Please always check the original links for full, up-to-date details and how to apply. 

A good place to start is the overview of open calls maintained by the European Commission:
https://culture.ec.europa.eu/funding/calls

Tip: Many EU programmes require international partnerships, so organisations considering applying should start exploring potential partners and project ideas well ahead of the deadlines.

Call for expressions of interest to establish a pool of experts to the Panel for the European Capital of Culture Action

Deadline 30 September 2027.

More information: https://culture.ec.europa.eu/funding/calls/call-for-expressions-of-interest-to-establish-a-pool-of-experts-to-the-panel-for-the-european-capital-of-culture-action-0 

Research and Innovation Projects (Horizon Europe)

The EU research programme Horizon Europe regularly publishes calls under Cluster 2: Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society.

These calls often support research and pilot projects on themes such as:

• participatory heritage and cultural engagement
• digital transformation of heritage
• social inclusion through culture

More information:

https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en

AgoraEU – Up to 10.7 billion Euros will be available for projects during 2028-2034

This new integrated EU funding stream will merge the Creative Europe and CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights & Values) programmes. 

It will be organised around three pillars:

• Creative Europe – Culture: Supports cross-border cultural creation, artistic freedom, and the international circulation of cultural and creative works
• MEDIA+: Boosts the competitiveness of Europe’s audiovisual and video game industries while actively funding and safeguarding independent journalism and news media diversity
• CERV+: Promotes fundamental rights, equality, active civic participation, and strengthens democratic engagement and the rule of law

The programme aims to:

• Defend against AI
• Fight disinformation
• Simplify access

Updates will be posted on the Culture Action Europe website:

https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en

To cite this article: IE News Team (2026), Funding opportunities, Interpret Europe Newsletter – Summer 2026, p. 32. Available online: IE newsletter 2026-2 summer

IE’s Office Manager recently participated as a grantee in the Culture Moves Europe programme — an excellent opportunity for creative practitioners, museologists, artists, and professionals working in the cultural sector.

Through this funding, a study visit was organised to the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, Sweden — the country’s largest art museum and one of the oldest in Europe, originally founded in 1792. The museum houses an extensive collection of paintings, sculptures, drawings, and applied arts from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century.

The focus of the visit was to learn more about the museum’s educational programmes, including:

• Adult workshops – Workshops centered on artworks from the permanent collection, offered both in-person and through digital formats to enhance accessibility;
• Accessibility initiatives – Programmes designed to involve people with dementia, and individuals who are deaf or visually impaired, through adapted guides and tailored activities;
• Collaboration with schools – A day spent alongside teachers from various schools provided insight into how the museum engages pupils and integrates museum resources into education.

The visit also included participation in Kulturnatt Stockholm (‘Culture Night’), a major citywide event during which museums remained open until midnight, offering free admission and a diverse array of activities for visitors.

The experience offered a deeper understanding of the educational, accessibility, and community engagement programmes run by one of Europe’s most prestigious museums.

Culture Moves Europe supports the mobility of artists and cultural professionals across all 40 Creative Europe countries. It covers the sectors of architecture, cultural heritage, design and fashion design, literature, music, performing arts, and visual arts. With a budget of €21 million for its first phase (2022–2025), it is the largest European mobility scheme for the cultural sector to-date. It is funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union and implemented by the Goethe-Institut.

The next phase of Culture Moves Europe is expected to launch in mid-2025. More information will be available on the European Commission website: 

https://culture.ec.europa.eu/creative-europe/creative-europe-culture-strand/culture-moves-europe

To cite this article: IE Office Team  (2025)  ‘Creative Europe Programme‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 1-2025, pg.24.
Available online: PDF Newsletter Spring 2025 

Erasmus+ is the EU’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe, with an estimated budget of €26.2 billion.
The 2021-2027 programme places a strong focus on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions, and promoting young people’s participation in democratic life.
New Erasmus+ calls are due out in the spring and so now is a good time to start getting ready to apply – either mobilising your individual projects or building strategic partnerships for innovations.

Keep an eye on the website for the new calls: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/funding 

Opportunities for organisations: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/opportunities/opportunities-for-organisations 

Five things you need to know about the new calls: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/news/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-erasmus-call-2024 

You could also use this funding source to help organise international IE training courses in your area. If you and your organisation seek capacity building opportunities for heritage interpretation and you would like to organise an IE course in your institution, why not tap into Erasmus+ mobility grants. 

Our members from Poland  and Croatia have already organised a simple training project before. You can read their article here (https://interpret-europe.net/ie-activities/2023/interpreting-our-museums/), get inspired for something similar and don’t hesitate to get in touch for further advice.

To cite this article: IE News Team (2023) ‘Erasmus+ for projects and training‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 4-2023, pg.18.
Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IE-Newsletter-2023_4-winter.pdf

Erasmus+ is the EU’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe, with an estimated budget of €26.2 billion. 

