Funding Criteria

The following “Funding Criteria of the Federal Cultural Foundation for General Project Funding” are valid in conjunction with the “Funding Guidelines of the Federal Cultural Foundation”.

1. In the area of General Project Funding, the Executive Board is responsible for approving funding for project applications of more than 50,000 euros and less than 250,000 euros. The funding decisions are based on recommendations made by a jury of experts which reviews and selects projects based solely on their qualitative merits. Approval by the Board of Trustees is required for projects of more than 250,000 euros, again on the basis of the jury's recommendations. The jury conducts these assessments in closed session.
2. A "project" is taken to mean the production, planning and/or implementation of individual events or a series of related events, e.g. exhibitions, performances and symposiums.

3. The Federal Cultural Foundation considers a project to have an "international context" if any of the following criteria apply:

   • it is carried out in cooperation with at least one partner with headquarters located outside of the Federal Republic of Germany
   • it is essential for at least one of the constituent events to be staged outside of the Federal Republic of Germany
   • it requires the significant involvement of artists from different countries
   • international cooperation is necessary for its preparation and research
   • it brings together a large number of participants or constituent projects
   • it requires the involvement of internationally renowned institutions

   Should the project meet none of these criteria, the Executive Board may consider a project to have an "international context" if its thematic orientation is deemed to be of such outstanding significance that it transcends national borders.

4. The requested funding must total at least 50,000 euros. Project coordinators must demonstrate that at least 20 percent of the total cost of the project is secured with personal monetary resources and/or third-party financing.
5. Applications may be submitted at any time. The jury meets twice a year at regular intervals. Applications submitted later than 31 January or 31 July (date of receipt of the online form) cannot be considered at the jury session which immediately follows, but can be resubmitted for consideration following the next submission deadline. If the submission deadline happens to fall on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the deadline is extended to the end of the following working day. The dates of upcoming jury sessions are posted in advance on the Foundation’s website.
6. Funding awarded through General Project Funding is provided in the form of co-financing. The jury can attach conditions to its recommendation to fund a particular project, for example, by requiring other sponsors to confirm their readiness to contribute to the project's financing. The Federal Cultural Foundation informs the Board of Trustees of the Executive Board's funding decision, reached on the basis of the jury's recommendations.
7. These funding criteria enter into effect on 1 January 2017 and shall remain valid until otherwise changed or annulled by the Board of Trustees of the Federal Cultural Foundation.