Overview Profile: Socioculture

The programme ‘Profile: Socioculture’ of Fonds Soziokultur provides funding for the strategic and future-oriented development of independent socio-cultural organisations. The aim is to stabilise their structures in the long-term and sharpen their profile. The project applied for should be embedded in the organisation's overall strategy and not be isolated.

Funding is provided for internal development processes that are developed in collaboration with the organisation's own team, external experts and through peer-to-peer consulting. A minimum of 5,000 euros and a maximum of 30,000 euros can be applied for, but not more than 80% of the total budget. Only one application can be submitted per application round (either for Profile: Socioculture or for General Project Funding).

In everyday practice, reflection and time for the conscious but absolutely necessary development of the organisation are often missing out. The ‘Profile: Socioculture’ programme makes it possible to take a close look at important findings and unanswered questions concerning the entire organisation.

In contrast to the General Project Funding, which focuses on experimental cultural practice with society, this programme is about long-term development within the organisation's own team in line with its overall strategy. A public presentation of results is not mandatory.

Profile: Socioculture has three focal points:

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 building along 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)

3 Priorities of the funding programme
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)
What can be funded?
Activities based on the questions and challenges of the applicants that help to implement findings and impulses in everyday practice. In the long term, they contribute to the quality development of socio-cultural work by changing the processes, perspectives and routines of the organisation.
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
During the process, meaningful cooperation with public organisations, in particular with cultural administrations or independent collectives/initiatives, with a view to local anchoring is desired.
What cannot be funded?
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

Profile: Socioculture is directed towards independent legal entities that are officially registered as non-profit organizations. Applications from people with disabilities, non-native speakers and/or non-academics are explicitly welcome. The ability to express oneself linguistically has no effect on the funding decision.

Who can apply?
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.
Who cannot apply?
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

You submit the funding application digitally via the application portal. Before, you have to register the first time you use it. You can then fill out the application form, save it temporarily, edit it later and submit it once it is complete. The application portal usually opens once a year with the Deadline May 2 midnight). Due to the high number of server accesses, technical problems may occur shortly before the application deadline. We therefore recommend that you send your application well in advance. Because applications that are not submitted by midnight can no longer be accepted.

► Download sample application

Processes can be funded over more than one year. That means they do not have to be completed in the year of approval. But they may last a maximum of 2 years.

The earliest date on which processes may begin (including the cost-relevant preparatory work) is always announced in the respective calls for applications. This year they may not begin before approx. mid-September. This does not apply to conceptual preparatory work such as the search for co-financing, consultants or cooperation partners.

Applications for Profile: Socioculture can be submitted usually once a year (Deadline May 2).

In the Profile: Socioculture funding program, you can apply for a minimum of 5,000 euros and a maximum of 30,000 euros, but no more than 80 percent of the total project budget. That means, a 100 percent funding from Fonds Soziokultur is not possible. A detailed cost and financing plan must be submitted with the application.

What is a cost and financing plan (KoFi) and what must be included in it?
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:
Third-party funds:
are all subsidies/grants from private or public institutions (e.g. foundations, banks, state, municipality, etc.)
must not have been approved at the time of application.
must not come from other funding programs of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM)

or
Own income:
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.
► Download sample financing plan
What expenses are eligible for funding?
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 (The fee recommendations of the German Cultural Council provide orientation).
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
What expenses are not eligible for funding?
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

All applications are reviewed by the Board of Trustees of Fonds Soziokultur. The Board of Trustees then meets and decides which applications will be selected for funding. The office then informs the applicants of the Board of Trustees' decisions without giving reasons. We cannot provide any information about the decisions at an earlier stage.