Förderung von Kulturprojekten im Land Brandenburg

In addition to general cultural project funding, artists and cultural professionals and their institutions in Brandenburg can benefit from a variety of genre-specific cultural funding programs offered by the state government.

• In addition to general cultural project funding, artists and cultural professionals and their institutions in Brandenburg can benefit from a wide range of genre-specific cultural funding programs offered by the state government. Funding is provided on the basis of the State Budget Code (LHO) in the form of grants.
• The cultural policy agenda, which applies across all regions and genres and is a key component of the MWFK's Cultural Policy Strategy 2024, provides a basic orientation for the general cultural funding priorities.
• The agenda is based on six thematic areas: (1) cultural participation, (2) Europe and international connections, (3) transformation, responsibility for the future, cultural heritage, (4) culture in rural areas, (5) sustainability, (6) digitalization. In terms of cultural funding, the state is particularly interested in contributions that take up and further develop one or more fields in an exemplary or supra-regional manner.
• The key points under funding law for an application are
• The implementation period of a project is regularly limited to the calendar year
• Secured overall financing of the cultural project
• Economic, economical and appropriate calculation of the requested grant
• Minimum amount of funding to be applied for: € 2,500 (for municipalities: € 5,000)
• Generally no maximum amount (for municipalities: regularly between 40% and 60%, in exceptional cases up to a maximum of 80% of the total eligible expenditure)
• Standard type of financing: Proportional financing - i.e. additional own and/or third-party funds required to finance a project
• In justified exceptional cases, shortfall, fixed amount or full funding (100%) may also be possible
• Justification of the nationwide importance and public interest of the project
• Eligibility to apply:
• Legal entities with legal capacity under private and public law
• Companies under civil law without an entrepreneurial objective
• In individual cases, natural persons
• The project must not have been started at the time of application. In principle, the conclusion of a supply and service contract attributable to the execution of the project is to be regarded as an early start. This means that no financial obligations may be entered into for the project prior to approval.
• Complete application documents: You must briefly describe the content of your planned project in the application, including all data, locations and actors already known at the time of application. The application also includes a financing plan with all income and expenditure, which must be listed in detail by area.
• Once the project has been completed, you must submit a statement of account in the form of proof with a description of the course of the project and a list of all actual expenditure, including supporting documents if necessary.
• The genre-specific funding programs are also subject to their own supplementary or deviating funding principles (or guidelines).

• Detailed description and objectives of the planned project in Brandenburg (max. 5 pages)
• Detailed financing plan (one-year or multi-year) with all project-related income and expenditure
• Articles of association
• Excerpt from the association or commercial register
• Certificates of representation
• Certificate of non-profit status, notice of exemption
• Any existing funding commitments/prospects from other sponsors

You can find out which other documents are required in the respective funding principles.

• Eligibility to apply:
  • legal entities with legal capacity under private and public law
  • companies under civil law without an entrepreneurial objective
  • in individual cases natural persons

For any exceptions, please refer to the respective funding principles and further information on the homepage of the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture.

To receive funding for a cultural project, a complete application must be submitted on time - in writing or online.

• The website of the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture will take you to the various funding opportunities offered by the Ministry of Culture. Depending on the project content and objective, you can apply for funding either under the general cultural project funding or one of the funding programs.
• Please read the general information on project funding and the applicable genre-specific funding principles carefully in advance.
• If you have any further questions, please address them to the relevant department of the Cultural Division.
• You have the option of submitting your application documents in writing (by post) or online. For the written application, please use the templates published on the MWFK website.
• Once the application documents have been received, you will receive a confirmation of receipt.
• The responsible department will check the application. For some funding programs, applications are evaluated by a panel of experts.
• If there are any queries or additional requirements regarding the application, you will be contacted.
• Once the application review or jury process has been completed, you will be informed of the funding decision.
• In the event of a positive decision, you will be informed of the actual funding amount and, if necessary, asked to revise the financing plan.
• In the event of a negative decision, you will receive a rejection letter.
• If you wish to start the project before receiving the approval notice, you must regularly apply for an early start of the measure, which must be approved by the MWFK. Otherwise, the start date specified in the approval notice will normally apply for the implementation of the project.
• Once all relevant documents for approval have been submitted and any queries have been conclusively clarified, you will receive an official approval notice by post including further attachments (e.g. general ancillary provisions (ANBest), acknowledgement of receipt, request for funds, proof of use, etc.).
• The ancillary provisions from the notification and the General ancillary provisions for grants for project funding attached as an annex must be observed.
• The grant will be paid out regularly after it has become final within the framework of the available state funds on request in accordance with the ANBest. The "Request for funds" form must be used for this purpose. As a rule, the deadline for use is two months after disbursement of the funding.
• Financial and/or content-related changes during project implementation are subject to notification and approval.
• If funding is not used in full, the MWFK must be informed and repayment arranged.
• After completion of the cultural project, proof of use must be submitted regularly, consisting of a factual report, numerical evidence and a detailed list of receipts. The deadlines and other supporting documents to be submitted are set out in the ancillary provisions of the approval notice.
• In the case of multi-year cultural projects, interim evidence must be provided on a regular basis.
• The responsible body checks the proof of use.
• In the event of discrepancies, additional claims, revisions, etc., the verifier will contact you.
• In the event of an intended assertion of claims for reimbursement and/or interest, a hearing procedure will be initiated.
• You will be informed of the final result of the administrative review of the where-used list.

Applications for general cultural project funding from the State of Brandenburg must be submitted to the Ministry by September 30 of the previous year.

Different deadlines may apply for genre-specific funding programs.

• Granting of state subsidies in the cultural sector
• In principle, there is no legal entitlement
• Funding only under certain content-related and grant-related conditions
• Funding principles must be observed for genre-specific cultural funding programs
• Considerable state interest in the cultural project
• Eligibility to apply:
  • legal entities with legal capacity under private and public law
  • companies under civil law without an entrepreneurial objective
  • in individual cases natural persons
  • Written application or online application incl. supplementary attachments are mandatory
  • Application deadlines must be observed
  • The implementation period of a project is generally limited to the calendar year
  • Minimum amount of funding to be applied for is € 2,500 (for municipalities: € 5,000)
  • Special regulations for applications for a grant
  • Responsible: Ministry of Science, Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg (MWFK)

Ministry of Science, Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg

• Application form incl. financing plan available digitally as a fillable PDF
• Online application is possible
• Written form is currently still required (for an online application, a one-page application form with original signature must be sent by post - in future, this will no longer be necessary with authentication via BundID or My Business Account)
• Personal appearance is not required