Grant-giving in support of independent cultural projects continues to be a core commitment of the ECF. In an enlarged EU where there is a lack of accessible funding for cross-border projects, we remain convinced that grants for small to medium-sized cultural organizations are an essential part of developing collaborative practice and boosting the cultural dimension of a richly diverse Europe. The support we can offer is modest. Yet in recent years new partnerships and a growing synergy between ECF grants, programmes and advocacy work have opened new opportunities: grantees can now influence the Foundation's work at policy level and we are strengthening our support of projects in regions which fall beyond the remit of many other European funders.

So what are we looking for in 2005?
We want you to keep inspiring us and broadening our perspectives! As before, we will only support projects that clearly relate to our in-house activities. This does not mean that we will apply unnecessarily rigid criteria. It is up to you to explain the link between your work and one of our current areas of interest. We welcome applications that will surprise us, and we are ready to take some risks.

 Who can apply?
· Independent cultural organisations (NGOs) from within the EU, Albania, Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia, Turkey, and Ukraine may apply as lead applicants or partner organizations. All projects should feature at least one country from this group.

· Independent cultural organisations from Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia are also eligible for support, if working together with partners from the EU or its bordering regions (as listed above).

· Collaborations within the EU, across or beyond its new borders, or across the Mediterranean are all possible. We are interested in projects which reflect a confrontation with the unfamiliar or unknown just as much as those which aim to strengthen ties with neighbouring regions.

How many different countries should be represented in each project?
There is no specific requirement regarding the number of countries that should be represented. What we wish to see is evidence of genuine cross-border collaboration in all stages of the project  planning, development and implementation. We are not interested in superficial consortia built for fundraising purposes.

Regional and smaller-scale projects are as welcome as pan-European collaborations. However, we will not usually award grants to local or bilateral projects that could be supported through national or regional funds.

 Restrictions:
Priority will be given to professional organizations working in the cultural sector on contemporary projects. We do not support commercial organizations, state institutions,

amateur organizations, organisations focusing primarily on education, religion or heritage, or projects organized by student bodies.

Individuals, including those seeking scholarship, bursary or residency costs, cannot apply for a project grant. The ECF has two mobility funds which support individual professionals in the cultural sector: STEP beyond and the Roberto Cimetta Fund. Please look at our website for more information and details of how to apply.

 What kind of project is eligible for support?

Content: All projects must be relevant to one of the following areas of interest:
· Intercultural competence and collaboration across borders.
· Increased participation in the arts and the media and strategies to break cultural isolation.
· The cultural dimension of EU enlargement.
· Strategies for change within cultural infrastructures.
· Creative responses to current political issues.
· Development of a common public and cultural European space.

Form: As well as relevance to our current areas of interest, we will be looking for the following qualities in your application:

· originality
· high professional standards
· strong mutually agreed partnerships
· impact (beyond specialist or traditional niches)
· sustainability
· experimentation
· accessible and transferable practical results
· European relevance
· a clear and precise argumentation
· a strong communication strategy
· a balanced budget with mixed funding

Restrictions:
We do not support:
· activities that focus only on the academic sector or represent traditional approaches to research and education (e.g. school/university exchanges, scholarships, research or education programmes firmly located within a traditional institution)

· conventional approaches to arts education or art therapy
· awards, competitions
· folkloric events and projects which focus on conserving European heritage
· actions that could otherwise be supported by specialist public and private arts funds (e.g. production costs of a one-off performance or art work, touring of an existing work or operating costs of an organization's regular activities)

· individual literary works, translations or running costs of an ongoing series of publications or cultural reviews (however, publications documenting your collaborative project may be included in your budget)

· Initiatives based solely on tourism
· Projects that rely entirely on funding from our organisation
· Bilateral or local projects lacking a European dimension
· Organisations whishing to realise a project without strong partners
Please note that festivals will only be supported in exceptional circumstances, where content fits closely with the ECF's current areas of interest.

How much can I ask for?
ECF grants usually vary between Euro 5,000 and Euro 30,000. The average project grant is Euro 10,000  15,000. Since the application process is highly competitive, you will maximize your chances of being awarded a grant by presenting a project which will be supported by a balanced and mixed range of funders.

The ECF cannot support more than 80% of the project's total budget. Unless your local funding conditions are very volatile and there are no other alternative sources of support, we suggest that you aim to ask the ECF for less than this maximum percentage. We recommend that all applications should include clear arguments explaining why the ECF as a European foundation should support your project.

 Competition
Please remember that it will be impossible for us to support every project that offers a link to our current areas of interest: we receive a very high number of applications and, at present, we can only support approximately one in ten proposals. Assessors will select those they consider to be of the highest quality. Their decision (once it has been approved by the ECF's Board) is final.  

Costs covered by an ECF grant may include:
· Travel for project participants (cheapest economy fare ticket available)
· Visa
· Meetings
· Accommodation and meals for participants
· Living costs (or 'per diems') calculated on the basis of economic standards in the region
· Fees for artists, experts, translators and interpreters
· Professional materials and rental of space and equipment needed for the project
· Improvements to facilities (e.g. space or equipment) if relevant to the project
Other costs can only be included with prior special permission. The costs listed above could be part of one particular phase of the project's realisation (e.g. for preparation, feasibility study, research and development, production or dissemination). Alternatively you could ask us (alongside a mixed range of other funders) to contribute for the overall project. This can be negotiated at a later stage of the application process.
Restrictions
· Operating costs for the day-to-day running of the organisation (e.g. rent of the organisation's premises, permanent staff costs, electricity, etc.) will not be covered.

· In some cases, the ECF will only award the grant requested when other funders have confirmed their support.

More information:
Website: http://www.eurocult.org/
E-mail: (Esther Claassen, Grants Administrator)