The European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists, an initiative of the European Festivals Association, will continue its work for another four years, from 2025 to 2028.
The European Festivals Association (EFA) has successfully secured a Creative Europe grant under the European Platforms for the Promotion of Emerging Artists strand for its European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA) project. This renewed support will provide critical resources for EFA’s work, empowering festivals and supporting emerging talents across Europe and beyond.
EFFEA will offer 50 annual grants for artistic residencies, engaging 50 emerging artists and 150 festivals in joint programming each year. The Fund will continue to address the needs of artists and festivals by developing tools and fostering collaboration between emerging talents, festival organisers, and audiences across Europe.
Between 2021 and 2024, EFFEA supported over 150 emerging artists (individuals and groups) and 470 festivals across 36 countries and 18 artistic disciplines. Beyond the numbers, EFFEA has proven essential in providing emerging artists with the time, space, and support they need to develop their creative work. Through these residencies, artists build lasting relationships with festivals and audiences, ensuring opportunities for sustainable collaboration beyond singular presentations. Through their unique perspectives, EFFEA Artists bring forth contemporary and pressing issues to audiences.
EFFEA’s objectives are part of EFA’s broader mission to support and advocate for festivals. Since its foundation in 1952, EFA has represented, connected, and advocated for arts festivals, cities, and regions across Europe and beyond. By supporting local initiatives and giving them an international voice, EFA strengthens advocacy and policy within the Cultural and Creative Sectors (CCS). This collaborative and bottom-up approach ensures that festival professionals remain competitive, visible, and influential in shaping Europe’s cultural landscape.
Next Call for festivals to support emerging artists
The next EFFEA Call will be announced in the second half of 2025 and will support residencies occurring in 2026. More details will follow. To stay updated, please visit the website news section and Facebook page regularly. We also encourage you to join the EFFEA Facebook Community, a platform where you can connect with fellow artists and festival organisers.