Currently 10 active paid grants, fellowships and residencies taking place in Italy, across AI, arts, film, journalism, research, tech and cross-disciplinary practice. Many are open to applicants of any nationality; check each entry for residency and citizenship requirements. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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Open call to participate in LPM (Live Performers Meeting), described as the biggest worldwide event dedicated to audiovisual performing arts, returning to Rome for its 27th edition. Artists can take part with AV performances, VJ sets and live mapping (a 30-minute slot to perform); workshops, lectures and project showcases; interactive AV installations; and the Live Immersive Contest (competing for prizes from technical partners). NOTE: this is a participation call rather than a funding opportunity - it requires a paid subscription (EUR 20 as artist or guest) which includes a festival pass, a 30-minute slot, a T-shirt and a daily drink, plus a 20% discount on workshops; there is also a volunteer option. Deadline to submit a proposal is 16 August 2026. Enquiries: subscriptions@liveperformersmeeting.net.
Fucina Futura is an artist residency in Marostica, a small town about an hour from Venice, offering a peaceful setting to develop research in close contact with nature and the local community. The project spans two locations: the home designed by internationally renowned illustrator Elena Xausa near the historic centre, and the atelier Fucina Ai Gorghi by beloved local painter Daniele Marcon, ideal for large-scale installations. Led by visual artist Lavinia and curator Sofia (Futura Association), the program invites residents to develop projects that engage with the community and the working location, and encourages artists of any discipline to make full use of the large atelier. The central goal is the 'restitution' to citizens, fostering cultural exchange and community inclusion: this final phase is tailored to each artist and can take the form of an exhibition, performance, workshop, screening, talk or informal sharing session, prioritising direct dialogue with the public and the contemporary renewal of local tradition. THREE residents are hosted together from 12 April to 12 May 2027 and share a spacious house; they receive a daily fee to cover living expenses, and travel expenses are also covered. Made possible by Culture Moves Europe. ELIGIBILITY: only artists residing in one of the Creative Europe countries EXCEPT ITALY may apply. Creative Europe covers the 27 EU member states (other than Italy), plus Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia and Ukraine, and includes the EU's Overseas Countries and Territories and Outermost Regions (Greenland; French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Territories, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Reunion, Saint Barthelemy, Saint-Martin, St. Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna; Azores, Madeira; Canary Islands; Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius). TIMELINE: apply via the Google Form by 20 August 2026; selected artists informed by 30 August and must confirm participation by 8 September 2026.
The European AI & Society Fund is launching Building Narrative Power, a EUR 2 million funding and learning programme to counter Big Tech's dominance over how AI is understood, and to help people and communities shape new ways of thinking and talking about the technology they want. The Fund's strategy is to build the power of the public interest community to shape the direction of AI in Europe; narratives are central to creating the conditions for a greater say over how AI is adopted and used. THREE THEMES where research shows the public already feels strongly: (1) DATA CENTRES: as the EU aims to triple data centre numbers in the next five to seven years, pollution, energy prices and compromised grid access have mobilised communities across the political spectrum; proposals should explore narrative questions that move communities beyond resistance towards engagement in shaping data centre expansion. (2) AI AND JOBS: 57% of the public in a recent study expressed concern about how AI will change employment, more pronounced among lower-income people, and the concern is not only displacement but the quality and nature of work, autonomy and dignity; proposals should move the debate from generalised anxiety into a mobilising issue that shapes the future of work. (3) YOUNG PEOPLE: beyond the strident social media ban debate, young people encounter AI in education, friendships and future careers, and their wider views are rarely heard; proposals should build narratives that help young people shape the technologies that will influence their lives. LEARNING PROGRAMME: grantees join a community of practice, sharing experiences across issues and places, supporting each other through delivery and reflecting on which strategies and stories have most salience, with findings feeding back to the Fund and other funders. ABOUT THE FUNDER: the European AI & Society Fund is a pooled fund with 18 funding partners that mobilises a public interest community in Europe to fight for AI that serves people, society and planet; it takes no EU, government or Big Tech money. ELIGIBILITY: this call is only open to organisations in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Republic of Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland; applications from the UK, the Western Balkans and other non-European countries are not accepted. Guidance for applicants and a full application-form preview are published so you can prepare a draft before submitting. HOW TO APPLY: create an account on the Fund's application platform Optimy (link in the guidance documents) and submit the first-stage application before 31 August 2026. KEY DATES: call launched 16 July 2026; information sessions 22 July, 29 July and 24 August 2026 (11:00 to 12:00 CET); first-stage deadline 31 August 2026; unsuccessful applicants notified 16 October 2026; shortlisted applicants invited to submit a detailed proposal on 19 October 2026, due 16 November 2026; funding decisions notified 14 December 2026; grants start February 2027. Questions to info@europeanaifund.org; an FAQ covering eligibility, coalitions, non-profit status and what the grant can be spent on is published at the bottom of the programme page.
