Cultural Promotion Fund opens applications for projects of cultural merit

The Cultural Promotion Fund (FFC) has opened the application process for the Cultural Merit Projects Support Program, with a global allocation of €1,000,000.00 (one million euros). Support is granted in the form of a non-reimbursable grant, up to 80% of the total eligible cost of the project, with an absolute limit of €50,000.00 (fifty thousand euros) per project. The opening was communicated through Notice No. 22481/2026/2, published in the Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 177, of September 11, 2026, signed by the President of the FFC Administrative Board, Maria de Lurdes Camacho.

The procedure falls under paragraph 1 of article 8 of the annex of Ordinance No. 360/2025/1, of October 15, which approves the Regulations of the Cultural Promotion Fund. Private legal entities headquartered in Portugal with a compatible Economic Activity Code (CAE) may apply, covering areas such as publishing, audiovisual, performing arts, architecture, museology, and arts support activities.

Who can apply

Eligible entities are private entities with a compatible CAE, legally constituted for more than one year, with regularized tax and social security status, and the technical and financial means to execute the project. The following are not admitted:

• Natural persons;
• Private foundations and public foundations of private law with continuous funding registered in the cultural budget program;
• Associations exclusively composed of public entities;
• Companies of the public business sector.

Each entity may only submit one application, and the support cannot be combined with other aid granted in the government area of culture. The execution period for each project is 12 months, counted from the signing of the protocol.

How to submit the application

Applications are submitted through the gov.pt portal, via an electronic form and supporting documents, within a period of 15 business days starting from the first business day following the publication of the notice. The application requires a descriptive memorandum, budgets per activity and funding source, team identification, communication and mediation plan, evidence of cultural merit, a schedule of presentations, and performance indicators.

The support is paid in three installments:

• 50% upon signing the protocol (advance);
• 30% in the sixth month of validity, after validation of eligible expenses;
• 20% by the fifteenth month, upon submission of the final report.

Selection criteria

The evaluation is conducted on a scale of 0 to 20 points, with the Final Score weighted by cultural merit (60%), capacity of the entity and the team (20%), management viability and budgetary coherence (10%), and social impact, audiences, and accessibility (10%). A minimum condition of cultural merit is required, and applications with at least 70% of activities in low-density territories or in the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira receive an increase of 0.5 points.

The assessment is conducted by an Application Evaluation Committee of five members, appointed by decree of the Government member responsible for culture, with representation from the Office for Cultural Strategy, Planning and Evaluation (GEPAC), the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual, I. P. (ICA), the Directorate-General for Books, Archives and Libraries (DGLAB), Museums and Monuments of Portugal, E. P. E. (MMP), and Cultural Heritage, I. P. (PC). Clarifications may be requested via the address pmc@gepac.gov.pt.

The opening of this program represents a direct opportunity for private cultural entities to fund creation, production, circulation, publishing, and audience mediation, in a context where the non-subsidized portion must be ensured by own revenues, patronage, or sponsorships. For cultural operators, the notice defines a clear calendar for submission, evaluation within 30 days, and a decision by the administrative board, with support granted until the one million euro allocation is exhausted.

Source: Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 177, of September 11, 2026, Culture, Youth and Sports section (official reference: Notice no. 22481/2026/2).