Questions & Answers (FAQ)

The German Federal Cultural Foundation finances cross-disciplinary and internationally networked projects of contemporary art and culture throughout all of Germany. We support cultural organisations and the independent scene to venture in new directions and create opportunities for experimentation.

We award funding to individual, short-term, non-commercial projects in all artistic areas and cross-disciplinary formats. All funded projects share the following characteristics:

• supraregional / international
• contemporary art and artistic projects highlighting current issues
• topics of interest for social, cultural and political discourse across all of Germany
• new formats and experimental approaches

The points mentioned above may not entirely apply to individual programmes. 

We do not fund:

• projects that have already commenced
• purchases of objects or artworks
• construction projects, e.g. renovation or accessibility measures
• guest performances staged exclusively abroad, i.e. the project must be publicly visible in Germany
• projects already receiving funding from the German Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media or by an institution regularly financed by the Federal Commissioner
• projects comprised solely of printing costs – however, funding can be allocated to project-related catalogues or publications, e.g. for an exhibition
• regularly recurring event series or projects – however, parts or individual projects of event series or annual festivals are eligible for funding, e.g. programme highlights or symposiums on special, non-recurring topics or current issues 

Whether you are a large cultural organisation or an independent group, our funding serves to promote new artistic perspectives and experiences. The following institutions/organisations are eligible for funding:

• museums and art collections
• art and cultural associations
• theatres and performance collectives
• literature houses
• ensembles
• commemorative sites
• festivals

We do not fund solo artists, individual persons or loosely connected groups that do not have an established organisational structure. Legal entities (e.g. clubs, LLCs or foundations) and civil-law companies (GbRs) are recognised as having an established organisational structure and are thus eligible for funding, provided that the member of staff applying for funding has already carried out projects in the past. 

As a rule, we do not fund artist-in-residence programmes and scholarships.

We support international partnerships, exploratory and research-oriented projects with cultural organisations and creative professionals outside of Germany. 

• General Project Funding : Cultural institutions can submit funding applications for innovative projects in all artistic areas twice a year. A jury of experts is responsible for making funding recommendations.
• The Foundation’s own programmes : We develop our own programmes dedicated to topical issues of cultural relevance. The programmes spotlight societal developments and encourage cultural organisations to explore new working methods, reach out to different target groups and engage in unconventional partnerships.

The German Federal Cultural Foundation is one of the largest cultural funding providers in Europe. The issue of bias is of particular importance to us as we award public funds to our funding recipients, based on recommendations from independent juries. We wish to ensure that the jury members and employees of the Foundation do not extend preference to or unjustly discriminate against individual applicants.

Therefore, the following always applies:
The German Federal Cultural Foundation shall not forward any funding application to the jury should there be reason to suspect a jury member harbours bias. A potential case of bias exists, in particular, if an applicant or participant of a project has a close

• professional, 
• contractual, or 
• functional relationship, i.e. directly or indirectly related by blood or marriage up to the third degree.

Your application should convince a qualified jury of experts that your project deserves funding. Therefore, take sufficient time to prepare your application. There is a lot that goes into an application to the German Federal Cultural Foundation. From the detailed description of your project to a comprehensive cost and financing plan to the goals you hope to achieve – there are numerous matters you should clarify in advance before submitting your application. 

You may encounter a number of questions along the way. We offer online consultation to applicants seeking funding through General Project Funding and the Foundation’s own programmes. You can find the consultation dates on the respective websites or in our newsletter. 

Our video tutorials also provide useful advice – take a look and gain an overview!

To give your funding application due consideration, we need all the required application documents – including the cost and financing plan. These must be completed in full and uploaded digitally via the application form by the given deadline. Additional documents include written statements of confirmation by all the sponsors you’ve specified, cooperation partners, and artists who are significantly involved in the project.

Because we are obliged to treat all applicants equally, we cannot make any exceptions if an application does not meet the formal requirements – even in cases of minor oversights.

You can download our cost and financing plan template from our website. The template is updated on a regular basis.

Please be sure to only use the most recently updated template! Do not use old templates that you might have saved from previous applications .

We only accept cost and financing plans that are submitted in one of the following formats:

• Excel (.xls, .xlsx)
• CSV (.csv)
• ODS (.ods)
• XML spreadsheet (.xml)

“Fundable expenses” refer to all expenses that serve to achieve the project goal. This means: 

All personnel and material expenses are generally “fundable” if they are necessary to achieve the goals of a project during the contractually agreed upon project funding period. 

