Grants of up to EUR 40,000 for cultural and creative industries (call 2026)

Davor Nikolić 8 May 2026

Note, 30 October 2026. The deadline of the Public Call for Encouraging Entrepreneurship in the Cultural and Creative Industries in 2026 expired on 5 June 2026. The Ministry of Culture and Media has published the results, and objections could be submitted from 10 to 17 August 2026. A new call had not been published as of 30 October 2026. Current calls are tracked in our guides EU grants for businesses 2026 and Business incentives and upcoming calls 2026.

Public call for promoting entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative industries in 2026Programme at a glance · checked 2 November 2026

Provider	Croatian Ministry of Culture and Media (state budget)
Type	Grant (de minimis aid)
Who can apply	SMEs, companies, crafts, cultural institutions, artistic organisations and freelance artists in performing arts, visual arts, audiovisual activities, publishing and bookselling
Who cannot apply	Undertakings in difficulty, with post-tax profit above EUR 100,000, state debts, in bankruptcy or liquidation, with a blocked account; without a permanent employee (except artistic organisations, freelancers)
Amount	EUR 7,000 to 40,000 per applicant
Terms	Aid intensity up to 85% of eligible costs, VAT not eligible. Salaries co-financed up to 50%, max EUR 1,000 a month. Implementation within 12 months of the contract entering into force
How to apply	Online via the Ministry of Culture and Media ePrijavnica system (ePisarnica, e-Citizens portal). Deadline was 5 June 2026
Legal basis	De minimis aid, Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2831
Status	Closed Closed. Applications 5 May to 5 June 2026; results published, objections 10 to 17 August 2026. No new call found as of 2 November 2026
Official source	Call conditions and guidelines, Ministry of Culture and Media

The Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia published a public call in May 2026 that used de minimis aid to support stronger resilience and competitiveness of businesses in the cultural and creative industries (CCI) sector.

📌 Key parameters:

Aid amount: EUR 7,000 to 40,000
Intensity: up to 85% of eligible costs
Implementation period: up to 12 months from the signing of the Contract
One entrepreneur = one application

🎯 Who can apply? Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, companies, sole proprietorships (obrt), cultural institutions, arts organisations and self-employed artists working in the following areas:

performing arts
literary publishing and bookselling
visual arts
audiovisual activities

💡 What is financed?

Equipment and fitting out of premises for carrying out the activity
Licences, software and technologies for implementing the project
Staff costs for project activities (co-financing of up to 50%, at most EUR 1,000 per month)
Promotion and visibility: design, printing, advertising (with a detailed promotion plan)

⚠️ Note: VAT is not an eligible cost. Implementation must not start before the Contract enters into force.

🗓️ The application deadline was 5 June 2026. Applications were submitted electronically through ePrijavnica / ePisarnica on the e-Citizens (e-Građani) portal.

Do you have an idea for improving your business model, investing in equipment or growing your audience? At Omnia Solutions we guide you through the entire process, from the strategic concept and the budget on the Ministry’s form, through the preparation of all documentation, to filling in the ePrijavnica.

The previous call for cultural and creative industries under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, closed on 1 July 2024, is described in our article Call for cultural and creative industries. While waiting for a new call, micro and small businesses in culture can finance investments with HAMAG-BICRO loans, and the conditions for start-ups are in the guide Grants and loans for young people, women and start-up entrepreneurs 2026.

📩 Contact us in good time. 5 June 2026 was the deadline of this call, and a new call has not yet been published.