DRIFT (Dance and Research In The Future Time) is a four-year Creative Europe cooperation between ten European organisations, led by Theatre de Liege and Maison de la danse. The distinguishing feature is that it funds artistic research rather than production: you are expected to arrive with questions, not a finished piece you already intend to make, and reviewers read every section of the application through that lens. STRUCTURE: each of the ten partner organisations selects one choreographer from its own country, forming a cohort of ten. Over the programme you get an Onboarding Lab, two weeks of residency with your national partner, three collaborative Online Labs, a Festival Lab in Tunis, individual artistic and curatorial mentoring, and a work-in-progress showcase at the Biennale de la danse in Lyon, all backed by a EUR 20,000 research budget that covers your fees, travel, accommodation and any collaborators. SECOND PHASE: after a further evaluation, five of the ten artists may receive co-production support and touring across the DRIFT network. That phase is separate from this application and is not guaranteed. ELIGIBILITY: professional choreographers in contemporary dance or performance, at a mid-career stage, meaning an established national practice but not yet fully established internationally. You must be based in Belgium, France, Germany (Berlin region only), Greece, Norway, Italy, Spain, Ukraine, Tunisia or Portugal, and you apply through the partner organisation representing your country of residence, not centrally. Good English and availability for all programme dates are required. The country list is strict, so check it before you start. TIMELINE: applications opened 1 July 2026 and close 31 August 2026; selection through September; results 9 October 2026; programme runs November 2026 to September 2027.
Scuola Piccola Zattere is an independent non-profit centre for continuous education and research in the expanded field of contemporary arts, running exhibitions, commissions, fellowships, workshops, seminars, performances and public discussions as one connected research ecosystem rather than separate strands. Two international fellowships are offered. The support is unusually solid for a research fellowship: EUR 5,000 as a grant, EUR 2,000 as a research budget, accommodation, travel and a study space for three months. SEASON THEME: the 2026-2027 cycle is titled Living Document, investigating archives, regulatory documents, collective rituals, games, performative instructions, and the relationship between bodies, architecture and social organisation. Fellows join that shared inquiry while continuing their own work, and are expected to keep an active presence in the institution and contribute to public events through workshops, seminars, presentations, screenings or performances. The fellowship overlaps with the run-up to and opening of the 2027 Architecture Biennale, which is a real advantage if your research benefits from that traffic. ELIGIBILITY: artists, curators, researchers, architects, choreographers, performers and writers of any nationality, as individuals, collectives or duos. Good English is required, and non-EU applicants need a valid passport for international travel. No age limit, but the organisers say it is especially intended for practitioners in the post-academic stage of their career, typically under 40. You must be prepared to spend the full period in Venice, so this is not a remote or partial-attendance fellowship. WHAT THEY WANT: an active research process that can develop through discussion and experimentation, tied to the Living Document theme, not a finished stand-alone project proposal. The motivation letter, portfolio and public programming proposal are read as one integrated application. Deadline 4 September 2026 at 10:00 CEST.
The Prisma Art Prize is an international award for painting and two-dimensional artistic research based in Rome. The 20th edition selects emerging and established artists working in painting, drawing, illustration, printmaking, and traditional mixed media for a group exhibition at Palazzo Merulana, opening November 5, 2026. Winners share an annual cash fund of EUR 2,000 distributed across quarterly calls and receive inclusion in the collective catalogue plus artist interviews. Additional opportunities include solo exhibition prizes and fully funded placements at partner art residencies. The prize is open internationally to all living artists regardless of age, gender, nationality, or educational background. The submission deadline for this edition is September 10, 2026.
