How to apply

Applicants can apply for the BIFC financial resources throughout the year. Once the application has been filed, you will receive an answer within a maximum of three months. 

The BIFC supports the development of genuinely authentic collaborative projects, i.e., projects that are conceived in collaboration with the project partners from the outset.
The application form can be found on the website of the European Cultural Foundation, and is also accessible through the document How to apply.pdf.  Please read the document carefully in order to ensure that your application will be successful. It is also advisable to read the summaries of the past funded projects in order to better understand what kind of projects are of interest to the BIFC.
The application form must be filled out in English. Applications sent by mail will not be accepted.
ECF finances a maximum of 80% of the whole value of the project, or a maximum of EUR 30,000.

The Balkan Incentive Fund for Culture does not grant funds for the following purposes:
- operating costs of an organisation’s regular activities 
(Purchase of equipment);
- touring/exhibition of an existing work; 
- production costs of a one-off performance or art work; 
- awards, competitions and residencies; 
- independent literary works, translations or running costs of an ongoing series of publications or cultural reviews (publications documenting your collaborative project however may be included in your application); 
- projects that rely entirely on ECF funding; 
- organisations without committed partners; 
- bilateral or local projects lacking a European dimension; 
- projects in which the lead applicant consists of: student bodies, commercial organisations, state institutions, amateur organisations, or organisations focusing primarily on education, religion or heritage;
- independent cultural and artistic organisations applying more than once as a lead applicant and/or more than once as a project partner in the same grant round; 
- 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); 
- institutional approaches to arts education or art therapy; 
- folkloric events and projects that focus on conserving European heritage; 
- initiatives based solely on tourism. 

You can find more detailed instructions in the document How to apply.pdf.