CFAs: Impacts of Culture and the Arts on Health and Well-Being Programme

Deadline: 16-Sep-25

Applications are now open for the Impacts of Culture and the Arts on Health and Well-Being Programme.

Scope

• There has been a major increase of research into the effects of culture and the arts on health and well-being, alongside developments in practice and policy activities in different EU countries. A recent example is the covid-19 pandemic, which challenged individual and collective wellbeing in an unprecedented manner. Its consequences – particularly in terms of mental health – have been felt long after the conclusion of the crisis in medical and public health terms. The covid-19 pandemic has showed that culture may play a profound and fundamental role in our lives. Moreover, the war of aggression against Ukraine has recalled the importance of culture and arts for the mental health of forcibly displaced people.
• The Commission Communication “A comprehensive approach to mental health” recognized the contribution of culture to mental health and well-being of individuals and society, for example through culture-based social prescribing and the fight against stigma. The EU Work Plan for Culture 2023-2026 recognises that “cultural activities have a positive impact on people of all ages and backgrounds, enhance people’s quality of life and increase the health and overall well-being of individuals and communities. There is also a significant economic impact.”
• The objective of this topic is to reinforce and mainstream the foster cross-sectorial cooperation among cultural, health, social, youth, education and humanitarian/relief sectors as well as researchers and academia of Member State and Associated countries. The proposals should include cultural and creative sectors at large and consider both the active and the receptive nature of cultural participation; a special attention should be given to analyse situations in which art and culture are disruptive for mental health or are polarizing, thus having an adverse impact.

Funding Information

• The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:
  • public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
  • cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (low value grant).

Eligible Activities

• The following activities are generally eligible for grants under Horizon Europe:
  • Research and innovation actions (RIA) — Activities that aim primarily to establish new knowledge or to explore the feasibility of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution. This may include basic and applied research, technology development and integration, testing, demonstration and validation of a small-scale prototype in a laboratory or simulated environment.
  • Innovation actions (IA) — Activities that aim directly to produce plans and arrangements or designs for new, altered or improved products, processes or services. These activities may include prototyping, testing, demonstrating, piloting, large-scale product validation and market replication.
  • Coordination and support actions (CSA) — Activities that contribute to the objectives of Horizon Europe. This excludes research and innovation (R&I) activities, except those carried out under the ‘Widening participation and spreading excellence’ component of the programme (part of ‘Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area’).
  • Programme co-fund actions (CoFund) — A programme of activities established or implemented by legal entities managing or funding R&I programmes, other than EU funding bodies. Such a programme of activities may support: networking and coordination; research; innovation; pilot actions; innovation and market deployment; training and mobility; awareness raising and communication; and dissemination and exploitation.

Expected Outcomes

• Projects should contribute to all the following expected outcomes:
  • Policy makers at European, national, regional and local level from the health, culture, social care, relief/ humanitarian, youth and education sectors are aware of the impacts of arts and culture on health, well-being and social cohesion and are equipped with policy recommendations and with practical guides on to implement cross-sectorial policies and programmes in this field;
  • Stakeholders from the health, culture, social care, relief/ humanitarian, youth and education sectors are aware impacts of arts and culture on health, well-being and social cohesion and are equipped with tools to implement cross-sectorial projects in this field;
  • Research gaps in this field are documented and explained, and further the R&I implementation science (including in SSH disciplines) by presenting new scalable and replicable best practices;
  • Policy-makers working in international relations/ cooperation are provided with recommendations for promoting EU priorities, culture and fundamental values abroad through the angle of cooperation in the areas of culture, health and well-being.

Eligibility Criteria

• Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from no associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call/topic.
• A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
• Specific cases:
  • Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
  • Associated partners — Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any specific call/topic conditions.
  • Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
  • EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
• Eligible Countries
  • To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
    • the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions:
      • Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
    • the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States:
      • Aruba (NL), Bonaire (NL), Curação (NL), French Polynesia (FR), French Southern and Antarctic Territories (FR), Greenland (DK), New Caledonia (FR), Saba (NL), Saint Barthélemy (FR), Sint Eustatius (NL), Sint Maarten (NL), St. Pierre and Miquelon (FR), Wallis and Futuna Islands (FR).
    • countries associated to Horizon Europe
      • Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

For more information, visit EC.