Organizer Information
The European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA) is an initiative of the European Festivals Association (EFA), co-funded by the European Union. EFFEA connects festivals across countries to support emerging artists through international residencies, artistic development, networking and presentation opportunities. The programme defines “emerging” not by age, but by an artist’s novelty to programmers and audiences and their potential for international breakthrough.
Title & Description
European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA Fund) Call #5
EFFEA Call #5 supports approximately 50 international residencies in 2027, bringing together at least 150 festivals and emerging artists from different countries. The programme gives artists dedicated time, space and professional support to develop new work or advance existing projects while establishing connections with festival programmers, artistic communities and audiences across borders.
Two residency categories are available:
- EFFEA Discovery: For artists at an early stage of their careers who demonstrate strong international potential. 40 grants of €8,000 are available.
- EFFEA Springboard: For artists already established in their home country and ready to expand internationally. 10 grants of €15,000 are available.
Categories
- Architecture
- Ballet
- Contemporary Dance
- Circus
- Design/Applied Arts
- Digital Arts; Film
- Folklore and Folk Arts
- Heritage
- Interdisciplinary Arts
- Literature
- Music
- Opera
- Street Art
- Theatre
- Photography/Video
- Puppetry
- Sculpture
- Painting
Eligibility
The residency must involve at least three festivals from three eligible countries: one leading festival and at least two partner festivals. Festivals must have organised at least one edition and must be registered on FestivalFinder.eu before applying.
Proposed artists may be individual artists, collectives, companies, ensembles or groups of any age and nationality, provided they have nationality or legal residence in an eligible country.
Leading festivals and artists may be based 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 or Ukraine. Festivals in Israel, Palestine, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK may participate as partner festivals only; artists from these countries may also be proposed.
Program Benefits & Awards
Discovery: €8,000 grant, including a work-in-progress or production-result presentation, a workshop involving programmers from partner festivals, an EFFEA film and participation in EFFEA seminars.
Springboard: €15,000 grant, including at least three presentations across the participating festivals, a live artist-led masterclass in at least three countries, an EFFEA film and participation in EFFEA seminars.
At least 80% of the grant must cover artist-related costs, such as fees, travel, accommodation and subsistence. Up to 20% may support residency-related production, communication and promotion.
Application Fee
No application fee is specified. However, the participating festival contributes €1,000 for Discovery or €2,000 for Springboard, deducted from the grant.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 3 November 2026
- Jury evaluation: November 2026
- Results: December 2026
- Residency implementation: 1 January–31 December 2027
- EFFEA Intake Seminar: 26 January 2027
- EFFEA Outtake Seminar: 21 September 2027
- Final reporting deadline: 31 January 2028
Location
Europe
Additional Details
The leading festival must submit letters of intent from the proposed artist and partner festivals, together with a detailed budget. The residency should demonstrate relevance to the artist’s career, international potential, quality of partnership, sustainability, impact and fair remuneration. Previous EFFEA Discovery recipients cannot receive another Discovery grant, while previous Springboard recipients are not eligible for further EFFEA support.