The European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA), an initiative of the European Festivals Association, supports festival-led residencies in 2027. Call 5 offers 40 Discovery awards and ten Springboard awards. Official programme details.
Funding after deductions
Discovery has a €8,000 headline award with €1,000 deducted, leaving €7,000. Springboard has a €15,000 award with €2,000 deducted, leaving €13,000. Payments are staged. At least 80% of the grant value must cover artist costs; this is not unrestricted or necessarily full-cost funding.
Who applies?
A leading festival applies with at least two partner festivals from three different eligible countries. The required festivals must have held an edition and be registered on FestivalFinder.eu. Artists cannot apply alone. Previous Discovery artists cannot repeat Discovery but can progress to Springboard; previous Springboard recipients are excluded from further support.
Leading-festival countries are Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia and Ukraine.
Israel, Palestine, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK may supply partner festivals, not leads. Artists must meet the eligible nationality/residence rules. The call allows nationality or legal residence; the FAQ specifies legal residence, so nationality-only applicants should clarify their position with EFFEA.
Residency and application
Discovery supports early international development and requires a presentation and workshop. Springboard supports artists ready to expand internationally, with presentations and live masterclasses across the three countries. Both include a film and EFFEA seminars.
The leading festival submits online with artist/partner letters of intent and the mandatory budget template by 3 November 2026. No cutoff time or timezone is stated.
Frequently asked questions
Is EFA membership compulsory? No; FestivalFinder registration is.
What should partners agree before submitting? Assign responsibility for travel, artist fees, production and reporting, then check that the net payment and cash-flow schedule support the proposed activities.
Independent opportunity summary. This publisher is not the recruiting organisation or funder, does not select applicants and cannot guarantee an award. Apply through the official routes and check current terms before submitting.
