Democracy Needs Imagination

With the first round of our Democracy Needs Imagination call, we were looking for ideas, projects, and experiments that breathe new life into European democracy, in the run-up to the European Parliament elections.

About the Call

The European Union is an open and free society.

A place we created together and where Europeans have lived peacefully for almost 75 years. It has not been easy. We have defeated fascism and torn down the walls that kept us apart. We have created a place that is at peace with itself. A place that guarantees freedoms for which many others around the world are fighting. A place where we can travel freely. Where we can study and work in different countries and create experiences that will enrich the rest of our lives.

But this, our Europe is under attack. We are facing a newly divided Europe. A new kind of polarisation threatens the gains of decades of European cooperation. New levels of inequality erode the social fabric of our societies. Culture and identity are misused to divide communities.

We funded creative, cultural actions prior, during and after the EU parliamentary elections that breathed life into Europe, and democracy at large. We wanted innovative and provocative ideas that challenged the negative discourse and were able to become inspiring examples from the local to the European levels.

Projects Funded in the First Round

Media | Education - LARP for a European Community, by Hellenic Youth Participation, Greece

Targeting young people in Athens to raise their awareness on the topic of the European Parliament elections and underline the significance of voting between each other and their peers.

Watch their video

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - Designing Democracy, by YENİDÜZEN, Cyprus

The national newspaper will promote democracy in Cyprus by encouraging Turkish Cypriots to vote and three-fold the percentage of voter turn out in the elections on 26 May 2019.

Read the newspaper.

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - A pen for Europe to ACT, REACT, IMPACT, by Louvranges Broadcast, Belgium

TV producer Louvranges teams up with RTBF (French speaking national Belgian public broadcaster) to tackle the existing prejudices about the European elections and provide concrete information about the role of the European Parliament.

Visit the website.

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - Me For You, by Stefan Prohorov, Bulgaria

”Me for You” is a site-specific performance parody of Bulgarian political rallies, which normally consist of free food, a concert and some intimidating security - it will the challenge the political rhetoric in Bulgaria by using artistic tools and a fake political campaign.

Visit their instagram

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns -Now the Citizens, by Meer Democratie, The Netherlands

Experienced campaigners are set to get input from the general public on bettering the course of the EU, by asking citizens what the tasks are and competences the EU should or should not have.

Visit the website

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - ProposalsforEurope - Voulez-vous voter avec moi? by Tadel Verpflichtet e.V, Germany

Renowned activist Paulina Frohlich and her group mobilize young people between 16-30 years out to vote for the European elections using a social media kissing/voting game.

Visit the website

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - Women Care – Women Vote, by Forum 50% o.p.s, Czech Republic

The principal objective of the project is to increase turnout of young women in EP elections 2019 in the Czech Republic by a thought-out-out flash mobbing campaign.

Visit the website

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - Tu Was Fur Europa, Germany

The campaign #myEurope flag launched on 9 May 2019 and kick-started a series of interventions designed by the applicant, and its’ partners (Scholz & Friends, REWE Germany and Allianz Kultur Stiftung).

Visit the website

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - Vote now, argue later, by Keep it Complex – Make it Clear, UK

“Keep it Complex- Make it Clear” launched a European-wide networked campaign in the run up to the European Elections with the message: Vote now, argue later!

Visit the website

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - The Future is Europe aka #EUSupergirlTour, by Madeleina Kay, UK

Madeleina Kay encourages people to vote in the up-coming EU elections by touring the EU27 countries as “EU Supergirl” to push the message to vote for pro-EU parties in the elections #TheFutureIsEurope.

Follow her on Twitter

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - Voting for Values, by De Balie, The Netherlands

Voting for Values encourages voter turnout in the elections in all EU member states through inspiring debates with historian Timothy Garton Ash, author Géraldine Schwarz and philosopher Raphaël Enthoven.

Visit the website

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - Another Europe is Possible, UK

A civic society group lobbying for a positive case for the EU in the British public sphere with narration, education and dialogue. They publish podcasts and do live debates in Amsterdam and Berlin.

Listen their podcast

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - Hart boven Hard, by De Goede Zaak, The Netherlands

The organization mobilizes Dutch communities in voting for the European Parliament elections with a manifesto and event in Utrecht on 19 May. De Goede Zaak represents 20 progressive NGO’s in the Netherlands.

Visit the website

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - Vote together, by Between Bridges, Germany

Wolfgang Tillman’s organization is heading up a pan-European campaign to get people to vote in the European elections using fun photography and multi-lingual fashion campaigning.

Visit the website

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - #ProveThemWrong, by Stichting Are We Europe, The Netherlands

Prove Them Wrong is a decentralized, neutral, open-source and horizontal youth vote campaign, officially launched in the Netherlands, in February 2019.

Visit the website

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns -EscapeFake: de-bunking fake news about the European Parliamentary, by Polycular, Austria

Using an escape room scenario they are co-design an interactive experience with teenagers. They will de-mystify common misconceptions and debunk false information spread online and offline.

Visit the website

Art | Debate - Europe Talks, by Zeit Online, Germany

ZEIT Online has joined forces with 15 European media outlets in launching Europe Talks, a platform bringing together thousands of Europeans with divergent political views from across Europe for face-to-face debates in Brussels on May 11th.

Access media coverage.

