The INAEM — National Institute of Performing Arts and Music is the body within Spain’s Ministry of Culture that manages the bulk of state funding for the performing arts and music. The grants it awards annually represent tens of millions of euros in direct support for artists, companies, venues and festivals. Many artists outside Spain — including those based in Catalonia — never apply. Some don’t know the programmes exist; others assume, not entirely wrongly, that the system favours large structures. But there are calls designed for individual artists and small companies that are worth knowing.

Main INAEM programmes

Theatre and circus grants: subsidies for producing new works in theatre, circus and street arts. Includes creation residencies, stable programming, festivals and support for experimental formats. The 2025 call was published in the BOE in the first quarter of the year.

Music, lyric and dance grants: the broadest programme, endowed with €8 million in 2025. Lines cover touring, festivals, recording, stable programming and artistic residencies with composition commissions. Specific support for jazz, contemporary classical, traditional music and fusion. General music and dance programme information.

Distribution and touring grants for performing arts: for companies wanting to tour nationally. Includes support for presence at professional markets like FIRA de Tàrrega and the main state festivals, and access to the Red de Teatros de España.

Creation residency and mobility grants: INAEM funds stays and project production at public creation centres such as Tabacalera (Madrid) and other spaces in the national network. Some calls allow free international mobility.

Visual arts and contemporary creation grants: grants for visual artists, curators and research and production projects. Includes specific support for production and artistic research. Full visual arts grants catalogue.

How to apply

Calls open once or twice a year, usually in the first quarter (January–February) for projects in the current year. Applications are submitted entirely through the Ministry of Culture Electronic Office, using a digital certificate or Cl@ve. The full grants and subsidies catalogue centralises all open and closed calls.

Standard requirements:

  • Registered as self-employed or constituted as a legal entity (association, SL, SA, cooperative). Individual applications without social security registration rarely succeed.
  • Spanish NIF or CIF in force.
  • Up to date with tax and social security obligations.
  • Project documentation: artistic statement, itemised budget, CV of the artist or company, letter of intent or distribution commitment.

Ministry of Culture: other programmes

Beyond INAEM, the Ministry of Culture manages:

  • Music publishing grants (for independent labels and self-publishing artists): within the performing arts and music catalogue.
  • Spanish Academy of Fine Arts in Rome fellowships: for visual artists, architects and musicians. Highly competitive, highly regarded in the sector. All Ministry fellowships (FormARTE, CULTUREX and Rome) are listed in the official scholarships catalogue.
  • Plan for the Promotion of the Music Industry: support for internationalisation of Spanish music through ICEX and other channels.

Common application mistakes

Budget without detailed justification. INAEM rejects or rates poorly global budget lines (“production: €15,000”) without itemised breakdown.

Generic artistic statement. A good statement explains the specific project to be funded, not the company’s general history. The evaluator wants to know exactly where the money will go and what it will produce.

Applying for already-incurred costs. Public grants fund future or ongoing projects, not already-paid costs.

See also:

Ressona supports artists in preparing the project documentation needed for grant applications: website, EPK, project dossier. Get in touch.