Promotes cultural initiatives and European solidarity through grants.
The European Cultural Foundation (ECF) is an independent foundation based in the Netherlands, founded in 1954. It aims to promote a European sentiment by developing and supporting cultural initiatives that let people share, experience, and imagine Europe. The ECF focuses on three main areas: Share Europe, Experience Europe, and Imagine Europe. These areas aim to create a European public space, foster cultural and educational exchanges, and support initiatives that tell the stories of Europe's heritage and future. The ECF provides grants, builds communities, offers incubator programs and online platforms, gives awards, organizes events and challenges, publishes books, and builds alliances. The Culture of Solidarity Fund is a key program that supports transnational collaborative initiatives addressing themes such as just transition and environmental sustainability from a cultural angle. Grants can range up to 30,000 EUR. Recent projects and organizations that have been financed include "The Walk" – a theatre project featuring Little Amal, a 3.5-meter-tall puppet of a 9-year-old girl walking 8,000 kilometers across Europe, and "The Europe Challenge for Libraries," which helped a local library in Spain create a new vision for their city by installing beehives and championing biodiversity. The ECF also collaborates with other organizations on projects like i-Portunus, supporting green mobility of cultural professionals across Europe.