This summer, our selection of open calls highlights opportunities for artists, craftspeople, architects, curators, heritage professionals, and performing arts organisations to collaborate, travel, develop new projects, and gain international recognition. The featured calls include funding for cross-border performing arts partnerships, mobility grants for emerging artists, fellowships and residencies, support for sustainable fashion innovation, and awards celebrating excellence in cultural heritage. Browse the opportunities below and make sure to note the application deadlines, as several calls close over the summer months.
1. Tracks4Crafts | Video Contest 2026
Sector: Artistic Crafts, Design, Creative Entrepreneurship
Deadline: August 30, 2026
Tracks4Crafts invites craftspeople, makers, designers, and creative practitioners to participate in its second Video Contest, celebrating the artistry and future of crafts through visual storytelling. Participants are encouraged to create a short video that captures the gestures, materials, sounds, and creative processes behind their craft practice.
Support provided:
- Showcase of the winning video at the Tracks4Crafts final exhibition in Antwerp
- One-to-one online craft business consultation with Prof. Annick Schramme (University of Antwerp)
- Opportunity to become a Tracks4Crafts ambassador
- Participation in three international Tracks4Crafts activities, including Accelerator4Crafts, the Skillman International Forum, and the Tracks4Crafts Exhibition
- Travel and accommodation support of up to €1,000 for international activities
- Promotion through the Tracks4Crafts website, social media channels, and project partners
Who can apply:
- Craftspeople, makers, designers, and creative practitioners across Europe
- Students in craft-related disciplines
- Innovators working at the intersection of crafts and new technologies
- Individuals, duos, or groups, including filmmakers collaborating with crafts practitioners
- Craft hubs, heritage organisations, associations, development agencies, and professional networks collaborating with makers and designers
Read more here.
2. Perform Europe | 3rd Open Call for Performing Arts Collaborations
Sector: Performing Arts, International Collaboration, Mobility
Deadline: October 22, 2026
Perform Europe launches its third open call, supporting cross-border performing arts collaborations across the 41 Creative Europe countries. The programme funds partnerships that explore new, fairer, greener, and more inclusive approaches to international touring.
Projects should address either inclusion and diversity or climate action while promoting innovation, fair practices, and sustainable mobility across the performing arts sector.
Support provided:
- Total funding budget of €1.4 million
- Grants of €15,000, €25,000, or €55,000 depending on project scale
- Funding for at least 25 international partnerships
Who can apply:
- Partnerships of at least three professional organisations or individuals
- Partners based in at least three different Creative Europe countries
- Projects involving finished works in theatre, dance, circus, puppetry, outdoor arts, performance art, or interdisciplinary performing arts
- Partnerships presenting performances in at least three Creative Europe countries
Read more here.
3. NEB Academy | Fashion Shift
Sector: Fashion, Circular Economy, Creative Entrepreneurship
Deadline: August 31, 2026
EIT Culture & Creativity invites applications for NEB Academy | Fashion Shift, a funding programme supporting collaborative projects that develop and scale circular, regenerative, and responsible fashion business models. The initiative promotes the New European Bauhaus values of sustainability, inclusion, and beauty while strengthening Europe's fashion ecosystem.
The call targets established initiatives and business models that are ready for further development through cross-sector collaboration, helping bridge the gap between creative innovation and market implementation.
Support provided:
- Total funding budget of €2.5 million
- Up to €500,000 per selected project
Who can apply:
- Consortia of 4–6 independent legal entities from at least two eligible countries
- Partnerships including a fashion SME, a research institution, a public authority or innovation cluster, and a fashion value-chain partner
- Legal entities established in Horizon Europe eligible countries
4. NEMO | Northern European Mobility Opportunity
Sector: Arts, International Mobility, Artistic Exchange
Deadline: September 18, 2026
The
Northern European Mobility Opportunity (NEMO) supports emerging artists and arts practitioners in developing new international collaborations between the Nordic countries, the UK, and Ireland. The programme funds early-stage partnerships, artistic exchange, research, and mobility activities across disciplines.
NEMO encourages projects that foster long-term collaboration through physical, digital, or hybrid formats, with a focus on experimentation, knowledge exchange, and sustainable international partnerships.
Support provided:
- Grants of up to DKK 75,000 per project
- Total funding budget of approximately DKK 2.5 million
- Support for artist fees, research, mentoring, travel, capacity building, and pilot collaborations
Who can apply:
- Emerging individual artists and arts practitioners
- Applicants residing in the Nordic countries, the UK, or the Republic of Ireland
- Projects involving collaboration between a Nordic partner and a partner from the UK or Ireland
- Applicants who did not receive NEMO funding in 2025
5. LINA Architecture | Spotlight Fellows
Sector: Architecture, Design, Spatial Practices
Deadline: August 3, 2026
LINA Architecture invites emerging spatial innovators to join its Spotlight Fellows programme, supporting creative ideas that address environmental challenges through architecture, design, and related disciplines. Selected fellows will become part of the LINA network and present their work at international events across Europe.
The programme offers opportunities to attend the LINA Forum in Barcelona, participate in the LINA Festival in Ljubljana, and connect with a network of architectural festivals, workshops, residencies, and educational programmes.
Support provided:
- Accommodation for the LINA Forum in Barcelona
- Up to €350 for travel costs
- Opportunities to participate in European festivals, workshops, courses, and residencies
Who can apply:
- Emerging creatives and practitioners working in architecture, design, spatial practices, urban planning, landscape architecture, ecology, visual arts, filmmaking, community activism, engineering, and related fields
- Residents and nationals of Creative Europe countries and Switzerland
- Individuals or teams that have not yet established an international profile
6. Cité internationale des arts | Contours Residency for Curators and Art Critics
Sector: Curatorial Practice, Art Criticism, Contemporary Art
Deadline: July 5, 2026
The Contours Residency Programme supports curators and art critics based outside France to develop research while connecting with the contemporary art scene in Paris and the Île-de-France region. Hosted by the Cité internationale des arts, the residency combines dedicated research time with professional networking and exchange opportunities.
Two selected participants will join the international community at the Cité internationale des arts, benefiting from mentorship, access to artistic networks, and a live-in studio in the Marais district.
Support provided:
- Live-in studio at the Cité internationale des arts
- Monthly living stipend of €1,000
- Coverage of research expenses, round-trip travel, visa, and insurance costs
- Professional support and networking opportunities
Who can apply:
- Curators and art critics living outside France but within the European Union
- Applicants with at least five years of curatorial experience
- Professionals with a minimum of two curated exhibitions and two published texts in recognised art media
- Individual and collective applications
7. Europa Nostra | European Heritage Awards 2027
Sector: Cultural Heritage, Conservation, Research
Deadline: September 7, 2026
Europa Nostra invites applications for the European Heritage Awards 2027, recognising outstanding achievements in the protection, conservation, research, education, and promotion of Europe's cultural heritage. Organised by Europa Nostra with the support of the European Commission's Creative Europe programme, the awards celebrate excellence across both tangible and intangible heritage.
The awards offer international recognition to inspiring heritage initiatives while highlighting innovative practices that contribute to safeguarding Europe's shared cultural legacy.
Support provided:
- European-wide visibility and recognition
- Opportunity to receive a Grand Prix worth €10,000
- Opportunity to receive the Public Choice Award worth €10,000
- Access to a pan-European network of heritage professionals and organisations
Image: Dana Sarsenbekova on Unsplash edited by Creatives Unite