The 2021-2027 programme places a strong focus on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions, and promoting young people’s participation in democratic life.

Keep an eye on the Erasmus+ website for the latest open calls and opportunities to get involved. There are current opportunities for higher education institutions to get involved with various cut off deadlines until April 2027.

There are often also opportunities for organisations and individuals.

https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/funding

To cite this article:  IE News Team (2023) ‘Erasmus+‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 2-2023, pg. 30.
Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Newsletter-2023_2-summer.pdf

Horizon Europe work programme 2023-24 

€13.5 billion available through this fund for cultural heritage and cultural and creative industries.

On 6 December the European Commission officially adopted the main Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023-24, with a budget of around €13.5 billion out of the Horizon Europe total budget of €95.5 billion. The first calls for proposals are now open on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. 

All research topics on cultural heritage and cultural and creative industries are under cluster 2 “culture, creativity and inclusive society”, while cluster 5 “climate, energy and mobility” contains a topic on future-proofing of historical buildings for clean energy transition. 

The Commission is offering Horizon Europe Information Days targeting potential applicants. The info day on Cluster 2 will take place on  17 January 2023. More detailed information is available in this press release. 

Culture Moves Europe 2022-2025
€21 million available under the Creative Europe programme – Europe’s largest mobility scheme for artists and cultural professionals.

On 10 October, the European Commission launched Culture Moves Europe, its new permanent mobility scheme for artists and cultural professionals, as well as a first call for individual mobility. A total budget of €21 million is available under the Creative Europe programme for a three-year-period (2022-2025). This makes Culture Moves Europe the largest European mobility scheme for artists and cultural professionals targeting all Creative Europe countries and sectors covered by the Culture Strand of the programme. 

The mobility scheme is particularly focused on emerging artists. Culture Moves Europe will allow around 7,000 artists, creators, and cultural professionals to go abroad for professional development or international collaborations, to co-produce, to co-create, and to present their works to new audiences. More information can be found here.

New European Bauhaus call under EU Cohesion Policy
€50 million available for innovative projects in cities – up to €5 million per project.

On 11 October, the European Urban Initiative launched a €50 million call to support urban innovation and cities’ capabilities to promote sustainable urban development. This call is a perfect translation into practice of the core values of the New European Bauhaus (NEB): aesthetics, sustainability, and inclusion. The NEB is a creative and interdisciplinary initiative in the making; connecting the European Green Deal to our living spaces and experiences. 

The call will allow the second generation of NEB demonstrators to be implemented after the first six projects that were financed under Horizon Europe. Each project can receive up to €5 million. Part of this allocation will support the transfer of these innovative solutions to other cities in Europe to have an even bigger societal impact. Cities are invited to present project ideas on four associated themes most relevant to mobilise Cohesion policy at wider scale: circular economy and carbon neutrality; preservation of cultural heritage; adaptation of buildings for affordable housing solutions; and regeneration of urban spaces. The European Urban Initiative is part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).  

The call is open until 19 January 2023 – 2pm. More information here.

New European Bauhaus prizes
15 winners could receive up to €30,000 for projects highlighting how to reach a more sustainable and inclusive future.

On 6 December, the European Commission launched the 3rd edition of the New European Bauhaus prizes. Applications are open until 31 January 2023 at 19:00 CET. The goal of the prizes remains unchanged: to highlight outstanding projects and ideas that bring people together to build a more beautiful, sustainable and inclusive future. 

The 2023 edition introduces two novelties: applications are open to the Western Balkans, in addition to the EU Member States; and a new education and learning strand has been added to celebrate the upcoming European Year of Skills. 

Each of the 15 winners will receive up to €30,000 and a communications package. More info can be found on the dedicated platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and the New European Bauhaus website. Also have a look at the press release and questions and answers webpage.

Two new tools launched on the Creatives Unite platform

Creatives Unite, set up to respond to the covid crisis and beyond, has launched: ‘So you need money’ and ‘My intellectual property’.

On 11 October, these two new features were launched on the Creatives Unite platform: 

• So, You Need Money? guides CCS professionals through 700 different private finance and national public funding providers. The goal is to raise awareness among the CCS about different financing instruments, to provide an overview of long-term opportunities tailored to users’ specific needs and to provide capacity-building through inspiring cases, useful toolkits, etc. This tool is envisaged to be complementary to the CulturEU funding guide, and to provide information on financing resources which are not covered by it.
• My Intellectual Property gathers over 250 available Intellectual Property (IP) tools specialised for CCS, with the goal of making the CCI-related IP information/sources/tools (available in different languages) directly accessible for the final users, i.e. businesses and professionals in the CCI, to increase their awareness and use of IP.  

