Horizontal actions covering all cultural and creative sectors: support to cultural cooperation projects, networks of professional organisations, platforms for the promotion of European artists and works, individual mobility scheme.
Sector-specific support to complement horizontal actions in music, book & publishing, performing arts, cultural heritage and architecture as well as other sectors.
Special actions to reward and promote excellence and creativity such as the awards for literature, music, architecture and cultural heritage, European Capitals of Culture, and the European Heritage Label.
Main novelties of the Culture strand
2021-2027
- Stronger emphasis on European transnational creation, circulation of works, and innovation in the culture and creative sectors
- Easier access to Creative Europe funding through higher co-financing rates
- Culture Moves Europe, a tailor-made mobility scheme for artists, cultural professionals and host organisations
- Actions targeting sector-specific needs in music, literature, architecture, cultural heritage, design, fashion and cultural tourism
Cooperation across borders
The Cooperation projects scheme is the key pillar of the Culture strand with 70% of the overall Culture budget.
Its main objectives are innovation and transnational creation & circulation, targeting the following priorities:
- audience development and engagement
- social inclusion
- environment & sustainability
- new technology
- international dimension
- sector-specific priorities
There are three categories of Cooperation projects:
SMALL SCALE:
min. 3 entities from 3 different countries | max. 80% co-funding & max.
200 000 €.
MEDIUM SCALE:
min. 5 entities from 5 different countries | max. 70% co-funding & max.
1 000 000 €.
LARGE SCALE: min. 10 entities from 10 different countries | max. 60% co-funding & max. 2 000 000 €.
Cooperation projects calls are launched yearly throughout the whole programme period.
Status: Open
Deadline: May 13, 2025 | 17:00:00 Brussels time
European networks to connect organisations across Europe
Networks are a great instrument for reinforcing the cultural and creative sectors. Networks funded by Creative Europe provide value in the following ways:
- connecting professional organisations throughout Europe and beyond
- collecting and disseminating data, information, practices, ideas, and solutions
- providing training and advice to professionals
- representing the sectors and advocating on their behalf on key sectoral issues
This action supports projects implemented by highly representative, multi-country, membership-based networks of European cultural organisations, which cover a wide range of Creative Europe participating countries. The current call was published in November 2023 and will cover a 4-year period from 2024-2027.
Network projects running in 2024-2027, can be supported with a max. grant amount of 1 200 000 € and the max. funding rate is 80%.
Status: Closed
Platforms to showcase European talent
The European platforms scheme was introduced at the beginning of the previous programme to help cultural operators increase the visibility, programming and promotion of European emerging artists and works in Europe and beyond.
The European platforms projects supports organisations to:
- showcase and promote European creators and artists, especially emerging talent, through genuine Europe-wide programming
- collaborate to help professionals to develop their skills, internationalise their careers and contribute to the competitiveness of the European culture and creative sectors.
The current call will cover a 4-year period from 2024-2027 and was published in October 2023.
Platform projects running in 2024-2027 can be supported with a max. grant amount of 2 800 000 € and the max. funding rate is 80%.
Status: Closed
Circulation of European literary works
This scheme supports projects that will translate, publish, distribute and promote works of fiction, while building partnerships. In addition to this import strategy, proposals can also include business-to-business “export” activities to help foster the sales of translation rights in Europe and beyond.
Projects should contribute to the following objectives:
- strengthening the transnational circulation and diversity of European literary works in particular by encouraging translations from lesser used languages into English, German, French, Spanish (Castilian) and Italian
- reaching new audiences for European literary works in the EU and beyond
- strengthening the competitiveness of the book sector by encouraging cooperation within the book value chain
The call for Circulation of European literary works is published yearly throughout the whole programme period.
The max. funding rate is 60%; there are three different scales of projects following the number of books to be translated and promoted by the project:
- SMALL SCALE: min. 5 different books, max. grant amount:
100 000 €. - MEDIUM SCALE: min. 11 different books, max. grant amount:
200 000 €. - LARGE SCALE: min. 21 different books, max. grant amount:
300 000 €. [Multi-beneficiaries only]
Culture Moves Europe
Culture Moves Europe is a new permanent mobility scheme for artists, creators and cultural professionals, with a budget of 21 € million between 2022 and 2025. The aim of this mobility grant is to help (emerging) artists and cultural professionals to develop international collaborations and co-productions, thus contributing to both their professional development and the internationalisation of their careers.
The grant will help cover travel and accommodation costs, as well as daily expenses. Additionally, the funding can be adapted in view of specific needs (top-ups granted for programme beneficiaries living with disabilities, travelling with young children, or requiring a Visa). Sustainability lies at the core of the programme, which is why a Green top-up is awarded to projects relying on sustainable travel.
Projects should pursue one of the following objectives:
- Explore and get inspired by Europe’s rich cultural heritage
- Co-create or co-develop with international partners
- Learn by participating in non-formal learning
- Connect and deepen international relationships
- Transform by contributing to societal change in line with the New European Bauhaus values and principles (residency action only)
The scheme is divided into two separate actions:
Individual mobility action
The individual mobility action offers financial support to individuals who travel between 7 and 60 days or groups of up to 5 persons who travel between 7 and 21 days.
Rolling calls every year between autumn and spring, with cut-off dates on the last day of every month.
Status: Closed
Next call: Autumn 2025
Residency action
The residency action is aimed at legal entities that organise residencies and are interested in hosting groups of artists and cultural professionals from Creative Europe countries of up to 5 people.
Status: Closed
Next call: Autumn 2025 (tbc)
Other initiatives, prizes and labels
Beyond the regular calls for funding, Creative Europe includes additional opportunities, as well as prizes and labels:
- Music Moves Europe Talent Awards, EU prize for popular and contemporary music
- European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards for best practices related to heritage conservation, management, research, education and communication
- European Union Prize for Literature
- Mies van der Rohe Awards, EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture
- European Capitals of Culture
- European Heritage Label, attributed to cultural sites with a symbolic European value
- The pan-European cultural entities call (2021) is supporting orchestras whose aim is to offer training, professionalisation and performance opportunities for young, highly talented artists.
