• Organisational development: e.g. for financing and employment models, work processes between freelance and permanent staff, development of diversity, inclusion, expansion of central or decentralised spaces and locations, realignment/profile development in line with new challenges (looking inwards).
• Communication and public relations: processes of strategic communication and visibility, e.g. improvement and development of communication with politics, regional stakeholders, the administration or the general public (external presentation, image)
• Networking, cooperation and partnerships: to deepen or develop cooperation with other institutions and sectors, to improve synergies and make better use of expertise, spaces, locations, materials, etc. (partnerships)

Activities based on the questions and challenges of the applicants that help to implement findings and impulses in everyday practice. In the medium term, they contribute to the quality development of socio-cultural work by changing the processes, perspectives and routines of the organisation.

• Processes of development and change
• Consultations within your own team or with the teams of other organisations (peer-to-peer)
• Consultancy and training by external experts on specific topics
• Activities to improve and professionalise communication and public relations work
• Activities that improve or establish cooperation with other partners
• Activities that create meaningful synergies with other partners

The strategic further development of the institution or organisation is promoted through work with its own team, consultations, training, peer-to-peer advice with employees of other organisations or networking work. Meaningful cooperation with public organisations, in particular with cultural administrations or independent collectives/initiatives, with a view to local anchoring is desired.

• Ongoing programme of an organization or applicant
• Artistic and cultural projects and productions (→ General project funding)
• Organisational processes with approved co-financing from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) or from an institution permanently funded by the BKM (e.g. Hauptstadtkulturfonds, Stiftung Kunstfonds, Fonds Darstellende Künste, Kulturstiftung des Bundes etc.)
• Training/education on technical knowledge (e.g. software)
• Digitisation/administration, e.g. new system for internal administration
• Website (re)launches etc.
• Format developments, development of new methods (→ General project funding)
• Development of new target groups (→ General project funding)
• Socioculture is to become a new focus of work. The Profile: Socioculture funding programme only supports organisations that are already working in the field of socioculture.
• Scholarships

• Organisations that take a self-critical look at themselves and want to address important issues for the development of their work with a view to the future
• Associations, gGmbH, gUG and foundations from the fields of cultural work, socioculture, cultural education and media culture work based in Germany
• Non-profit status is mandatory. The certificate (Körperschafts-Freistellungsbescheid) must be submitted with the application. Provisional recognition of non-profit status is sufficient for the application.

• Applicants who simultaneously receive approved co-financing for the requested process from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) or from an institution permanently funded by the BKM (e.g. Hauptstadtkulturfonds, Stiftung Kunstfonds, Fonds Darstellende Künste, Kulturstiftung des Bundes etc.)
• Applicants without approved non-profit status
• Organizations without a socio-cultural focus

• The cost and financing plan (KoFi) must list all expenses and income of the whole project (not only the expenses of the fund applied for)
• It is not possible to receive 100% funding from Fonds Soziokultur. Co-financing can come from:
  1. Third-party funds:
     1. are all subsidies/grants from private or public institutions (e.g. foundations, banks, state, municipality, etc.)
     2. must not have been approved at the time of application.
     3. must not come from other funding programs of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM)
        
        or
  2. Own income:
     1. are e.g. income, private donations, membership fees and reserves
• Only eligible expenses may be listed in the cost plan. It is not possible to raise co-financing through non-eligible expenditure.
• The cost plan may only include expenses for which there will later be a verifiable cash flow (i.e. no so-called own contributions/provisions such as voluntary work, free provision of own technology, free use of rooms, donations in kind, etc.).
• Only amounts that will later be available in euros to offset expenses (= cash movement) may be stated as own contributions.
• If persons/agencies who are to work on the project are already known when the application is submitted, they should be listed by name in the application (cost plan). In the event of approval, this simplifies the question of whether or not this service must be put out to tender.

Sample cost plan

• Prorated personnel costs for permanent staff (employer's gross salary incl. employer's social security contribution)
• Volunteer allowances/expense allowances (also for members of the Executive Board - but no compensation for their work on the Executive Board, only for the additional process work)
• Minor employment (incl. statutory duties)
• Fees (please refer to the framework of your umbrella organization (e.g. BBK, BV Darstellende Künste, verdi), for the positions project management, artistic direction, workshop management an hourly rate of 40 € should not be undercut).
• Artists' Social Security Fund (KSK)
• Participation fees for external training courses (please list fee costs for in-house training courses under fee costs)
• Up to 2,000 euros travel expenses, e.g. for supra-regional collegial consultations

• Material costs
• Printing of posters/flyers etc.
• Capital expenditure
• Flat-rate administrative costs
• Travel allowances
• Personal contributions/unpaid voluntary work
• Rent loss fees
• Reminder fees/interest on arrears/fines/contractual penalties/tips
• Alcoholic beverages/energy/medicines/deposit payments
• Hospitality costs
• Gifts/thank-you gifts
• Discounts/rebates
• VAT with entitlement to deduct input tax