European Cultural Foundation The European Cultural Foundation works for an open, inclusive and better Europe. It was created 65 years ago for the promotion of European unity by encouraging cultural and educational activities of common interest. In 2019 the foundation’s theme is Democracy Needs Imagination. Because culture can provide resistance against divisive forces and can tell the story of Europe. Culture can imagine a better future.  

Democracy Needs Imagination grants call In the run up to the European Parliament elections and the expected surge in anti-EU sentiments we launched the New Action Grant call with the aim to fund new actions working in re-building the sense of European community and identity. We prioritized some of our budgets to combat this rise in anti-EU sentiments. The call was open, ready to respond to the imagination of an individual or organisation, anywhere in the world. But what we wanted to see was, how were they going to make a positive cultural and democratic impact on Europe? Democracy Needs Imagination grants call

A game of Commonspoly at the Idea Camp 2015 in Botkyrka, Sweden.

Democracy Needs Imagination grants call The reaction was astonishing. The foundation received well-over 1000 applications, from 60 countries in the world, in 12 weeks. 50 % of the applicants did not know ECF before. We have funded creative, cultural actions prior [70 %] and after [30 %] the EU parliamentary elections that rebuild identities and connect communities. We received ideas, projects, and plans that covered everything from campaigning on Brexit, Eastern European street art, youth TV programme-making on the future of Europe, Cultural Capital of Europe city artistic presentations and a wide range of voter education campaigns. Democracy Needs Imagination grants call

#EU Supergirl Grantee Madeleina Kay talks about her project, the future of Europe and what makes this New Action Grants call so relevant.

Democracy Needs Imagination grants call We encourage you to mobilise your networks to go vote in the European Parliament elections on May 26 with examples of grantees from our #democracyneedsimagination campaign. If you want to know more about our New Action Grant call, contact project manager Nicola Mullenger via nmullenger@culturalfoundation.eu Democracy Needs Imagination grants call