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Voluntary social year; application for funding from approved organizations

The Free State of Bavaria grants subsidies as state funding to the providers of the Voluntary Social Year approved in Bavaria who carry out the Voluntary Social Year in Bavaria.

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Zentrum Bayern Familie und Soziales Dienstort Bayreuth Hegelstraße

Zentrum Bayern Familie und Soziales Dienstort Bayreuth Hegelstraße

Street address

Hegelstr. 2
95447 Bayreuth

Postal address

Hegelstr. 2

95447 Bayreuth

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Procedure details

The Free State of Bavaria grants subsidies to the organizations approved under the JFDG in accordance with the guidelines for the promotion of the Voluntary Social Year in Bavaria(FSJ-FöR) and the general budgetary provisions (in particular in accordance with Art. 23 and 44 of the Bavarian Budget Code (BayHO), the administrative regulations issued in this regard and the ANBest-P) and the Youth Volunteer Services Act (JFDG). Funding is provided without legal entitlement within the scope of available budget funds.

Purpose of the funding

The Voluntary Social Year (FSJ) is a special form of civic engagement and, in its form, an educational and orientation year for young people. The FSJ makes an important contribution to social cohesion and is intended to offer young people the opportunity to strengthen their sense of responsibility for the common good through practical work. It strengthens young people's educational skills and helps them acquire the skills that are essential for vocational training, university studies and access to the job market. The aim of state funding is to maintain the diversity of FSJ sponsors, to ensure that FSJ places are available in line with demand and across the board and to guarantee the high-quality implementation of the FSJ in Bavaria.

Object of the funding

Funding is provided for the educational support of participants in the FSJ in accordance with § 3 Para. 2 in conjunction with § 5 Para. 2 JFDG as well as the expenses incurred by the sponsors for the organization and implementation of the FSJ.

Recipients of funding

The recipients of the grant are the organizations approved to run the FSJ in Bavaria in accordance with Section 10 (1) or (2) JFDG.

Type of grant

The grant is awarded as project funding by way of fixed-amount financing.

Funding for the FSJ organizations is provided in the form of a lump sum for participants.

Eligible costs

Only the following expenses are eligible for funding:

  • Costs incurred by the organization in connection with seminars
    • for accommodation and meals during the seminar days up to a maximum amount of EUR 50 per participant and seminar day,
    • necessary travel expenses for participants in accordance with the Bavarian Travel Expenses Act,
    • Personnel costs for speakers of the sponsors and for freelancers,
    • Room rental,
    • seminar materials.

Participation in the seminars must be free of charge for the participants.

  • Personnel costs of the sponsors for full-time and part-time educational staff. One full-time employee per 40 participants in the FSJ is eligible for funding.
  • Personnel costs of the sponsoring organization that are directly related to the administration of the FSJ. Up to 0.3 full-time equivalents for an administrative employee for the first specialist in educational support are eligible for funding. With each additional eligible specialist for educational support, the eligible job share for the administrative staff increases by up to 0.2 in each case, if necessary also on a pro rata basis.
  • Material costs of the sponsoring organization that are directly related to the organization and implementation of the FSJ, in particular information and application materials, work and office materials, postal and telecommunications charges, room and rental costs.
  • Costs for quality assurance that are directly related to the implementation of the FSJ, in particular specific further training courses for specialist educational staff, costs for instructor and networking meetings, costs for team leader and co-team leader training courses, necessary travel costs for participants in accordance with the Bavarian Travel Expenses Act.
  • The eligibility of personnel costs is limited to the costs for comparable employees in the public sector (prohibition of better employment). Staff must be remunerated in line with collective agreements.

Own funds

The executing agency must provide an appropriate share, generally at least 10%, of the eligible expenditure from its own funds or its own funds and third-party funds. If own funds cannot be provided, the share can also be provided entirely from third-party funds.

Scope of funding and funding period

Funding for FSJ sponsors is provided in the form of a lump sum for participants. The lump sum is granted for each participant in the FSJ and amounts to EUR 28 for each full month of service. The amount of the grant is reduced by the amount of the surplus, if the sponsor generates one during the approval period. Measures that are regularly carried out for fewer than five participants are not eligible for funding.

Requirements for the organization and implementation of the FSJ

  • Educational support by the sponsoring organization and cooperation with the places of assignment

The sponsoring organization ensures the educational support of the participants in the FSJ. Of central importance here are both the close supervision and support provided by the pedagogical specialists and the professional guidance based on learning objectives at the places of assignment themselves. In accordance with the educational and orientation character of the FSJ, the pedagogical support should primarily strengthen the sense of responsibility for the common good and impart non-formal learning objectives and social, cultural and intercultural skills. For this reason, every approved provider of the FSJ in Bavaria must observe the applicable minimum standards for the quality of the FSJ in Bavaria and base its activities on them, particularly when providing educational support and cooperating with its recognized places of assignment.

  • Labor market neutrality and orientation towards the common good

The activities of participants in the FSJ at the assignment locations of the sponsors must be designed to be labor market-neutral in accordance with § 2 Para. 1 No. 1 JFDG. This presupposes that FSJ participants perform voluntary service without the intention of gainful employment. The assignment location ensures that the FSJ participants are additionally deployed, that existing jobs are not replaced and that the creation of new jobs is not prevented. The FSJ is carried out as a predominantly practical auxiliary activity oriented towards learning objectives in institutions oriented towards the common good (§ 3 Para. 1 JFDG). The criteria for evaluating the labor market neutrality of volunteers' activities and the criteria for evaluating the public welfare orientation of Bavarian volunteer placement centers in the FSJ must be observed.

  • Benefits for participants in the FSJ

The organization must ensure that participants in the FSJ receive a minimum amount of 180 euros in pocket money, provided that accommodation and meals are provided free of charge. If it is not possible for the sponsor to provide benefits in kind, the total amount of all benefits paid to FSJ participants (pocket money and cash compensation for board and lodging) must be at least EUR 360.

  • Statistics

Each sponsor submits statistics for the current FSJ project year to the State Ministry for Family, Labor and Social Affairs (StMAS) by January 15 of the respective calendar year, with a cut-off date of December 1. The information for the statistics is determined by the StMAS.

The Zentrum Bayern Familie und Soziales (ZBFS) is responsible for implementing the FSJ funding guideline (granting authority). The granting authority is also responsible for the withdrawal or revocation of grant notifications and the reclaiming of grants.

The approved FSJ providers must use the forms provided by the granting authority (ZBFS) for their funding applications and proof of use.

The approval period is one FSJ project year (September 1 to August 31 of the following year).

Payment of the grant

The approved grant will be paid out in installments in accordance with budgetary regulations up to a maximum of 80% within the approval period. The remainder will be paid after the proof of use has been checked.

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Application procedure

The sponsors of the FSJ must submit their applications for funding to the granting authority by July 31 of the respective calendar year at the latest.

Proof and verification of use

The proof of use must be submitted by the funding recipient to the granting authority by December 31 at the latest for the FSJ project year just ended.

As the granting authority, the ZBFS draws attention to the deadlines to be observed.

Funding under these guidelines will not be granted if other funds from the Free State of Bavaria or the European Union are used for the measure.

Status: 01.07.2025
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Familie, Arbeit und Soziales
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