Rooted in a multiethnic, multi-layered cultural landscape shaped by heritage, migration, post-earthquake reconstruction, and contemporary urban challenges, Skopje’s ECoC vision understands culture as a long-term driver of social cohesion, democratic participation, ecological responsibility, and urban transformation. The Open Call for Cultural and Artistic Projects is one of the core instruments through which this vision will be realized. It invites artists, cultural professionals, organizations, institutions, and European partners to actively co-create the official Skopje 2028 cultural programme for the period 2026–2028, ensuring strong European cooperation, citizen participation, and sustainable cultural legacy.

This Open Call is conceived as a grant-based cultural funding mechanism, not as a public procurement procedure. Its primary purpose is to support original, non-commercial cultural and artistic projects that align with the strategic objectives of Skopje 2028 and the broader values of the European Capital of Culture programme.

Deadline: 29 march 2026

The call aims to: • Strengthen European cooperation, mobility, and co-creation, positioning Skopje as a meeting point for diverse European cultural practices. • Support citizen-centered and participatory cultural models, ensuring active involvement of local communities. • Encourage radical creativity, experimentation, and interdisciplinary approaches, including digital, hybrid, and emerging artistic practices. • Address shared European challenges, such as social fragmentation, ecological crisis, digital transformation, and questions of memory and identity. • Contribute to the long-term cultural, social, and urban transformation of Skopje beyond 2028.

Projects selected through this call will become an integral part of the official Skopje 2028 programme, implemented across the city and its ten municipalities, in both institutional and public spaces.

Thematic Framework:  Five Programmatic Strands
All proposals must align with at least one of the five thematic strands that structure the Skopje 2028 programme:
Art4Hope – Art for Hope This strand focuses on countering apathy, social fatigue, and youth emigration by nurturing hope through collective artistic action. It encourages bold experimentation, interdisciplinary practices, and the activation of new cultural spaces. Art4Hope emphasizes resilience, optimism, and the transformative power of artistic action, summarized in the guiding principle: “It is not hope that prompts action – action prompts hope.”
Togetherness - Rooted in Skopje’s legacy of post-1963 earthquake solidarity, Togetherness addresses social cohesion, dialogue, tolerance, and the “right to the city.” Projects are expected to foster collaboration across communities, generations, and cultural backgrounds, using art as a platform for shared experience, participation, and mutual understanding.
rECOvering – Renewal - This strand responds to the city’s recent urban, ecological, and social challenges, including environmental degradation and fragmented urban development. It invites projects that explore healing, recovery, and resilience through culture, combining artistic practices with ecological awareness, critical reflection, and future-oriented imagination.
CreARTing – Creation - CreARTing bridges art, technology, science, and entrepreneurship. It supports projects that integrate ICT, digital media, AI, XR/VR, and creative innovation, aiming to reduce the digital gap, stimulate youth entrepreneurship, and position Skopje within contemporary European creative economies.
Heritage – Cultural Heritage - Heritage projects focus on the preservation, reinterpretation, and reactivation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Emphasis is placed on living traditions, memory, craftsmanship, and the dialogue between historical legacy and contemporary artistic expression, reinforcing Skopje’s role as a culturally layered European city.

Who Can Apply
The call is open to a wide range of cultural actors, including:
• Individual artists and cultural professionals
• NGOs and cultural organizations
• Artistic collectives
• Educational and research institutions
• International partnerships and European networks Applicants must be 18 years or older, professionally active in the cultural field, and legally resident in an eligible European country.

Applicants may be based in:
• All 27 EU Member States
• Neighboring and partner countries participating in European cultural cooperation (including North Macedonia, Western Balkans, EEA countries, Ukraine, and others)
• EU Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) and Outermost Regions (ORs) European Dimension A strong European dimension is mandatory.

Projects must demonstrate at least one of the following:
• European partnerships or co-production
• Cross-border artistic collaboration or mobility
• Engagement with shared European themes, narratives, or challenges
• Cooperation with past or future European Capitals of Culture

Financial Framework, Duration, and Evaluation Budget and Funding Levels
• Total budget 300,000 €
• Maximum grant per project: 50,000 €
• Minimum co-financing: 10% (including in-kind contributions)

Funding ranges:
• Small-scale: 3,000 – 10,000 €
• Medium-scale: 10,000 – 30,000 €
• Large-scale: 30,000 – 50,000 €

More Info here.