The Creatives Unite platform was set up with the help of the Commission and the European Parliament Pilot project FLIP (Finance, Learning, Innovation and Patenting for CCIs). The Creatives Unite platform offers a common space for all cultural and creative sectors in Europe and further afield to share their initiatives and actions in response to the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

To cite this article: IE News Team (2022) ‘Funding opportunities and support’ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 4-2022, pg.27-28

Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Newsletter-2022_4-winter.pdf

The European Commission has developed a new online guide to ease access to the funding opportunities available for the cultural and creative sectors across all the funding sources of the European Union. It covers all funding sources for the years 2021-2027. The aim is to help players in these sectors identify the most suitable sources of EU support for their projects.

How it works
Answer a series of questions based on the sector you are working in, the type of organisation, and the support you are looking for. The results will enable you to narrow down the relevant funding sources and calls available that best suit you.

The results will be accompanied by the available budgets, application process of the different funding sources and a link to the specific programme or calls.

Take a look here and see if there’s anything for you:

https://ec.europa.eu/culture/funding/cultureu-funding-guide?fbclid=IwAR1DmL7M5JF115RrS9_W2429buqZeevsu9jSQPcm_jVPdzzF5G5b_dSlctQ

Good luck!

The Creative Europe Programme was adopted on 20 May 2021. You can find it in all EU official languages here. See the official press release here. More details of the programme are available here:  launch of the 2021-2027 Creative Europe programme.

The first calls under the culture strand are now open: Calls | Culture and Creativity (europa.eu)

2. Applications for Perform Europe are open

The deadline is short for this one so start preparing your application now! Read the guidelines here – available in English and all Creative Europe languages.

Applications opened on 15 June and will close on 7 July 23.59 CEST.

Subscribe to Perform Europe’s newsletter for information on when new calls are published.

3. iPortunus pilot scheme launches

This scheme is aimed at providing efficient residencies and working environments for creative individuals. It focuses on making real-life contacts with peers face-to-face, but recognises that the pandemic and a future that is less travel intense, more equally accessible and greener will favour blended digital/ real life programmes.

Round 1 closed on 30 June

Round 2 opens on 23 August

Find all the information you need here

4. Horizon Europe – Cluster 2

Cluster 2 of Horizon Europe, ‘Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Societies’, focuses on challenges related to democratic governance, cultural heritage and the creative economy, as well as social and economic transformations.

There are many cultural heritage relevant calls, including on:

• Preserving and enhancing cultural heritage with advanced digital technologies;
• Green technologies and materials for cultural heritage;
• New ways of participatory management and sustainable financing of museums and other cultural institutions;
• Effects of climate change and natural hazards on cultural heritage and remediation;
• Protection of artefacts and cultural goods from anthropogenic threats;
• Traditional crafts for the future: a new approach;
• Europe’s cultural heritage and arts – promoting our values at home and abroad;
• The New European Bauhaus – shaping a greener and fairer way of life in creative and inclusive societies through Architecture, Design and Arts

Further information can be found on europa.eu Funding and Tenders.

The deadline for applications is 7 October.

To cite this article: IE News Team (2021) ‘ EU Funding for Culture 2021-2027′in Interpret Europe Newsletter 2-2021, 33.

Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Newsletter-Summer-2021.pdf

There are three new project calls under the work programme entitled ‘Europe in a changing world – Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies’ and these cover several areas of culture, European museums, heritage sites and cultural tourism.

Europe’s cultural heritage sites and many more historical documents, monuments and historic buildings are in danger due to the increasing occurrence of disasters. Apart from losing our heritage, the culture and creative sectors, and related industries such as tourism and hospitality, rely heavily on the appeal and conservation of cultural heritage sites, documents and monuments.

Why not take a look at the below listed calls to see if one of your projects could fit the scope and criteria, or create partnership with other IE colleagues to apply for any of them?

Deadline for the project calls: 14 March 2020

Project calls:

1. Culture beyond borders – Facilitating innovation and research cooperation between European museums and heritage sites. Type of action: Coordination and Support action. Call link: Europe in a changing world – Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies

2. Innovative approaches to urban and regional development through cultural tourism. Type of action: Innovation action. Call link: Europe in a changing world – Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies

3. European Competence Centre for the preservation and conservation of Monuments and Site. Focus area: Digitising and transforming European industry and services (DT).Type of action: Coordination and support action.Call link: Europe in a changing world – Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies

Find out more about Horizon 2020 here:https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/what-horizon-2020 and the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 online manual has more information on how to find calls for funding and how to apply: https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/docs/h2020-funding-guide/index_en.htm

Good luck!
 

Cultural heritage is one of the sectors eligible for the Sector Skills Alliances Action (Lot 2: sector skills alliances for implementing a new strategic approach (blueprint) to sectoral cooperation on skills).