All your necessary expenses should be listed in the cost and financing plan. Should we decide to fund your project, the German Federal Cultural Foundation determines the total fundable expenses and the type of financing that will cover them. These terms are agreed upon in contractual form with the project coordinator.

The German Federal Cultural Foundation regularly organises free seminars for project coordinators on funding regulation matters. As the project coordinator, you will receive an invitation to these seminars after receiving your funding notification letter.

In addition to the project coordinator’s own financial contribution, i.e. resources to which they have direct access, all other revenues generated in connection with the project should be used to cover the full range of project expenses. 

These include: 

• regular subsidies provided by other public agencies that may be used to cover project expenses,
• other financial support from private and public funding providers, e.g. other foundations, and
• revenues from admission fees and sales.

We differentiate between secured  and unsecured revenues .

Secured revenues, or secured third-party funding, is when you have a binding written statement from the sponsor, pledging the respective amount and confirming that it may be used to finance your project.

Unsecured revenues, or unsecured third-party funding, is when you do not have binding confirmation regarding the support of your project, e.g. if you are still waiting for a decision from your sponsor or if you’re unable to estimate what exactly your sales revenues will be.

With regard to individual funding programmes, the respective funding guidelines specify one’s required contribution (your own secured money) and/or secured third-party funding (payments from other foundations, sponsors etc.) as a percentage of the total cost.

We require proof of secured third-party funding when you apply, which you should submit as an attachment with your application. 

Expected revenues, e.g. from admission fees or future sales, are not considered secured revenues. Nonetheless, you should include these amounts in your cost and financing plan under “planned revenues”.

Upon submitting your application, you (the project coordinator) are required to confirm that all the information provided is accurate and binding. Consequently, there are three fundamental points in the cost and financing plan that deserve careful consideration:

As a rule, your project’s expenses and revenues should be balanced. This means that the sum of all project expenses must equal the sum of your own contribution, third-party funding, other revenues and the funding amount for which you are applying.

In addition, you are not allowed to subsequently reduce your own contribution indicated in the application nor substitute any portion of it with other financial resources or grants obtained at a later time.

Also bear in mind that funding from the German Federal Cultural Foundation is granted on the basis of the “subsidiarity principle”. This means that the amount of funding awarded by the Foundation is intended to only cover the shortfall that you, as the project coordinator, are unable to cover with your own contribution, third-party funding or other revenues.

Of course, we understand that the planned total expenses and revenues indicated in your application can change during the course of your project. You are obliged to always notify us of any such changes.

What happens if your expenses increase? The funding amount from the German Federal Cultural Foundation does not increase in proportion. If your expenses rise, you will have to secure other third-party funding, invest more of your own capital or find ways to reduce your costs.

What happens if your expenses are lower than projected? In this case, the funding amount from the German Federal Cultural Foundation decreases in proportion to the reduced expenses.

You may enter the nominal value of funding and specify the exchange rate valid at the time of application for calculating the entire amount. For our part, we base our final funding award calculation on the official ECB exchange rate valid at the conclusion of the application process.

Please note: Due to possible exchange rate fluctuations, we recommend calculating your own secured contribution and/or third-party funding more generously in your cost and financing plan. This reduces the likelihood that rate fluctuations will cause your secured financing (own contribution and/or third-party funding) to fall below the required amount before the jury session.

As a rule, no, unless the funding guidelines of the respective programme explicitly permit this as an exception. Payments and services “in kind” can refer to volunteer work or the provision of rent-free venues or technical equipment, for example.

In-kind payments and services are not to be listed as expenses or revenues in the cost and financing plan. For the sake of simplicity and clarity, it is easier for our administrators and applicants alike to only consider expenses and revenues for which money is paid, based on verifiable receipts and invoices.

We appreciate the involvement of volunteers and non-monetary support. We know how valuable and useful such services are in carrying out cultural projects. That is why keeping total expenses in check and lowering one’s total required funding benefits all participants.

No. We only fund expenditures that are additionally and solely incurred as a result of the project. The current expenditures of an institution (e.g. the salaries of permanent staff or the running costs of existing infrastructure) may not be listed in part or whole in the cost and financing plan. Moreover, they may not comprise any part of the required percentage of one’s own secured financial contribution.

As an environmentally certified foundation, we actively promote climate protection and sustainability. We have issued a “green travel commitment” to establish environmentally friendly modes of travel in the cultural sector. These basic rules not only apply to us but also to our funded project coordinators. For you, this means:

• We do not cover the cost of inner-German flights.
• For trips across Germany’s borders, we only recognise air travel expenses if taking the same trip by train would take longer than eight hours. 
• For inner-European flights, you may only book seats in economy class (i.e. lowest air-fare class). 
• For intercontinental flights lasting longer than five hours, you may also book seats in business class. 
• We never cover the cost of first-class seats.

In 2024 the German federal government introduced nationwide minimum fees for the cultural funding sector. The new regulation defines the minimum fees, to which professional, independent artists and creative personnel are entitled.

The projects funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation follow the recommendations on fair remuneration, issued by the respective trade associations. In this way, we wish to improve the situation of professional, independent artists.

This means that all funding recipients are obliged to observe the minimum fee limit, insofar as funding is used to pay fees. This applies as follows:

• when the German Federal Cultural Foundation finances more than 50% of the total project costs
• when a public funding provider co-finances more than 50% of the total project costs
• for professional artists and creative personnel
• for artists and creative personnel from Germany or abroad who are remunerated on a fee basis 
• for the performing arts, visual arts, literature, music and cultural education sectors

In the case that your project takes place abroad with exclusively foreign artists, you need not comply with the minimum fee regulation. However, you do have to justify this and ensure that the artistic personnel are paid a fee that is appropriate to the respective location. 

For more information and advice, visit the website of the German Cultural Council.

If the project coordinator fails to pay their participating professional artists and creative personnel at least the obligatory minimum fee, the project coordinator must pay the artists in question the difference at the request of the German Federal Cultural Foundation. We do not provide funding to cover this shortfall in payment.

We support your efforts to protect your events while also ensuring that debate can happen in your cultural venues. Consequently, you can apply for funding to cover project-related costs for conflict management. This applies to expenses for:

• consultation
• moderation
• safety

You can specify the types and amounts of project-related expenses for conflict management under the respective position in the cost and financing plan.

Our Executive Board promptly notifies all applicants whether their projects will be funded after the jury concludes its review. In some cases, the jury may attach certain conditions to its funding recommendation, e.g. additional steps that need to be taken or requests for further documentation on financing.

The German Federal Cultural Foundation usually issues “permission to commence measures in advance” within one week after obtaining a positive recommendation from the jury. Upon receiving our permission, you may begin your project.

Generally, the Foundation does not issue permission to begin a project prior to the jury session. We announce the dates of the respective jury sessions on our website in a timely manner.

Please note that you have no legitimate claim to the awarded amount until we have concluded the respective funding contract with you. In other words, if you wish to start spending money with the “permission to commence measures in advance”, you do so at your own risk.

With “permission to commence measures in advance”, you (the applicant) may begin your project at your own risk.  

Please bear in mind that we only fund projects that commence after we’ve made the decision to fund them. Projects that have already commenced are thus ineligible for funding through the German Federal Cultural Foundation. 

We regard projects as impermissibly commenced if payments have been made or contractual agreements (e.g. delivery or service contracts) have been concluded prior to the funding decision. 
 

After notifying you of our intention to fund your project, you (the project coordinator) will conclude a public-law funding contract with us (the Foundation). The contract contains all the necessary information about the funding relationship, including the project’s duration, funding amount and the total fundable expenses.

Shortly after notifying you of our funding decision, we will start preparing the funding contract. To this end, we will contact you to ask how you wish to have your funding disbursed, i.e. your plan for retrieving the funding and at what amounts. 

Please assess your needs as carefully as possible. Keep in mind that we can only dispense funding after you have already contributed your own equity (own contribution and/or secured third-party funding). You can find more information about the percentage of your contribution in the respective funding guidelines.

Important: 

• The information you provide is binding. You are obliged to immediately notify us of any changes.
• The funding amount is available as soon as the funding contract is concluded.
• We initially retain five percent of the total funding amount but not in excess of 10,000 euros. We will dispense this last tranche upon conclusion of your project and review of the proof of expenditure.

In our funding contracts, there is a section that obliges you to use the official funding acknowledgement and logo of the German Federal Cultural Foundation in all media, in which you publish anything related to your project. The logo of the German Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media must be positioned directly next to it. 

We have compiled the logo sets and information on how to correctly display them in several info sheets which can be downloaded from our website. The respective login is included in your funding notification letter. If you wish, you may also request the logos directly from our Communications department. 

Important: 

• All prospective PR and press materials must be approved by our Communications department prior to printing or publication. 
• Please notify us if any changes occur, especially concerning dates of press conferences, openings, premieres etc.

Please send us specimen copies of your printed materials.


 

All publications funded through your project must also exist in German, e.g.

• books
• videos
• project websites

As long as there is a German version, you may produce publications in any number of languages you wish.

We are committed to promoting cultural projects that are planned, executed and followed up in an environmentally conscious manner.

Our sustainability compass “Just Do It” offers useful advice and tips for sustainable production in the cultural sector.

In preparing your funding contract, we ask you to specify the measurable goals of your project. Describe what goals you hope to achieve through your project and explain how you will recognise whether and to what extent these goals were achieved upon conclusion.

To help you formulate these goals, you will find an invitation to our online seminar “Defining and measuring goals” in your funding notification letter. In the seminar, we provide numerous practical examples of how you can develop reasonable goals, verify whether they have been achieved and document the impact of your project.

It can take some time to develop clear, measurable goals. But doing so not only allows you to evaluate the success your project has had but also creates a basis for institutional learning – enabling you to reflect in an informed way on the successes, challenges and possible improvements after your project has concluded. 

Test the quality of your formulated goals: 

• Is it possible to query the results? (What exactly do you hope to achieve? Which audiences would you like to reach?
• Can the goals be measured (How many? How often?)
• Can they be expressed numerically?

Example: Instead of writing “We want to reach more people”, be specific and use concrete figures: “The number of visitors to the newly designed permanent exhibition should increase at least 10% within the next two years.”

The Swiss cultural foundation “Pro Helvetia” has published guidelines for achieving long-term success with cultural projects, which we recommend reading.

Die Schweizer Kulturstiftung „Pro Helvetia“ hat einen Leitfaden für nachhaltigen Projekterfolg herausgegeben, den wir Ihnen zur Lektüre empfehlen.

First, the accounting report must be drawn up in German. Secondly, its form should resemble a so-called “proof of expenditure”.
We provide instructions on how to structure a proof of expenditure in our project accounting guidelines. The guidelines also contain a compilation and detailed explanations of the most frequent misunderstandings and mistakes made in project accounting.

We ask you to submit your numerical proof of expenditure exclusively in one of the following formats:

• Excel (.xls, .xlsx)
• CSV (.csv)
• ODS (.ods)
• XML spreadsheet (.xml)

Please submit the proof of expenditure within three months of completion of the funding purpose – or at the latest by the end of the third month following the end of the funding period. Should you fail to meet this deadline, it may result in our backing out of the funding contract. 

If you would like to apply for project funding through our General Project Funding department, we ask you to first consult our funding guidelines. 

• For questions concerning our funding guidelines and the application form:
  “General Project Funding” dept. | +49 345 2997-156 | allgemeine.projektfoerderung(at)kulturstiftung-bund.de
• For questions concerning the content and specifics of your application:
  Dr Marie Cathleen Haff, head of General Project Funding |
  +49 345 2997-123 | marie.haff​(at)​kulturstiftung-bund.de

Our special funding programmes are supervised by our research associates in cooperation with the programme administrators. 

For information about objectives, application deadlines, juries and forms, visit the programme funding section on our website. You can contact the responsible staff via the contact box located at the bottom of each programme subpage, or alternatively on our Team page.

For questions concerning the planning and accounting of expenses and revenues in accordance with German federal budgetary law and other legal fields, e.g.:

• German procurement law
• German travel expense law 
• German federal collective bargaining laws
   
• Ms Anja Petzold, preparation of funding contracts | 
  +49 345 2997-109 | anja.petzold​(at)​kulturstiftung-bund.de
• Mr Steffen Schille, review of proofs of expenditure |
  +49 345 2997-128 | steffen.schille​(at)​kulturstiftung-bund.de.

For questions concerning press and public relations activities, e.g.:

• usage of our logo
• approval of project publications
• coordination of press conferences etc.

Ms Tinatin Eppmann, deputy head of Communications

+49 345 2997-124 | tinatin.eppmann​(at)​kulturstiftung-bund.de

Additional contacts are provided in the communications info sheet included with your funding notification letter.

For press releases, photos, our profile or contact with the head of the Communications department, Ms Viola Noll, please visit our Press page on our website.

General Project Funding is a department of the German Federal Cultural Foundation which funds contemporary, non-commercial creative projects in all artistic areas – from the performing arts, music, literature and visual arts to architecture and cross-disciplinary projects. Funding is awarded to cultural institutions and established organisations – not individual artists.

• Applications may be submitted all year round.
• Application deadlines: 31 January and 31 July, at 12pm respectively.
• Projects may not commence before funding decisions are made.
• Applications are reviewed by a multidisciplinary jury of experts. The selected projects are then presented to the Executive Board with a recommendation for funding.
• All funding decisions under 250,000 euros are made by the Executive Board, while projects awarded higher amounts require additional approval by the Board of Trustees.
• Projects must appear in an international context or fall within the scope of responsibility of another funding programme financed by the German federal government (i.e. not a state-level funding provider).
• Projects and media must be visible [RB1] in Germany; project publications must include at least a German-language version. 
• Funding is granted as partial financing. Applicants are required to contribute at least 20% [RB2] of the total expenses with their own and/or third-party funding. These resources must be contractually agreed upon and confirmed in writing by the application deadline.
• The minimum funding amount per application is 50,000 euros.

A project comprises the production, planning, application or execution of individual or composite events, e.g. exhibitions, presentations and symposiums.

• No structural funding, i.e. funding is awarded exclusively to individual projects – not to finance ongoing institutional expenses.
• Funding cannot be allocated to finance purchases, structural measures, guest performances staged exclusively abroad or projects comprised solely of printing costs.
• Event series or regularly recurring projects are generally ineligible for funding. Exceptions are made for individual parts or projects in such series or festivals, e.g. symposiums.

As a rule, a project is considered “international” in the following cases:

• The project is carried out together with at least one international partner.
• One of its events takes place outside of Germany.
• Creative artists from multiple countries are involved.
• International collaboration for research or preparation is required.
• Numerous participants or sub-projects are networked through the project.
• Participation of outstanding international institutions is planned.

Important: The project must nonetheless be visible in Germany; project publications must include at least a German-language version.

Funding applications are rejected for the following reasons:

• The requested funding is less than 50,000 euros.
• At least 20% of the total costs have not been secured with one’s own or third-party contributions by the application deadline.
• The application is submitted after the deadline.
• The project commences prior to the jury session.
• The project has already received funding from another federal agency.
• The project has no international context nor falls under the purview of another federal agency.
• The project is not visible in Germany.
• The applicant is an individual person (i.e. unaffiliated with an institution or independent group)
• The online form has not been filled out or is incomplete.
• The application has already been rejected by the jury.
• There is evidence of bias in at least one of the jury members.

Funding applications can only be considered under the following conditions:

• The online form is completed in full.
• The requested funding amount is at least 50,000 euros.
• At least 20% of the total costs are secured through one’s own or third-party contributions.
• The application includes written confirmation by all other sponsors, cooperation partners and artists who are significantly involved in the project.
• The project did not commence prior to the jury session.

• Use the online form available on our website.
• The application must be filled out at least in German.

Be sure to upload the following documents with your application:

• written assurance by the artistic director or person with comparable responsibility
• written confirmation by other sponsors (or statements of intent)
• written assurances from the cooperation partners, including confirmation of financial contribution
• cost and financing plan (long-form, max. 2 pages, DIN A4, in Excel format, from our website)
• detailed list of participating artists, their respective countries of origin and short bios
• detailed project description (max. 10 pages)

Please note: To illustrate the character of your project, you may attach supplementary materials in digital form, e.g. texts, images, video and audio media. For example, if you are planning a music project, you can include links to music videos or audio files. For a dance project, you may include links to videos. If you are planning a fine art exhibition, you can integrate photos into the detailed project description.

• Brief description (max. 1 A4 page) in the online application form:
  • What are you planning concretely?
  • What goals do you hope to achieve? 
  • What resources are you intending to use?
  • Who is participating? 
  • How is the project going to be carried out?
• Detailed project description: This is where you can upload additional materials to illustrate your project.

• The submission deadlines are 31 January and 31 July, at 12pm respectively.
• The jury convenes twice a year; funding decisions are approved on the basis of the jury’s recommendations.
• The project may not commence prior to the jury session. 

Funding applications received after 31 January (12pm CET) or 31 July (12pm CET), based on the receipt of the uploaded online form, cannot be considered at the next jury session – unless the submission deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday. In this case, the jury shall consider applications received electronically by 12pm CET on the next following workday. If you fail to submit your application on time, you may submit it again prior to the next deadline.

No. You may not resubmit an application within the same funding area if it has already been rejected by the jury.