The European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA) will support around 50 residencies, bringing together at least 150 festivals to support emerging artists in developing their work and international connections.
An initiative of the European Festivals Association (EFA), co-funded by the European Union, EFFEA empowers festivals to join forces across borders and accompany artists at different stages of their careers. Emerging artists are not defined by age but rather by their novelty to programmers and audiences and their potential for international breakthrough. Artists can be individuals or groups working across a wide range of artistic disciplines.
Before preparing your application, read the full EFFEA Call #5 document, which sets out the eligibility criteria, residency requirements, financial conditions, selection criteria and timeline.
The application page also includes the templates needed to prepare your proposal:
- Letter of intent with the emerging artist
- Discovery: Letter of intent with the partner festivals
- Springboard: Letter of intent with the partner festivals
- Budget Template
Applications must be submitted online by the leading festival by 3 November 2026.
What is an EFFEA Residency?
An EFFEA Residency brings together one leading festival and at least two partner festivals from three eligible countries around an emerging artist or artistic group. Together, the festivals give artists time, space and support to develop their work, reach new audiences, meet programmers and build connections beyond their national context.
Two residency formats can be proposed:
1. EFFEA Discovery
Festivals support artists at the early stages of their careers who have strong potential to break through internationally.
40 grants of €8,000 will be awarded.
The residency must include:
- One work-in-progress presentation (or presentation of the production result) at the leading festival
- One workshop (live or online) hosted by the leading festival and involving at least one programmer from each partner festival
- One EFFEA film about the residency (to be included in the final report)
- Participation in the EFFEA Intake and Outtake Seminars
2. EFFEA Springboard
Festivals support artists who are already established in their own countries and ready to develop their careers internationally.
10 grants of €15,000 will be awarded.
The residency must include:
- One presentation of the production result at the leading festival and each partner festival, with at least three presentations in total
- One live masterclass led by the artist at the leading festival and each partner festival, taking place in at least three countries
- One EFFEA film about the residency (to be included in the final report)
- Participation in the EFFEA Intake and Outtake Seminars
Who can apply?
The partnership 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 submitting the application.
A festival may apply for one grant as a leading festival and may participate in multiple applications 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.
Eligible countries
Leading festivals and artists should have their official address in:
Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Moldova, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia and Ukraine.
Festivals based in Israel, Palestine, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK may participate as partner festivals only. Artists from these countries may also be proposed.
Eligible disciplines
Residency projects may involve 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.
For the complete eligibility and exclusion criteria, please consult the full EFFEA Call #5 document.
Info, Networking and Q&A Sessions
A series of EFFEA Sessions will offer opportunities to learn more about the call, support the development of residency proposals and connect with potential partners. EFA organises four online sessions, all taking place on Tuesdays from 11.00 to 12.00 CEST:
15.09.2026 - Info session #1 Register
29.09.2026 - Networking session #2 Register
13.10.2026 - Networking session #3 Register
20.10.2026 - Q&A session #4 Register
Additional EFFEA Sessions will also take place in different countries throughout the call period, organised by EFFEA Platform Members, Associated Partners and Creative Europe Desks. Further dates and locations will be announced as they are confirmed.
“In today's Europe, it is so important to encourage creativity, to give space and time to emerging voices. Europe is now facing some troubles that we are not yet able to solve. It is not the artists’ job to solve social and political problems - but it is their duty to contribute to our society and communities with their creative input. These are often the inspiration for new solutions, new energy, new hope in the world.”
Haris Pašović, Chair of the EFFEA Jury
Ready to apply?
Identify the emerging artist you would like to support, build your festival partnership and choose the residency format that best responds to the artist’s stage of development.
Looking for partners? Explore festivals on FestivalFinder.eu, join the EFFEA Facebook Community or take part in the Networking Sessions on 29 September and 13 October.
Our Partners
The European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists is an initiative of the European Festivals Association, co-funded by the European Union.
EFFEA Platform Members: Croatian Composers Society (Croatia), Culture Matters (Czechia), PLMF Arts Management (Estonia), France Festivals (France), Stichting Caucasus Foundation (Georgia), German Centre - International Theatre Institute (Germany), Summa Artium Kultúra Támogató (Hungary), Association of Irish Festival Events (Ireland), ItaliaFestival (Italy), Kosovar Centre for New Music/ ReMusica (Kosovo), ARC Research and Consultancy (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.
Connect with us:
EFFEA website
Facebook
EFFEA Facebook community
For more information:
info@european-festivals.eu