All the information you need on the submission of applications is available on the EACEA website and the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Cultural heritage is a horizontal priority for Strategic Partnerships under Erasmus+ 2020 annual work programme:

• Common values, civic engagement and participation: The Programme will support active citizenship and ethics in lifelong learning; it will foster the development of social and intercultural competences, critical thinking and media literacy. Priority will also be given to projects that offer opportunities for people’s participation in democratic life, social and civic engagement through formal or non-formal learning activities. The focus will also be on raising awareness on and understanding the European Union context, notably as regards the common EU values, the principles of unity and diversity, as well as their social, cultural and historical heritage
• Social and educational value of European cultural heritage, its contribution to job creation, economic growth and social cohesion: priority will be given to actions contributing to raising awareness of the importance of Europe’s cultural heritage through education, lifelong learning, informal and non-formal learning, youth as well as sport, including actions to support skills development, social inclusion, critical thinking and youth engagement. New participatory and intercultural approaches to heritage, as well as educational initiatives aimed at fostering intercultural dialogue involving teachers and pupils from an early age will be promoted

You can direct any questions regarding the call to: EACEA-EPLUS-SSA@ec.europa.eu.

• Strengthen transnational water management and flood risk prevention
• Foster sustainable use of natural and cultural heritage and resources
• Foster the restoration and management of ecological corridors
• Improve preparedness for environmental risk management

The total budget for Priority 2 is: €83,423,830. You can find further information at: http://www.interreg-danube.eu/relevant-documents/

Creative Europe
There is an open call for expressions of interest for the establishment of a pool of experts to potentially become members of the Panel for the EU action "European Capital of Culture". Interested experts are invited to send their application at any time before 31/12/2020.
You can find further information at: http://ec.europa.eu/culture/calls/general/2014-eac-14_en.htm

Horizon 2020
CULT-COOP-03-2017: Cultural literacy of young generations in Europe 
Cultural diversity is one of Europe’s most valuable assets and European educational and cultural systems need to cater for diversity and enable all citizens to build the skills and competencies needed for effective inter-cultural dialogue and mutual understanding. The challenge is about understanding how young people make sense of Europe and its differing cultures. The influences on young people are wide ranging, including formal education, family and cultural background and media. The aim is to gain a greater understanding of cultural literacy itself as a non-normative concept covering relevant culture-related knowledge, skills and competencies and how young people in particular acquire it.
The research to address this challenge should focus on one or two dimensions that have to be comprehensively addressed. The research may also cover other issues relevant for addressing the specific challenge.

1. Promoting cultural literacy through formal education

The European Commission considers that proposals in the order of €5,000,000 would be considered sufficient to address the challenge, but requests for other amounts for contributions from the EU may also be considered.
Expected Impact: Research under this topic will contribute to better understanding and enhancing cultural literacy for the young generations, which will lead to greater appreciation of diversity. Moreover, it will contribute to reinforcing demand for sustainable and creative uses of European cultural heritage. The research will involve policy-makers, stakeholders and educational practitioners for the development and uptake of teaching material and tools both for formal and informal education. This will also include testing innovative practices for enhancing cultural and inter-cultural competencies in their real-life context making reference also to the fight against stereotypes.

Type of Action: Research and Innovation action, opening: 04 Oct 2016, deadline 02 Feb 2017 

You can find further information at: https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/calls/h2020-sc6-cult-coop-2016-2017.html

Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme
The overarching objectives of the MED programme are to promote economic and social development and to address common challenges for the environment in countries in or around the Mediterranean Sea. Eligible countries are Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and the United Kingdom. 
More than €209,000,000 has been granted by the EU for the period 2014-2020. The call will address standard projects and be open to the four thematic objectives and 11 priorities of the Programme. The four thematic objectives are:

1. Small and medium-sized enterprises development
2. Support to education, research, technological development and innovation
3. Promotion of social inclusion and fight against poverty
4. Environmental protection, climate change adaptation and mitigation

There are three types of projects possible: standard projects, strategic projects and capitalisation projects. Standard projects will have a demonstration character, providing pilot examples in a specific field of expertise, while ensuring networking among relevant stakeholders. Strategic projects will guarantee a deeper focus on emerging needs identified by Terms of References. They will support an extended impact on the selected priorities and a clear contribution to EU and national policies in the region. Capitalisation projects will promote the exploitation and/or widest dissemination of the successful practices and results of previously financed projects.
The first call for proposals will be launched by the end of 2016. You can find further information at: http://www.enpicbcmed.eu/enicbcmed-2014-2020.

To cite this article:
Papathanasiou-Zuhrt, D. (2016) ’Current opportunities from European funding programmes‘. In Interpret Europe Newsletter 2-2016, 24

Available online:
http://www.interpret-europe.net/fileadmin/Documents/publications/Newsletters/ie-newsletter_2016-2_summer.pdf