Creative Europe – Cooperation Calls
The Creative Europe programme is the primary EU funding scheme for the cultural and creative sectors, supporting various initiatives in live music. The Cooperation calls are the ones most fitted for live music venues, clubs or festivals, as well as live music associations.
What gets funded
- Artistic collaboration (co-creation & co-production, touring & circulation of works)
- Audience development
- Capacity-building
- Networking & sector cooperation
- Inclusion, diversity, accessibility
- Sustainability
- Innovation (formats, tools, practices)
The programme does NOT support heavy investment (buildings, equipment).
What your project needs to address
- Inclusion, diversity, gender equality
- Environmental sustainability
- Digital dimension (where relevant)
- European cooperation and circulation
Projects are expected to integrate at least some of these priorities in a concrete and credible way.
Creative Europe – Cooperation calls also have annual priorities. In 2026, they are:
- Innovation: to enhance the capacity of European cultural and creative sectors to nurture talents, to innovate, to prosper and to generate jobs and growth.
- Transnational creation and circulation: to strengthen the transnational creation and circulation of European works and artists.
Geographic scope
Transnational cooperation is required, and a clear European dimension is expected (mobility, exchange, scalability). The minimum of countries and partners involved depends on the project scale.
Creative Europe is open to all EU Member States, as well as some non-EU participating countries, which you can find on this list.
Type of partnerships
Small scale: min. 3 partners / 3 countries
Medium scale: min. 5 partners / 5 countries
Large scale: min. 10 partners / 10 countries
There is no strict difference in eligible actions between scales. The difference is that small scale allows more for experimentations, pilots and actions with a more limited scope, while medium and large scales projects need to be more structured, scalable and with a long-term impact.
Type of partners
Cultural organisations (venues, festivals), networks, NGOs, and sometimes academic or public partners (but not mandatory).
Budget
Small scale: up to €200 000, financed at 80% (co-funding required)
Medium scale: up to €1 000 000, financed at 70% (co-funding required)
Large scale: up to €2 000 000, financed at 60% (co-funding required)
Funding takes the form of a lump sum. For Creative Europe Cooperation projects, indirect costs are 7%.
Project duration
Typically 2 to 4 years.
Administrative complexity
Medium to high, depending on the size of the consortium:
- Detailed EU application (objectives, methodology, impact, indicators)
- Work packages and deliverables
- Monitoring and reporting requirements
- Legal entity registration (PIC number, EU Funding & Tenders Portal)
- Structured budget
- Multi-partner coordination
- Financial capacity checks
In order to be eligible, applicant/coordinator organisations must have been legally established at least 2 years before the application deadline. Individuals cannot participate.
Regularity of calls
Typically one call per year, typically published in the first semester of the year. There is a gap of 9 months between the project application and the start of the project.
Success rate
The success rate of applications to Creative Europe Cooperation calls is typically of 8 to 10%.
Get help for your application
Connect with the Creative Europe Desk from your country for guidance.
Examples of projects funded
Small scale:
- TOURBUS EUROPA – a transnational project involving music professionals and venues, developing and testing digital tools and data-driven methods to improve artist circulation, booking practices, and cross-border collaboration in the live music sector.
- All Areas Access – a transnational project involving music venues in Italy, Belgium and Portugal to identify and implement solutions improving accessibility for D/deaf audiences in live music settings.
Medium scale:
- Slash Transition – exploring how sound artists can contribute to territorial transformation while developing more sustainable and locally rooted careers.
- Revelland – developing innovative and more accessible live music experiences for audiences with disabilities.
Large scale:
- TIMES, The Independent Movement for Electronic Scenes – bringing together electronic music festivals and partners to develop transnational artistic residencies, co-productions and innovative collaboration models to strengthen and transform the sector.
- Better Live – testing and developing low-carbon touring and concert models in the jazz sector.
Live DMA tip
Choose this if…
- Your project is a structured artistic or sector cooperation across at least 3 countries, with clear mobility, exchange or circulation of artists, works or practices.
- You are building a project that combines artistic activities with broader goals (audience development, sustainability, inclusion or innovation).
- Your project is already defined and ready, with confirmed partners and a shared work plan, and aims to test (small scale) or scale up (medium/large) actions at European level.
- You have the capacity to manage a multi-year project, including coordination between partners, reporting and co-financing
Avoid if…
- Your project is mainly local, one-off, or limited to one country, without a strong and credible European dimension.
- You are looking for funding for infrastructure, equipment or investment rather than activities and cooperation.
- Your idea is still early-stage or exploratory, without partners or clearly defined actions.
- You cannot integrate EU priorities (inclusion, sustainability, digital, circulation) in a concrete way within your project.
- You do not have the time, administrative capacity or co-funding required for a structured EU cooperation project.
- You do not have the capacity to find co-funding