Projects After the European Parliament Elections

Media | Education - In Europe Schools, by VPRO, The Netherlands

A public broadcaster from the Netherlands is building on their previous socially engaged programming on Europe, this time with youth, and will air later in 2019.

Visit the website

Media | Education - The Europeans, by Katy Lee, France

The podcast platform presents ’europeness’ in an easy narrative format that is very popular.

Listen to their podcast

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - Scotland in Europe, by Effie Samara, UK

This grant funds the launch of a Citizen’s Assembly in Edinburgh’s Parliament on 23 May and the curation of the assembly during 2019 on citizen rights issues.

Visit the website

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - Narratives & Framing Project, by WeMove, Germany

This grant enables the team to consider how to test, use and develop narratives in a long-term work to shape the future of Europe as civil society.

Visit the website

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - Creating Space for Democracy, Literally, by the Institute of Urban Politics, Serbia

The creation of policy recommendations for municipalities throughout Serbia on how to activate empty spaces and use this kind of infrastructure for democratic development of communities.

Follow them on Facebook

Citizen | Elections | Campaigns - Democracy needs imagination! Imagination needs care!, by Commonspolis Association, Spain

In order to reinforce the impact and replicability of new practices of the culture of care in European movements Commonspolis Association will produce a toolkit that gathers tools and methodologies to reflect, reinforce and renew a culture of care.

Visit the website

Art | Debate - Stockhausen Sin {x} II, by Stichting Holland Festival, The Netherlands

The annual Holland Festival brings the artist Actress (alias Darren Cunningham) – a British electronic/techno musician - who will be performing Stockausen Sin {x} II which is designed to bring an experience on democracy, parliamentary love and communication, to a young audience.

Visit the website

Art | Debate - Il Nuovo Vangelo – The New Gospel, by IIPM – International Institute of Political Murder, Germany

The IIPM - International Institute of Political Murder was founded Milo Rau and produces theatre, and films with socially charged-themes, this work explores what role does salvation in the world today.

Visit the website

Art | Debate - European Songbook, by Goethe-Institute, Norway

The songbook project charms Europeans to contribute a short essay based on a loved song. Goethe-Institute attracts citizens to transform their personal stories into stories and music to share with a global audience.

Visit the website

Art | Debate - EU2019:target democracy, by Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, Italy

The Foundation plans a series of talks and artistic events to reflect on the meaning of being citizens today, entitled About a city. Re-thinking Cities.

Visit the website

Art | Debate - Building an influencer network of independent comedians improving social awareness, by Oditech-Studio Kft./Kraftwork, Hungary

Kraftwork will produce a series of humoristic videos (working with comedians) to raise awareness on democratic social issues.

Follow them on Facebook

Art | Debate - Trial Europe, by Les Têtes de l’art, France

Theatre meets democracy in this piece of work which challenges us to ‘witness’ our stance on migration, mobility and health as a European Union, to be performed outside of France. Les Têtes de l’Art published a call for international cooperation.

Visit the website

Projects funded in the second round

Call for Applications: Display Europe Micro-Grants

The Europe Challenge 2024

''Display Europe – Democracy Runs on Screens'' Call for Proposals

Call for Curatorial Proposals: The European Pavilion 2024

The Europe Challenge 2022

We have launched the Europe Challenge 2022, and we are calling on libraries in Europe to apply! Every library in Europe is eligible to take part in the Europe Challenge, from public libraries to mobile, rural, school, university, and prison libraries, municipal and national libraries.

i-Portunus Houses

‘i-Portunus Houses’ – New call for host organisations from all creative fields. This third round of i-Portunus pilot schemes offered by the European Cultural Foundation (Amsterdam) – Kultura Nova Foundation (Zagreb) – MitOst (Berlin), and funded by the European Union. The second round of this call opened on 23 August. The deadline to apply is 3 October at 24.00 CEST.

Culture of Solidarity Fund

In 2020 we launched the Culture of Solidarity Fund to support cultural initiatives that, in the midst of turmoil and crisis, reinforce European solidarity and the idea of Europe as a shared public space. Since then we have launched 11 editions ranging from supporting cultural actors in the Corona crisis, regional and thematic editions, to dedicated Ukraine editions. In these nine rounds, we have supported more than 200 projects with over 5 million euros with 20 co-funding partners on board.The 11th edition of the Culture of Solidarity Fund supports European transnational initiatives that mobilise voters for the 2024 European Parliament elections. This edition has been developed in collaboration with Evens Foundation, Allianz Foundation & partners.

Culture Lab Europe

The European Cultural Foundation, Rijeka 2020 European Capital of Culture, Krytyka Polityczna and ZEMOS98 invited everybody to apply for participation in Culture Lab Europe. The event was planned to take place in April in Rijeka, Croatia, but was transformed into an online event in June 2020 due to the Covid-19 crisis

Research & Development Grants

The Research and Development Grants provide seed money that offers the opportunity to explore new and daring concepts. We actively support your knowledge development through opportunities to network, finding new partners for collaboration, sharing tools for developing your ideas and taking part in training, residencies and workshops.

FundAction

FundAction is a participatory fund making grants for social transformation. Participatory grant-making seeks to involve those directly affected by the issues — the people that the money intends to help — in decision-making about where the money goes. It can be a more effective way of reaching people and addressing issues of power

Civitates

Civitates strengthens the capacity of civil society to play its indispensable role in shaping vibrant and open European democracies that work for all.