WEBSITE ANNOUNCEMENT: Still seeing the old Culturefund.eu website? Our new website is live at http://www.culturefund.eu. Please update your bookmarks. This page will not be updated.

WEBSITE ANNOUNCEMENT: Still seeing the old Culturefund.eu website? Our new website is live at http://www.culturefund.eu. Please update your bookmarks. This page will not be updated.

Visiting Arts is the new UK Cultural Contact Point for European opportunities
Visiting Arts is delighted to announce that it is now the official UK Cultural Contact Point (CCP) for the European Commission’s Culture Programme.

The existing website www.culturefund.eu and the Alert e-newsletter will continue to provide the latest information on European funding. Email enquiries can still be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

NEWS: Strand 1.1 and Strand 1.2.1 - Application forms online

The application forms for Strand 1.1 (large cooperation projects) and Strand 1.2.1 (smaller cooperation projects) have now been published!

Download them from the Executive Agency for Education, Culture and Audiovisual website.

Event: EU funding seminar in Edinburgh in August

The EU Cultural Contact Point in the UK will run a seminar in Edinburgh on August 10th at 14h (during the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe Festival), about the Culture Programme and other European funding.
If you would like to know more about accessing European funding for arts and cultural projects, as well as tips on finding partners in other countries, then we will be happy to welcome you to Fringe Central (Appleton Tower, Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9LE, on Google maps) for a two-hour presentation and information session!
Book your place before the 30th July by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

If you are based in or near Edinburgh and you are applying for Culture programme funding for the October deadline, UK CCP staff will be in Edinburgh between 10 and 20 August and available to meet with anyone who is preparing an application. Send us an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are interested and we will get back in touch and arrange a meeting.

Event: Workshops for applicants for co-operation projects of the EU Culture Programme
The Cultural Contact Point is running two workshops for applicants to the Strand 1 ‘co-operation projects’ where we will go through the application form in detail with you, explaining the requirements and other relevant issues, and answering queries you may have about your own project. You will be asked to send a copy of the project summary part of your application in advance of the workshop.
The workshops will take place from 1.30pm to 4.30pm in London on 1 September (venue to be confirmed) and in Manchester on 2 September (Arts Council England office on Google Maps). Registrations will start at 1pm.

The delegate fee for this event is £20 (no VAT).

You can book place on the following website: http://ccpworkshopsuk.eventbrite.com

New Deadline Dates

Please note that there have been some changes to the 2010 deadlines for some of the Culture programme strands: the deadline for Strand 2 operating grants is 15 September 2010 and the deadline for Strand 1.3.6 Festivals (new) is 15 November 2010.

Updated Culture Programme Guide now published! The European Commission's Executive Agency has updated the Culture Programme guide. This is an essential read for making an application. Click here to view the May 2010 update.

Next deadline? View all upcoming and recently past deadlines now at deadlines.culture.info

Contact Details

Cultural Contact Point UK: Visiting Arts
4.01 & 4.02 Enterprise House, 1 – 2 Hatfields, London SE1 9PG
Phone +44 (0)20 7960 9631 | Fax 020 7960 9643
Email | Send us a message
Visit ccp.culture.info - a full list of Cultural Contact Points for the Programme

Subscribe to Alert! - News and Announcements from the UK Cultural Contact Point

Use our subscription form on the left to receive our monthly publication.

What is the Culture Programme?

The EU’s Culture programme (2007-2013) has a budget of €400 million for projects and initiatives to celebrate Europe’s cultural diversity and enhance our shared cultural heritage through the development of cross-border co-operation between cultural operators and institutions.

