESIGN YOUR RESIDENCY: Outline the goals, structure, and timeline of your residency. Think creatively and collaboratively!
EFFEA Sessions
The European Festivals Association team, EFFEA Platform Members, Dissemination Partners and Creative Europe Desks are hosting a series of EFFEA Sessions: info, Q&A, and networking moments designed to help you find clarity on the application process, answer your questions and meet potential partners. These sessions are open to all and designed to help you move from idea to application with confidence.
So far, sessions have already been held online and also in different corners of Europe, including Malta, Czechia, and Kosovo. More might be added along the way: this news page is being updated regularly, so stay tuned for new opportunities to join.
Connect with us
EFFEA website
EFFEA Facebook
EFFEA Facebook Community
Send us an email: info@european-festivals.eu
EFFEA is an initiative of the European Festivals Association, co-funded by the European Union, implemented in partnership with the 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* Live Performance Europe, Circostrada, IETM, On the Move, European Dance Development Network, Művészetek Völgye Nonprofit Kft.