Open Call: European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA)

The European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists – EFFEA, an initiative of the European Festivals Association, opens a call to festivals to support emerging artists across Europe. EFFEA is a system built to empower festivals and offer emerging artists a platform to establish themselves on the international stage.

EFFEA Call #3 will support approximately 50 residencies involving 50 emerging artists in the seat of 50 leading festivals in collaboration with a minimum of one (Discovery category) or two partner festivals (Springboard category) each. Approximately 40 grants of €8,000 will be awarded under the Discovery category and 10 grants of €15,000 will be allocated to the Springboard category. The artistic residencies should take place between 1 June 2024 and 31 May 2025.

What is EFFEA?

Festivals act as fertile ground for tapping into and expanding talents. They are spaces of exchange between artists and the public, facilitate connections among artists themselves and with other professionals. Festivals are alchemists of innovation, curators of risk-taking endeavours, both guardians and intermediary springboards for artists across artistic disciplines. The European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists – EFFEA, an initiative of the European Festivals Association, is a system built to empower festivals and offer emerging artists a platform to establish themselves on the international stage. EFFEA extends an open invitation for festivals to work across borders and create a network of colleagues with shared goals. It recognises that the future lies in the synergy of diverse perspectives and collective efforts. Through EFFEA, festivals join hands to foster the success of emerging artists. The activities supported by the EFFEA Residencies offer time and space for artists to develop specific ideas and, eventually, present them to the audience.

The activities supported by the EFFEA Residencies offer time and space for artists to develop specific ideas and, eventually, present them to the audience.

What is the EFFEA residency? 

EFFEA is an artist-in-residence programme aimed at fostering the international career of emerging artists. Co-produced by a leading festival in collaboration with partner festivals, each from a different eligible country, the residency provides emerging artists with dedicated time, space and support to explore their ideas and creative projects, whether original works or the evolution of existing ones. Within this framework, artists forge intimate ties with festival programmers, emphasising a commitment beyond a singular presentation. The goal is to establish lasting and meaningful connections between artists, festivals, and audiences.

Application deadline: 19th March, 2024 at 23:59 CET. 

To learn more about EFFEA, the call details, eligibility criteria, and grant categories, explore the how to apply and Frequently Asked Questions sections. You can find the call document and necessary templates on the application page.

Download the full EEFEA Call #3 here.

EFFEA sessions

During the open call, join festival colleagues and artists for info, networking and Q&A sessions. These provide a platform to connect with potential partner festivals and artists while finding relevant answers to your questions. Save the dates for the upcoming sessions:

In addition, keep an eye out for decentralised info sessions with EFFEA Platform Members and Creative Europe desks in your region.

For more information: Donika Rudi Berishaj, EFFEA Coordinator: donika@efa-aef.eu and Luana Santos, Communication and Administration Assistant: luana@efa-aef.eu

Apply here