DGARTES opens calls for Sustained Support for the arts with 72.8 million

The Directorate-General for the Arts (DGARTES) has opened the calls for the Sustained Support Program in biennial (2027-2028) and quadrennial (2027-2030) modalities, covering Theatre, Visual Arts, Dance, Interdisciplinary, Circus, Street Arts, Digital Arts, Programming, Music, and Opera. The amounts were set by a decree dated 08/20/2026 from the Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports, and the opening was published in the Diário da República, 2nd series, Supplement, no. 163, of August 24, 2026, through six notices (extracts).

The procedure takes place under the terms of Decree-Law no. 103/2017, of August 24 (Regime for the Granting of State Financial Support to the Arts), in its current wording, and the Regulation approved in the annex to Ordinance no. 345-A/2026/1, of August 14. The opening notices, containing all applicable conditions, are available for consultation at the “Balcão Artes” at https://www.dgartes.gov.pt/. The documents were signed on August 21, 2026, by the Director-General, Américo Rodrigues.

Six calls, six areas

Each artistic area has its own notice, with its own global financial amount:

• Notice (extract) no. 20875-A/2026/2 — Theatre: €20,580,000
• Notice (extract) no. 20875-B/2026/2 — Visual Arts: €7,740,000
• Notice (extract) no. 20875-C/2026/2 — Dance: €6,660,000
• Notice (extract) no. 20875-D/2026/2 — Interdisciplinary, Circus, Street Arts, and Digital Arts: €8,940,000
• Notice (extract) no. 20875-E/2026/2 — Programming: €18,000,000
• Notice (extract) no. 20875-F/2026/2 — Music and Opera: €10,920,000

Modalities and annual distribution

Each call divides the amount between the biennial (2027-2028) and quadrennial (2027-2030) modalities, with a defined annual distribution. In Theatre, the biennial modality has €11,100,000 (€5,550,000/year) and the quadrennial has €9,480,000 (€2,370,000/year). In Visual Arts, the biennial has €4,140,000 and the quadrennial €3,600,000; in Dance, €3,540,000 and €3,120,000, respectively.

In the call for Interdisciplinary, Circus, Street Arts, and Digital Arts, the biennial modality is split into three portions: €2,940,000 for Interdisciplinary and Digital Arts, €960,000 for Street Arts, and €960,000 for Circus, with €4,080,000 allocated to the quadrennial modality.

Programming, Music, and Opera

In the field of Programming, the global amount is €18,000,000, divided into €9,720,000 (biennial) and €8,280,000 (quadrennial). In Music and Opera, the total is €10,920,000, with €4,440,000 for Music (biennial), €1,440,000 for Opera (biennial), and €5,040,000 for the joint quadrennial modality.

With a total of €72,840,000 distributed across six competitions, the Sustained Support Program constitutes one of the main avenues of regular funding for creators, companies, and artistic structures in Portugal, ensuring multi-year predictability for projects in Theater, Visual Arts, Dance, Circus, Street Arts, Digital Arts, Programming, Music, and Opera.

Source: Diário da República, 2nd series, Supplement, no. 163, of August 24, 2026, Part C — Culture, Youth and Sport (official reference: Notices (extract) no. 20875-A to 20875-F/2026/2).