Info and Downloads for fundees

Once you have received your funding approval by email, the next step is the preparation of the funding agreement. Funds can only be paid once the funding agreement has been signed. You will not receive the agreement automatically. You will need to submit a few documents and information by e-mail to complete the contract. You will receive a detailed checklist “From approval to money” with the funding approval.

You must submit a cost and financing plan (KoFi) when you submit your application. It contains the expenses (cost plan) and shows how you will finance them (financing plan). Changes to these plans often occur between the application submission and the actual process start. Therefore, you should submit an updated financial plan (as an Excel or PDF file) for the funding agreement. You are welcome to use the following template plan for this purpose:

► Download sample cost and financing plan (german)

Changes during the process
If the actual expenses in the cost categories change only slightly (less than 20% compared to the approved budget plan), such deviations do not need to be justified or approved. For deviations exceeding 20%, the Fonds Soziokultur must be asked for written approval before the funding period specified in the funding agreement ends. Please provide a brief explanation (one or two sentences) for the deviations. After the funding period has ended, deviations can generally no longer be approved and may lead to a partial repayment of the funding.
Expenses for permanent staff
If you include salaried staff (employees subject to social insurance contributions) in the budget plan, you should always specify the percentage of their working time (average over the course of the process) that each person will contribute to the process. Compare the gross monthly salary with the corresponding pay grade under the TVöD (Collective Agreement for the Public Sector). Indicate this pay grade in the budget plan and include the regular weekly working hours as well as the planned hours for the process.
► Download Vergleichstabelle TVöD
Travelling expenses
Travel by bus and train can be reimbursed (tickets must be submitted with the proof of use). Travelling by private car may only be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal Travel Expenses Act. Each business trip must be accounted for individually - collective accounting is not permitted. Special regulations apply to per diems and accommodation allowances when travelling abroad (ARVVwV). We have summarised the most important information for you in an overview (at the moment it is only in German, please contact us if you need help):
► Download Übersicht Reisekosten
► Download Muster Reisekostenabrechnung
Material / catering costs
Procurement regulations
When commissioning comparable services (e.g. graphics, photo/video documentation, web programming, social media, technical support, hotel bookings, etc.), the provisions of the public procurement regulations must be observed.
In general, the following applies: From an order value of EUR 1,000.01 (net), offers must be obtained from at least three different providers and documented. The offers must be kept and attached to the proof of utilisation.
The value limit for direct contracts*) was increased from € 1,000 to € 15,000 (net) for the period from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. Up to this value limit, recipients of federal grants do not have to carry out a procurement procedure. The budgetary principles of efficiency and economy must continue to be observed.
*) Explanation: A direct order is a purchase of desired products or desired services directly from a supplier or company. This can involve all kinds of goods or services, from pencils to manual work or printing orders from printers. The new limit of €15,000 (net) will initially only apply for 2025, and freelance activities are to be distinguished from this. A freelancer (an individual without any other employees or a joint office of several freelancers) is not a company, but works as an individual. The limit of € 1000 (net) still applies here. Above € 1000.01 (net), comparative offers must therefore continue to be obtained.
The following documents are only available in German at the moment. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need help.
► Guidance on the awarding of services
► Further information from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

The Fonds Soziokultur can distribute funding in different ways:

Proportional funding (Anteilsfinanzierung): A portion of the total costs is covered by the funding, while the project organiser raises the remaining funds themselves or finances them from other sources.
Shortfall funding (Fehlbedarfsfinanzierung): The funding covers the financial ‘shortfall’, i.e. the difference between the total costs and the funds already secured from other sources.
Fixed-amount funding (Festbetragsfinanzierung): A fixed amount is committed, regardless of whether the actual project costs change.

The type of financing depends on other public funding and the amount of the funding share. The choice of financing type is decided on an individual basis and set out in the funding agreement. Applicable to all types of funding: Project expenses cannot be lower than the funding. The effects of the different types of financing in the event of a change in income or expenditure can be found in this overview (currently only available in German, please contact us if you need help):

► Download financing types

Funding can only be paid out once the funding agreement has been legally signed. The money is not paid out automatically, but you must apply for the payment yourself (usually in instalments) in the application portal. Important: In our application portal, your application is linked to the e-mail address you used to submit the application. You must therefore log in with the e-mail address with which you registered/logged in when you created the application. If you log in with a different e-mail address or register again, the system will not be able to find your application.

You can download detailed instructions here (currently only in German, please do not hesitate to contact us if you need help):

► Download Checkliste Mittelabruf

The document is currently only available in German. We are working on a translation. Until then, we recommend using an AI translation tool. There are many free providers that deliver good translations.

Please mention the Fonds Soziokultur as a funding organisation in your public relations work (print and online) and place our logo. All important information and downloads can be found below:

Logo and word mark
In your public relations work (online and print), you need to refer to the funding from the Fonds Soziokultur by placing our logo and the word mark.
Word mark: Supported by the Fonds Soziokultur with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media
Logos:
► Download Logo png
► Download Logo eps
Please note: The Künstlersozialkasse has come to the conclusion that a ‘highlighted mention’ of a sponsor's logo (for which use in the same size is sufficient) constitutes an advertising service to be remunerated.
solution: The logo of the Fonds Soziokultur must therefore be reproduced smaller than the applicant's logo (preferably a maximum of 50%) and may not exceed 5% of the area visible at a glance.
Your process on our website
Social Media

All processes that are funded beyond one calendar year and last longer than February of the following year must submit an interim proof of uses (in addition to the final proof of use) until March 31 for each funded calendar year.

Processes that run until the end of February of the following year do not have to submit an interim proof of use. In this case, the final proof of use for the entire funding period is sufficient.

What does the interim proof of use include?
The interim proof of use contains a list of receipts for all process expenditure incurred up to 31 December. In addition to the numerical proof, a one-page report on significant expenditure items and the activities to date and process results achieved up to that point (‘factual or interim report’) must be attached to the interim proof.
The interim proof of use must be submitted by 31 March of the following year. No receipts are required.
► Download Guide Intermediate proof of use (only available in German, we are currently working on a translation)
What is the difference between an interim proof of use and the final one?
Both proofs provide information on whether the funding for a process was used properly and how the process went.
The final proof of use must always be submitted at the end of a process and contains all evidence of the entire funding period, from the start to the end of the process.
The interim proof of use is only required for processes that are funded beyond one calendar year (and longer than February of the following year) and only relates to expenditure and activities up to 31 December.

Once your process has been completed, you must submit various documents to show that the funds received have been used properly and that the process has proceeded as planned. This so-called proof of use, i.e. the accounting of your process, must be submitted within two months of the end of the funding period (see funding agreement, any authorised extensions). Further information can be found here.