Strands of the Programme

Strand 1: Support for cultural actions
This strand, accounting approximately for about three-quarters of the programme's budget, aims to enable a wide range of cultural organisations coming from various eligible European countries to collaborate on cultural and artistic projects. This strand has five main sub-categories:

• 1.1 Multi-annual co-operation projects over a period of three to five years (deadline 1 October each year). This is for larger projects, lasting up to 5 years, with 6 or more partners from eligible European countries. For this strand, the maximum grant from the European Commission is 50% of the total eligible costs and no more than 500 000 euros per annum.
• 1.2.1 Co-operation projects over a maximum period of two years (deadline 1 October each year). This is for smaller projects, lasting 1-2 years, with 3 or more partners from eligible European countries. For this strand, the maximun grant from the European Commission is 50% of the total eligible costs, and between 50-200 000 euros for the overall project.
• 1.2.2 Literary translation projects (deadline on or near 1 February each year). This is for the translation of works of fiction (novels, plays, poetry, etc.) from/into one of the 23 eligible languages, plus Latin and Ancient Greek.
• 1.3.5 Co-operation with third countries over a maximum period of two years (deadline on or near 1 May each year). In this strand, you need 3 partners from eligible European countries, plus at least one partner from a third country outside the EU. The European Commission now specifies the third country for each deadline. For the May 2011 deadline, the country is Mexico and for the May 2012 deadline, it is South Africa.
• 1.3.6 European Cultural Festivals: covers a maximum period of twelve months for an annual grant, which corresponds to one Festival edition which would take place between 1 May 2011 and 30 April 2012, or over a maximum of a three years partnership for a multi-annual support, which must take place between 1 May 2011 and 30 April 2014. The next submission deadline is 15 November 2010. Applications can be made for both annual and multi-annual support (priority given to multi-annual grants which you can’t apply for subsequent years). Note that the maximum grant from the European Commission is 60% (up to 100.000 euros) of the total eligible costs for one edition of the festival and the key eligibility criteria are that the applying festival must have taken place at least five times and must feature at least 7 different countries in the Festival Programme.

Strand 1 also includes other special measures to support high profile projects of considerable scale and scope - such as the support for European Capitals of Culture, and prizes in the areas of literature, cultural heritage heritage, contemporary architecture and popular music – see the Related Links section for further resources.

Strand 2: Support for cultural bodies (deadline 15 Sep each year for annual grants; 15 Sep 2010 for organisations seeking 3 year grants) This strand, with about 10% of the programme's budget, supports cultural bodies working at the European level: networks, cultural ambassadors and policy support structures. These bodies may encourage exchanges between cultural organisations in different European countries, identify the European artistic community's needs, represent the sector in dealing with EU institutions, participate in the public debate on cultural issues, and act as European cultural ambassadors.

Strand 3: Support for analysis and dissemination activities. This strand, with about 5% of the programme's budget, aims to support analysis and dissemination activities in order to raise awareness of the Culture programme and its activities. The first focus is on providing support for analyses in the field of cultural co-operation and policy development – these are awarded via tenders issued by the European Commission. The second is by supporting the Cultural Contact Points which will ensure the effective grassroots dissemination of practical and targeted information on the programme in all participating countries. The final focus is on supporting the collection and dissemination of information, so that cultural operators can make use of the output and results of already EU-funded projects.

Advice from the UK Contact Point

There is good news and bad news about strands 1.1, 1.2.1 and 1.3 of this programme:

• The good news is that this is one of the easier EU programmes to apply for - recent changes have considerably simplified the criteria and the application procedures.
• The bad news for some is that the focus of the programme is only on co-operation projects involving at least 3 partner organisations (not individuals) from at least 3 different eligible European countries.

To be eligible, projects must be a genuine cultural collaboration between at least three cultural organisations from at least three different eligible European countries. "Culture" includes all aspects of performing arts, visual arts, literature and heritage - but it excludes audiovisual projects (these are covered under the MEDIA programme for the audiovisual sector).

You should also be aware that the European Commission is keen to support "interdisciplinary" projects covering several cultural areas or heritage and / or projects which address the theme of "intercultural dialogue" (which aims "to strengthen respect for cultural diversity...to support the coexistence of different cultural identities & beliefs...to acknowledge the contribution of different cultures to the EU member states' heritage & way of life..."). There is also a strand for literary translation projects (see above).

The EU will provide up to 50% of the costs of such projects.

