The following calls may interest organisations working in heritage interpretation, museums, and cultural heritage. 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

European Cooperation Projects (Creative Europe)

Under the Creative Europe Programme, the European Cooperation Projects call supports cross-border cultural collaboration.
Deadline: 5 May 2026
https://culture.ec.europa.eu/news/2026-creative-europe-call-for-european-cooperation-projects-open
Projects may focus on:

• transnational cooperation between cultural organisations
• innovative cultural practices
• audience development and participation
• sustainability and inclusion in cultural work

Projects must involve multiple partners from different European countries, making them well suited for networks of heritage sites, museums, and interpretation organisations.

Creative Innovation Lab

Also part of Creative Europe’s cross-sectoral strand, this call supports experimentation and innovation across cultural sectors.
Deadline: 23 April 2026
https://creativeeurope.in.ua/en/call/crea_cross_2026_innovlab
Topics include:

• digital tools and new cultural business models
• AI and immersive technologies
• cross-sector collaboration (e.g. heritage, audiovisual, gaming.

This may be relevant for projects exploring digital interpretation means, virtual exhibitions, and similar

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

Cultural initiatives linked to the New European Bauhaus

Projects combining culture, sustainability, and community engagement may also find opportunities linked to the New European Bauhaus. https://new-european-bauhaus.europa.eu

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

LIFE Programme

The LIFE Programme is the EU’s main funding instrument for nature conservation, biodiversity protection, and environmental action. It supports projects implemented by NGOs, public authorities, universities, and other organisations.
Typical projects range from €1–5 million and run for 3–5 years.

2026 Calls
Expected publication: 21 April 2026
LIFE Info Days: 28–30 April 2026
https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/life-calls-proposals-2026_en
Key sub-programmes include:

• Nature and Biodiversity – habitat restoration, species protection, Natura 2000 management
• Circular Economy and Quality of Life – pollution reduction, environmental solutions
• Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
• Clean Energy Transition

This programme is particularly relevant for natural heritage organisations, including projects focused on:

• biodiversity conservation
• ecosystem restoration
• nature interpretation and visitor engagement in protected areas
• community participation in nature protection

Horizon Europe – Cluster 6

The EU research programme Horizon Europe funds research and innovation on biodiversity and ecosystems.
Upcoming call (2026) opening: 17 April 2026
https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe/cluster-6-food-bioeconomy-natural-resources-agriculture-and-environment_en
These calls are best suited to research institutes, universities, and large partnerships, but NGOs and heritage organisations can participate as partners.

To cite this article: IE News Team (2026) “Funding opportunities”, Interpret Europe Newsletter Spring 2026, p. 30–31.
Available online: Interpret Europe Newsletter Spring 2026.

Tender Document

Deadline for proposals: 7 July!

As we know, heritage is no longer the exclusive domain of the expert, primarily for conservation purposes. Instead, people are playing an active role in creating, protecting and transforming heritage by making it part of their lives.

Empaths (Empowering landscapes with participatory approaches to heritage interpretation skills) is a new 30-month EU Erasmus+ project for IE that reflects this shift and, together with ongoing actions such as the Learning Landscapes initiative, will deepen our knowledge and approaches to value-based and people-centred heritage interpretation. Indeed, Empaths itself focuses on participatory meaning- making, involving heritage professionals and local communities.

After a period of research which is almost finished, the goal for the rest of 2025 and 2026 is to develop and test a new training programme to upskill heritage professionals with the participatory competencies they need to effectively engage communities in meaning-making processes related to their heritage.

IE is working with two other training and technical providers in Greece and Italy, each paired with piloting partners who will test the training course in their local areas with local heritage professionals and community representatives. These include an ethnological museum in NE Greece, an archaeological park near Naples and a Geopark on the Austrian/Slovenian border.

You can find out more about the project, the partners and the latest activities in this first newsletter, as well as a link to subscribe to receive future editions directly to your inbox.

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 

To cite this article: IE News Team (2024) ‘Creative Europe Programme‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 4-2024, pg.20. Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Newsletter-2024_4.pdf

To cite this article: IE News Team (2024) ‘Culture Moves Europe‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 3-2024, pg.24.
Available online: PDF-Newsletter_2024_3.pdf

IE has secured financial support for its activities, which so far largely depended on membership fees, and will allow us to operate on another level. We have received a considerable financial boost from the Creative Europe Networks programme, which is an activity-based grant to sole beneficiaries, and this amounts to 800,000 euros over four years. While this doesn’t seem a lot for an international organisation which has already achieved considerable recognition and developed a cutting-edge training programme, it is nothing less than 400% of our previous annual budget!
The aforementioned international recognition and all the past achievements provided an excellent basis for building a winning proposal. Out of more than 100 applications, 38 received funding. IE proved that heritage interpretation is very much relevant for EU heritage policies, challenges and solutions in the 21st century, and we will use the grant to deliver our core aims through the HI-People project.
What is the HI-People project about?
It is built around four main areas: Training, networking, advocacy and policy. We needed to fulfil the call priorities: International collaboration, culture that involves people, fostering climate action, and sustainable digitalisation. While these were only general requirements, we were keen on enhancing our existing activities as well as including some of the ones from our ‘wish list’.
What can members expect in the next four years?
We’ll organise several international courses in English language and particular groups of members will be eligible for a scholarship; a mentoring scheme will support interpreters that sell their services on the open market; a new module on digital interpretation will be developed; a new cycle of the Learning landscape initiative will involve regions that are keen on developing interpretation holistically. Published guidelines will showcase good practice and establish clear standards for interpreting sustainability and implementing meaningful digital interpretation.
IE will also work with international organisations and involve members in discussions about the guidelines and principles of value-based and people-centred heritage interpretation, a code of ethics and other policy documents that will pave the way to a more recognised profession, better working standards for freelancers and recognition of the importance of interpreters in collaboration projects.
Members will be able to securely connect with each other through a platform that will be built to meet their networking needs, and we’ll continue providing interesting career-supportive content through webinars, publications, conferences, podcasts and much more.
Another project that was approved in parallel is EMPATHS, an Erasmus+ funded collaboration project in which IE as a lead partner will, in partnership with five other organisations, further develop the training for interpretive agents. This training is now being pilot tested within the Learning landscape initiative, supported by UNESCO, and will train interpreters that are keen on promoting heritage interpretation to decision makers and launch participative processes that involve communities in the planning of interpretive strategies.
Members can count on lively engagement and timely communication about all future opportunities. We are excited to start this next chapter of IE and are ready to move up a gear. We look forward to our journey together!

To cite this article: IE Management (2024) ‘We are shifting into fifth gear‘ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 3-2024, pg.5.
Available online: PDF-Newsletter_2024_3.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 website for suitable opportunities that could support your projects and strategic partnership collaborations with other colleagues:
https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/funding

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

To cite this article: IE News Team(2024) ‘Erasmus+’ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 2-2024, pg.24.
Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PDF-Newsletter-2024_2.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