Castilla-La Mancha announces 300,000 euro call for culture in rural areas

The Regional Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha has announced grants aimed at promoting cultural activity in rural areas for the year 2026, with a maximum total amount of 300,224.00 euros from earmarked funds of the Ministry of Culture. The call is published in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha (DOCM No. 171, of September 7, 2026, pp. 31518-31525), by means of the Resolution of 08/28/2026, signed by the regional minister Amador Pastor Noheda, with reference 2026/6423 and an abstract registered in the National Grants Database (BDNS Identif. 927204).

The call is processed under a competitive bidding regime and is governed by the regulatory bases approved by Order 79/2025, of May 26, of the Regional Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (DOCM No. 106, of June 4, 2025). The procedure is initiated ex officio in accordance with the eighth base of said order and complies with the General Grants Law 38/2003, of November 17.

Purpose and beneficiaries

The grants finance cultural projects and activities held or developed in the rural environment of Castilla-La Mancha, understood as municipalities with a population of fewer than 30,000 inhabitants and a density of fewer than 100 inhabitants per km², according to Law 45/2007, of December 13, for the sustainable development of the rural environment. In municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants, the density requirement is not required.

The following may be beneficiaries:

• Local entities of Castilla-La Mancha and the bodies of its institutional public sector.
• Private legal entities, both for-profit and non-profit.
• Self-employed individuals (freelancers) registered in the Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers under cultural sector headings.

Amount and financing

The maximum amount of the grant per project may not exceed 80 percent of the eligible expenses, and the requested aid must be between 10,000 and 30,000 euros. The credit is distributed over two annual periods (2026 and 2027) through budget applications 18080000.G/455A/46412, 47400 and 48411, charged to fund 0000000997.

Projects must be developed starting from June 1, 2026, and end before July 15, 2027. Activities intended only for members, commercial fairs or celebrations, religious or sporting activities, and charitable fundraising events are excluded.

Applications and evaluation

Applications shall be submitted exclusively electronically with an electronic signature through the Electronic Office of the Administration of the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha (www.jccm.es), within a period of ten business days from the day following the publication of the call. Each applicant may submit a single application referring to a single project.

The evaluation is carried out based on criteria such as the quality and innovation of the project (up to 35 points), suitability for the purposes (15 points), impact measurement (15 points), and budgetary adequacy (10 points), among others. Additional points are awarded for projects developed in municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants or in more than one municipality. Projects must reach a minimum of 40 points to be eligible for beneficiary status, and the maximum resolution period is six months.

Impact

The call reinforces the commitment to culture as a tool for territorial integration and the fight against depopulation, as it is expressly aimed at smaller rural municipalities and local cultural agents. With grants of up to 30,000 euros, city councils, associations, and freelancers in the sector will be able to promote projects that generate activity, employment, and social cohesion in the rural areas of Castilla-La Mancha.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha, No. 171, September 7, 2026, section III (Other provisions and acts), pp. 31518-31525 (official reference: 2026/6423; BDNS Identif. 927204).