Funding Guidelines
of the German Federal Cultural Foundation. Effective 12 July 2024
Funding Guidelines of the German Federal Cultural Foundation
- The German Federal Cultural Foundation was established in 2002 by the German federal government, represented by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. The Foundation supports artistic productions and awards funding to thematic areas which fall under the artistic and cultural funding responsibilities of the German federal government and possess particular thematic significance for current artistic and social discourse. One of its chief objectives is to promote innovative programmes and projects in an international context.
- The Foundation’s Executive Board is authorised to approve funding applications for amounts under 250,000 euros. Approval from the Board of Trustees is required for funding applications for amounts over 250,000 euros.
- Funding can be awarded to all non-commercial areas of cultural production with a contemporary reference, in particular the performing arts, visual arts, literature, music, architecture, art- and cultural-historic exhibitions, as well as cross-disciplinary projects. Project coordinators must ensure visibility of their projects in Germany. Media produced with project funding provided by the German Federal Cultural Foundation must also include a German-language version.
- Not only does the Foundation provide funding to third-party projects, but also develops programmes of its own devoted to issues of current cultural significance. Projects funded through General Project Funding, application-based programmes and funds maintained by the Foundation are subject to the corresponding General Funding Criteria as well as project-specific funding requirements published on the Foundation’s website.
- The German Federal Cultural Foundation does not grant operational funding to institutions – only project funding. Moreover, it does not finance purchases, construction measures or projects comprised solely of guest performances abroad, nor does it subsidise expenditures on printing alone. As a rule, the Foundation does not fund event series or regularly recurring projects. Exceptions to the rule can be made on occasion but require the approval of the Board of Trustees. In such cases, funding may not exceed one-sixth of the Foundation’s total budget, based on a five-year funding period. The respective event series or regularly recurring projects are designated as “cultural beacons” and are publicised as such on the website of the German Federal Cultural Foundation.
Irrespective of such exceptions, individual projects of event series or regularly recurring projects are generally eligible for funding through General Project Funding.
- The German Federal Cultural Foundation may award funding to institutions with headquarters located in Germany or abroad. The legal form of the applying institution (e.g. foundation, association, public or private corporate enterprise or private company) has no significance in the funding decision. The Foundation generally does not fund projects organised by individuals or groups of individuals who are not firmly established within an organisation. As a rule, funding cannot be awarded to applicants who are already receiving financial support from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media or an affiliated institution thereof. The Foundation can only fund projects which have not yet commenced prior to its funding decision.
The Foundation provides specific online tools on its website which applicants are obliged to use when requesting funding through General Project Funding, application-based programmes or funds. Applications may be submitted in either German or English (with a German translation). Furthermore, applications can only be considered if the required forms are complete and submitted on time, and include written confirmation by all listed sponsors, cooperation partners and key participating artists.
Funding is generally awarded in the form of partial financing to be expended for the intended purpose. Should a personal bias in a jury member potentially influence a decision on a funding application, the application is not presented to the jury for review, but rather rejected outright as a formality. Personal bias is assumed if the applicant shares a professional, contractual or functional relationship with a jury member. Applications may not be resubmitted for review within the same funding area if they have already been reviewed and rejected by an expert jury. Supplementary materials may be included with applications but must be submitted exclusively in digital form. The Foundation archives all submitted applications.
- The German Federal Cultural Foundation promptly sends each applicant confirmation of receipt of their application. It then conducts a preliminary assessment to determine whether the submitted application meets the requirements described above, the submission deadlines and funding criteria. The applicant is then informed of the results of this precursory review. The Foundation generally does not contact applicants on its own initiative in order to clarify or complete sections of the funding application.
- The use of funds granted by the German Federal Cultural Foundation is audited in accordance with the budgetary laws of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Foundation may only dispense payment of funding upon signing the corresponding funding contract, whose provisions concerning the use of funds, the execution of the project and the publication of its results or documentation, must be strictly observed. The respective funding contract also stipulates how the funding recipient is to substantiate that the awarded funding has been used for the purpose for which it was intended (proof of expenditure). If the recipient fails to meet the contractual provisions, the Foundation reserves the right to demand partial or total repayment of the awarded funding.
- The funding guidelines as provided above are supplemented by the project-specific funding criteria in General Project Funding, as well as other application-based funding programmes and funds. These funding guidelines take effect on 12 July 2024 and shall remain valid until otherwise amended or annulled by the Board of Trustees of the German Federal Cultural Foundation.