The European Commission has published a new call under the Perform Europe initiative, which will support an organisation or a consortium of organisations responsible for developing and managing the next phase of Perform Europe, a European platform designed to make cross-border touring and the digital distribution of performing arts works more sustainable, inclusive, and innovative.
The total budget of the call is EUR 2 million, of which at least 70% is allocated to cascading grants supporting projects in the performing arts, including theatre, dance, performance, circus, and puppetry.
Purpose
Building on the achievements of the first two phases, this new iteration of Perform Europe aims to test and promote new touring models in the Creative Europe participating countries that:
β’ reduce environmental impact
β’ strengthen fair working conditions
β’ promote inclusive productions
β’ improve access to diverse audiences and communities.
Activities
The call is open to organisations or consortia of organisations with proven expertise in the performing arts and cross-border cooperation. The selected beneficiary will be expected to:
β’ design and manage the Perform Europe digital platform (2026β2028)
β’ organise open calls for touring and distribution projects through cascade funding
β’ provide capacity-building activities, mentoring, and knowledge exchange
β’ maintain and further develop the digital infrastructure and the matchmaking tool
β’ develop audience-engagement, branding, and communication activities
β’ collect, analyse, and disseminate data and contribute to policy development in the performing arts sector.
Priorities
All activities under Perform Europe should contribute to:
β’ fair and sustainable cross-border mobility
β’ inclusion, diversity and gender equality
β’ the green and digital transition in the performing arts
β’ the implementation of improved working conditions and fair remuneration for artists and cultural professionals
β’ equal access for younger generations to distribution opportunities
β’ support for Ukrainian artists and cultural operators.
Duration: The grant covers a 24 months period (2026β2028).
Eligible Applicants
The call is open to legal entities active in the performing arts sector and established in the countries participating in the Creative Europe programme. Applications may be submitted by:
β’ a single organization
β’ a consortium composed of at least three organisations from three different eligible countries.
How to Prepare and Submit Project Proposals/Applications
β’ Project proposals must be prepared in accordance with the criteria and requirements outlined in the call document: (CREA-CULT-2026-PERFORM-EU), Version 1.0, 30 October 2025. The call and the call document can be found here.
β’ Applications are processed and submitted electronically through the Funding & Tenders Opportunity Portal (F&TP). Information on how to access the F&TP can be found here.
More information about the Perform Europe action can be found here.