The “Cascading Grants” funding programme of ECHOES (European Cultural Heritage: Opportunities for Citizens’ Engagement and Social Inclusion) offers a unique opportunity for Cultural Heritage Institutions (CHIs) to engage with the European Cultural Heritage Cloud, promoting digital engagement, data sharing, and collaboration across the sector. With three open calls planned, the programme will support up to 50 projects, contributing to the enhancement and accessibility of digital cultural resources.
The first call, currently open, offers up to €60,000 in funding per project and will select up to 12 initiatives. The goal is to involve a wide range of stakeholders from the cultural heritage community, encouraging the collection and sharing of datasets for use within the Cultural Heritage Cloud. Selected projects will be expected to develop innovative solutions for data digitisation, preservation, and access, helping to expand the availability of cultural content in digital formats.
Applications are open to small and medium-sized cultural heritage institutions, including museums, libraries, archives, and non-profit cultural organisations based in EU Member States or countries associated with Horizon Europe. Proposals may be submitted either individually or as part of a consortium, with a particular focus on institutions with limited resources or on interdisciplinary collaborations.
The selection process consists of two phases. In the first phase, applicants must submit preliminary proposals by the end of June 2025, followed by an external evaluation concluding in July 2025. Shortlisted projects will move on to the second phase, with full proposals due in September 2025. Final results will be announced by mid-October 2025, and selected projects are expected to begin between December 2025 and January 2026.
The programme is managed by the Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision.
For more information and to apply, visit the dedicated page on ETT’s website: