Funding program "Grant for environmental education / ESD"

The Environmental Education Grant funding program has been in place since 2016 and was increased financially for the 2020 funding period for the purpose of environmental education to combat the climate emergency. For the 2023 funding period, the program was expanded to include education for sustainable development (ESD: environmental education and global learning) and a further increase in funding in the wake of the climate emergency.

The deadline for submitting a funding application is once a year on March 31 for projects in the current calendar year, unless otherwise communicated on the website. If the requested funding does not exhaust the available budget, we reserve the right to accept further applications after the deadline. Applications submitted by March 31 will be considered in full, regardless of when they were submitted. Applications received after this date will be processed provided the funding pot has not yet been exhausted. We recommend contacting us in advance after March 31 to clarify the availability of funds. Grants are awarded on the basis of available funds and, after March 31, on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the funding volume has been exhausted, no further funding is possible.

The amount of funding is not limited. Typical funding amounts are between €200 and €5,000 per year and project.

We expect that the ratio of the requested amount to your own available financial resources is appropriate or that you or your organization have already successfully implemented a project of this size. Grants can only be awarded if the project could not be carried out or could not be carried out to an appropriate extent without the grant.

You may not submit multiple funding applications for the same project to different funding programs (double funding). Split funding by different funding partners is permitted.

Full proof of the use of the grants must be provided.

The funding provided by us must be used within the funding period (in the year of application until 31.12.). You must also state your individual start and end dates for the project in the application.

The project may already have begun at your own risk. Your project itself may, of course, last for a longer period of time or be planned for an indefinite period.

Irrespective of the above deadline, the funded organizations and persons are generally responsible for complying with the principle of timely use of funds in accordance with § 55 AO.

Yes, submission by e-mail is possible; a print version (PDF document) is available for download. Alternatively, you can submit the funding application in writing and by post. The application must be signed in both cases. However, it is usual to submit the application via the online form without a signature. An additional submission of the funding application by post is not desired. It is not necessary to present your project by telephone.

The City of Erlangen/BNE-Förderung supports organizations or individuals

• that are recognized by the tax office as charitable or benevolent OR
• that pursue non-commercial purposes.

The organizations must be based in Germany and be active in Erlangen; the latter also applies to individuals. The activities must be in line with the funding priorities of the City of Erlangen.

Funding relates exclusively to the named projects or the current calendar year. There is no entitlement to future funding.

If possible, the applicant's own contribution should be part of the total costs of the project.

It can be provided by the organization's own funds (membership fees, reserves) or third-party funds from other funding providers (e.g. donations, other funding applied for).

Part of the own contribution can also be provided in the form of voluntary work (calculated at €15 per hour).

Our independent advisory board decides on the allocation of funding. The advisory board usually meets in April of the funding year. Funding is allocated according to the model of cultural funding: taking into account the total volume of funding and the applications received, the funds are allocated by the Office for Environmental Protection and Energy Issues according to technical weighting. This is done in agreement with the Environmental and Climate Protection Department.

The purpose of the grants is to promote sustainable development through education (environmental education and global learning) in Erlangen.

Funding is provided for projects and ongoing plans that are based on the guiding principle of sustainable development, serve to develop sustainability skills and environmental awareness and are suitable for improving the commitment of different target groups to ecologically and socially just development as well as providing impetus for future-oriented environmental and sustainability education.

The following criteria are applied:

• Education for sustainable development: does your project convey ecological content in the context of cultural, social and economic aspects and contribute to the skills development of the target group? Do you have the global sustainability goals in mind (17 SDGs)?
• Relevance and role model character: Is your project important for our society and our planet? Is it of significant public interest?
• Impact: What difference does the contribution of ESD promotion make?
• Sustainability and future orientation: How long-term is the project's impact? Does your project have an impact beyond the funding period? Is it scalable?
• Clarity and action orientation: Does your project involve the heart, hands and mind?

Other relevant criteria for funding are

• Overall concept: is your project holistic and does it even contribute to the implementation of the Whole Institution Approach? Do you take an all-round view of sustainability?
• Target group orientation: Is your project tailored to the respective educational sector from early childhood to vocational education (daycare center, school, vocational school, university, association, work)?
• Local relevance: Is your project being implemented in the city of Erlangen?
• Resonance/reach: How many people will benefit from the funding?
• Cost-effectiveness: Will the requested funding be used efficiently?
• Independence: What other resources does your organization have? Are the financial circumstances in order?
• Transparency: What strategies do you use to communicate the project to the public?

Generally excluded from funding are, for example

• Projects for the purpose of business promotion and projects that are intended to generate profit.
• Projects for which full funding from other sources has already been applied for or approved (double funding) and projects that violate legal provisions.

We kindly ask you to ensure that your project funding is visible in Erlangen's urban society. Communicate our funding - request the city logo and mention us in press releases, signage, social media messages, etc.

We would also like to inform the public about the funding of your project and therefore ask you to provide us with suitable material including captions(photos, videos, links, etc.) about your project free of charge for this purpose. By submitting this material, you grant us a non-exclusive right of use, unlimited in terms of space, content and time. You assure us that you have the appropriate consent of the persons photographed in the images.

The project description and photos may be published on the municipal website. Data protection information on the declaration of consent to the creation and publication of film recordings, sound recordings and photographs is available at erlangen.de/aktuelles/bne-foerderung .

The funded organization or person is obliged to keep proper accounts and to retain all invoices and cost statements. The Environment Agency's funding must be used economically and sparingly. The calculated expenditure and income for the project must be appropriate, comprehensible, realistic and feasible.

Changes to the intended use after the funding has been granted must be reported to the Environment Agency immediately by email and agreed. Likewise, the approval of the Environment Agency must be obtained by e-mail for any changes to the project process in terms of time, content, finances or other relevant changes - also within the cost categories - as soon as the funded organization or person becomes aware of the changes. The funded organization is obliged to repay the funding if it has not been used for the purpose for which it was requested.

Grants that have not been used and/or have not been used in accordance with the purpose for which they were granted, as well as grants that are not supported by verifiable documents, must be repaid on request, including interest if applicable. We therefore advise you to calculate the expenditure and income in the application as accurately as possible.

The amount to be reimbursed may be subject to interest at three percentage points above the prime rate per annum from the date on which the administrative act becomes ineffective. The claim for interest may be waived in particular if the beneficiary is not responsible for the circumstances that led to the withdrawal, revocation or invalidity of the administrative act and pays the amount to be refunded within the period set by the City of Erlangen/Environmental Agency.

Application: to be sent by 31.03. of the respective funding year via online form (or email or by post) to the Environment Agency, unless otherwise communicated on the website

Notification of funding: will be sent to the applicant by post by April/May of the respective funding year

Payment of the funding amount: will be transferred to the specified account within 12 weeks of notification of the funding decision

Project implementation: possible until 31.12. of the same funding year

Proof of use: to be submitted by 31.03. of the following year.

Please contact us in good time in the event of delays in the project process. If you are asked to make a return transfer, please do not do so without being asked.

Written proof of the use of the grants received is required, including a statement of account and project report. Please complete the project evaluation (form at www.erlangen.de/aktuelles/bne-foerderung) at the end of the period funded by us (by 31.03. of the following year at the latest) and send it to us via the online form or by email/post and sign it.