THE CULTURE PROGRAMME DOES NOT SUPPORT TOURS OR BILATERAL EXCHANGES OR CAPITAL PROJECTS OR THE PURCHASE OF EQUIPMENT OR ACTIVITIES JUST HAPPENING IN ONLY ONE COUNTRY (or activities "dressed up" to look European but which are actually just pretending to be European to try to access these funds).

If you are interested in the Culture programme or any other EU funding opportunities, why not also book a place on EUCLID's popular, helpful and interesting CulturEuro seminars?

Find a project partner

Add your own partner search listing and look for partners: Visit partners.culture.info

Other databases for the Culture Programme and listings of cultural organisations across Europe can be found at the following websites:

• Official CCP Partner Search Database
• Partner Search Database Croatia

• Partner Search Database Slovenia

In addition, Culture.Info provides online listings of key national and regional networks, agencies and organisations for nearly 50 European countries, as well as the UK:

• Europe (46 country pages)
• UK (for those outside the UK seeking UK partners)

Also visit: connect.culture.info or mobility.culture.info- helping artists and cultural organisations work internationally

How to apply

The Culture Programme runs from 2007 to 2013 and applications must be submitted to the European Commission's Executive Agency (EACEA) based in Brussels. While the UK CCP will provide you with advice and support on how to apply to the programme, we do not provide the funds. When considering an application to the programme, please read the Programme Guide which you can access at the European Commission's Executive Agency's website.

Information Sheets to help you understand the application criteria: The UK CCP have produced a series of information sheets to download which are based on the official Programme Guide.

Certain funding strands are being changed, new infosheets will be published here by late June 2010

Help with preparing your project budget for strand 1.1 and 1.2.1: The UK CCP has developed a spreadsheet to help you prepare your project budget for cooperation projects under strand 1.1. and 1.2.1 – please note that this is only to assist you before you complete the official application forms! Download the spreadsheet tool (.xls). Remember: this is not the official budget form. Your project budget must be submitted on the official budget form you can download from the European Commission’s Executive Agency’s website (see link above).

Deadlines

View and download your own copy of all EU funding deadlines. Visit deadlines.culture.info
Strand 1.1
Multi-annual projects

(lasting 3-5 years)
1 October each year

Strand 1.2.1
Co-operation projects
(lasting 1-2 years)
1 October each year

Strand 1.2.2
Literary Translation
3 February each year (on or near this date)

Strand 1.3.5
Projects with Third Countries
3 May each year (on or near this date) - Eligible countries: Mexico in 2012 (for the 2011 call), South Africa in 2013 (for the 2012 call)

Strand 1.3.6
Festivals (one-year and three-year applications)
15 November each year (on or near this date)

Strand 2
Ambassadors
Advocacy Networks
Policy Support Structures/Platforms
15 Sep 2010 (for annual grants)
15 Sep 2010 (for 3 year grants)

Strand 3
Analyses / Studies
Dissemination

There are no deadlines for this strand but the EC or the EACEA will, from time to time, issue calls for proposals or tenders for work in this area.

New EUCLID CulturEuro seminar dates announced

75% of UK applications to the last call for the EU Culture programme were successful!

To find out how you can apply to this and other EU funding opportunities, come along to one of Geoffrey Brown's popular and informative CulturEuro seminars: Book your place >>

NEWS - The autumn dates for EUCLID’s popular and informative events have now been announced:
London – 14 September – UCL, Tottenham Court Road
Newcastle – 12 October – Newcastle Civic Centre
Glasgow – 19 October – Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA)
Birmingham – 21 October – CBSO Centre
Manchester – 26 October – Cornerhouse
Brighton – 9 November – Lighthouse
Bristol – 23 November – Armada Centre
Leeds – 30 November – West Yorkshire Playhouse
Edinburgh – 1 December – Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
Cardiff – 7 December – Local Government Data Unit

Seminars will run from 1.30 to 4.30 pm, and the cost is £78 (no VAT). Delegates will receive a comprehensive information pack. Full information and booking details can be found at www.cultureuro.info.