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Apply for state funding for a model project to protect and structurally strengthen journalistic work

If you would like to carry out a project to protect or structurally strengthen journalistic work, you can apply for state funding under certain conditions.

Responsible for you

Der Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien

Street address

Potsdamer Platz 1
10785 Berlin

Postal address

Potsdamer Platz 1

10785 Berlin

Mehr zur Behörde

Procedure details

The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) provides structural support for journalism. This is intended to enable independent and critical reporting, which is essential for a democracy.

Freedom of the press is enshrined in the German constitution, which is why no journalistic content receives financial support.

Funding is provided for, among other things

  • Exile programs for foreign journalists in Germany,
  • Projects in journalism schools,
  • Concepts that train state or private security forces in the special rights of the press,
  • scientific research into alternative business models
  • Advice and support for journalists who are to be intimidated by "Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation" (SLAPP),
  • Support for journalists in enforcing the rights arising from freedom of the press,
  • Projects that make quality journalism visible,
  • further training for journalists,
  • Diversity of journalism in Germany,
  • exchange and networking of journalists.

Your project should have far-reaching effects beyond one region or have a model character. In your application, you must explain why the project should be funded by the federal government and not by a state or local authority.

You are eligible to apply for funding as a legal entity with a registered office or branch in Germany that can prove that it

  • has appropriate knowledge of the structures of journalism in Germany
  • has expertise in project implementation and
  • is in a position to use the funding as intended.

The federal share of the grant is generally up to 80 percent of the eligible expenditure. The minimum application amount is generally EUR 200,000. Exceptions are possible in justified individual cases.

Co-financing is possible from own funds, donations or third-party funds, such as grants from federal states, municipalities and companies.

Funding is also possible over the course of a year. This means that you can also use the approved funding beyond the current year. Instead of receiving the entire approved amount at once, you can also draw down the funds in stages.

You have no claim to the approval of the funding.

  • Your project must be of national importance. It must be expected to have the greatest possible effect or impact or appear particularly advantageous to the federal government and have an appropriate cost-benefit ratio.
  • The grants applied for must make a decisive contribution to enabling you to implement your project at all and to the extent necessary.
  • You are eligible to apply as a legal entity with a registered office or branch in Germany. In addition
    • you are familiar with the structures of journalism in Germany,
    • you have expertise in project implementation and
    • are able to use the funding as intended.
  • Your project has not yet begun.

The following are excluded from funding

  • Projects that primarily pursue commercial purposes
  • Projects that pursue the production of journalistic-editorial content (research or content projects of any kind)
  • Measures without secured overall funding
  • Projects that are not compatible with EU state aid law

Applications from natural persons

  • Required Documents

    You must submit the following when applying

    • Application form
    • expenditure and financing plan
    • Detailed project description, including
      • working methods
      • expected results with numerical underpinning
      • Importance of the measure for the applicant
      • funding objectives
      • time schedule
      • Details of the project manager and the person working on the project
    • If applicable, proof of promised third-party funding or proof of efforts to obtain third-party funding
    • Declaration that you are aware of any subsidy-relevant facts and the criminal liability of subsidy fraud
    • Declaration that you have not yet started the project
    • If applicable, evidence of sustainability, for example measures in accordance with ISO 14001 or the European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)
    • if you are submitting the application for the first time, additionally:
      • Articles of association or rules of procedure
      • Proof of the power of representation of the authorized signatory
      • for associations: Extract from the register of associations
      • for companies: Extract from the commercial register
      • Notification of entitlement to deduct input tax, if applicable

    You must submit the following for a call for funds

    • Call for funds form

    After project completion, you must submit the following for documentation purposes

    • Proof of use: List of all income and expenditure in connection with the project based on the cost and financing plan

    substantive report

You can submit the application in writing by post. To meet the deadline, it is possible to submit the application documents in advance by e-mail.

  • Go to the BKM website and complete the application form and the cost and financing plan on your PC.
  • Print out the completed documents and send them to the BKM together with the other required documents.

Further procedural steps:

  • The BKM will check whether your documents are complete and plausible and whether the formal application requirements have been met.
  • An independent jury of 7 experts selects the projects worthy of funding from all applications submitted under the funding program.
  • The jury's decision is formally confirmed by the Minister of State for Culture and the Media, whereby the content of the projects is no longer evaluated.
  • The funded projects will be announced publicly, and the projects not considered will be informed of the outcome of the jury meeting.
  • Funded projects will receive a notification of funding from the Federal Office of Administration both by post and by e-mail.

Call for funds:

  • The call for funds provides information on the approved funding amount, the funding amount already called up and the funding amount now called up.
  • You must spend the requested amount within 6 weeks of receipt.
  • You must use the call-off form to call off funds.

After project completion:

  • Submit a proof of use of funds to the Federal Office of Administration, listing all income and expenditure related to the project applied for.
  • In addition, you must submit a factual report to the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) containing information on the course of the project, its implementation and the objectives achieved.

There are no costs.

You do not have to observe any deadlines for the application itself.

However, in order to receive funding, you may only start your project once you have submitted an application and received a grant notification.

from receipt of your application to the issue of the approval or rejection notice (5 bis 6 Monate)

  • Objection
  • Objection
  • Detailed information on how to lodge an objection can be found in the notification.

Status: 09.03.2025
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Der Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien
Source: Federal Portal