Orizzonti L.I.V.E. is Fondazione CRT's flagship thematic call for organisations that programme live performance as a driver of territorial transformation. The acronym stands for Luoghi, Impatto, Visioni, Energia, and stated priorities are strengthening organisations rooted in their territory, audience development reaching new publics, social inclusion and access for economically or socially fragile audiences, professional engagement of young musicians, actors and dancers, audience engagement aimed at under-25s, stable networks and strategic partnerships, and environmental sustainability aligned with Agenda 2030. This is festival and season funding at meaningful scale: the maximum request is EUR 100,000 and the overall project budget must itself be at least EUR 100,000, with co-financing covering at least 70 percent of eligible costs, so the applicant must bring roughly EUR 70,000 from other sources. The 2026 call runs in two sessions: the first closed 27 February 2026, and the second closes 15 September 2026 at 15:00 Italian time. Applications go through rol.fondazionecrt.it. SCOPE CAVEAT: this is broad live-performance funding rather than a media-arts line, so it fits experimental performance, sound art and hybrid live work but also covers conventional music and theatre. Non-EU and UK organisations can realistically only participate as project partners, not as lead applicants.
The European Cultural Foundation invites artists to research its historical archives, held at the Historical Archives of the European Union in Florence, through a new Artistic Research Fellowship with a EUR 10,000 grant covering travel, accommodation, and living costs; the artistic output is delivered within two years. A strong fit for archive-driven, research-based, and critical data practices. Deadline 30 September 2026, 17:00 CET.
The Bando Ordinarie is Fondazione CRT's open, non-thematic route: organisations can request support for initiatives that fit the foundation's statutory aims but do not fall under any of its thematic calls, across three areas of which one is Arte, attivita e beni culturali (branded Meraviglia). It is the right door for public programmes, cultural projects, media and digital-culture initiatives and events that are not live performance, exhibitions, film festivals or restoration. READ THE EXCLUSION LIST CAREFULLY: live performance goes to NoteSipari or Orizzonti L.I.V.E., exhibition-format initiatives and film festivals go to Immagini e Prospettive, heritage restoration goes to BeST, and accessible territorial-showcase events go to Eventi for All, so Ordinarie is the residual arts route. Non-profit entities and institutions operating in the reference territory are eligible, and because the applicant does not need to be headquartered in Piedmont or Valle d'Aosta this is genuinely open to organisations based elsewhere, including non-EU and UK, that run a programme in those regions. The project route has two deadlines: the first was 30 April 2026 and the second session is open 1 July to 15 October 2026 at 15:00 Italian time. Organisations receiving an activity-support grant cannot also benefit from other CRT calls in the same calendar year. Applications are made through rol.fondazionecrt.it.
The European Media Art Platform (EMAP/EMARE) is a network of leading European media-art organisations offering fully funded two-month production residencies for artists working with digital media, including media art, bio art and robotic art. Each residency provides a EUR 4,000 grant to the applying artist (including subsistence), a EUR 4,000 project budget, host-provided accommodation, travel covered according to EU ceilings, and access to technical facilities and media labs; a collaborating artist receives an additional EUR 2,000 (EUR 6,000 total for a duo). Residencies take place at one of 15 host institutions across Austria, France, Slovakia, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Croatia, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Latvia, Germany and Poland. ELIGIBILITY: applicants must be EU residents or taxpayers in an EU member state, or residents/taxpayers of one of the eligible non-EU countries (Netherlands-based artists qualify). Undergraduate and Master's students are not eligible; PhD candidates and emerging artists of any age and academic background may apply. IMPORTANT: applicants must apply as a duo or collective, or propose a collaborative project, rather than as a purely solo applicant. The 2027 open call runs from 3 September 2026 to 6 November 2026 at 14:00 CET. Apply online at call.emare.eu. No application fee.