The Europe Challenge 2024

Your library and community of choice are invited to apply for the third edition of the Europe Challenge 2024: Libraries, Communities and Democracy.

Be part of a unique growing network of European libraries that work together to enhance democratic participation and social and environmental wellbeing through citizen-led local change.

The Europe Challenge is an annual programme that brings together teams from libraries and communities across Europe to address social isolation, inequality, disinformation, climate crises and other local challenges by developing, sharing and implementing creative solutions with support from the European Cultural Foundation and its partners. This edition runs from January to September 2024.

The Europe Challenge equips participants with the tools to develop and implement creative solutions through:

a series of online and in-person workshop and mentoring sessions

funding of up to EUR 10.000 (optional)

additional peer-to-peer exchange opportunities and travel

The call is open from 9.00 CEST 5 September to 9.00 CEST 16 October 2023.

An online Q&A session where you can ask questions about the details of the call and the application process will take place on Facebook via a discussion thread on 19 September 2023 15.00 CEST.

The Europe Challenge was launched in 2020 and has since supported 39 library initiatives across Europe. They are showcased in the publication Sense of Belonging which also tells the story of why and how the programme was conceived.

The Europe Challenge is initiated by the European Cultural Foundation and supported by Fondazione Cariplo and the Scottish Libraries and Information Council. The programme delivery partners are Changency, OBA and Public Libraries 2030.

Read the full call for proposals

Apply here

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Call for Applications: Display Europe Micro-Grants

Call for Proposals: Display Europe – Democracy Runs on Screens

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 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

Democracy Needs Imagination

In 2019 we ran two open calls under our annual theme. We want to support people who are working for European democratic values. People who are fighting for their rights as citizens, for their right to public space and personal freedoms, and for their right to creative expression.

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.