In summer 2021, the Federal Government Commissioner for Matters relating to Persons with Disabilities and the German Cultural Council initiated a first joint event on inclusive culture to find out how the participation of people with disabilities is progressing. This was followed by a series of workshop discussions, which resulted in recommendations for participation. The participation recommendations for an inclusive culture are available to download free of charge in everyday language, sign language and plain language from the website of the Federal Government Commissioner for Matters relating to Persons with Disabilities. They address key topics such as accessibility, cultural education and the labor market in the cultural sector.

 Participation recommendations for an inclusive culture

Unlike in the past, urban development and urban planning today are the result of collaborative processes. Ideas and concepts for the cities of tomorrow are developed in an exchange between politics, administration and citizens. The aim is to address important issues such as sustainability, climate change and immigration, taking social and financial aspects into account - so that the cities of today remain liveable in the future. In September 2024, for example, the extensive redesign of the banks of the Rhine in Bonn began. The first construction phase is located at Alter Zoll, right next to the "Hall of Fame Königshof", the legal graffiti wall on Brassertufer. Starting from here, the Rhine embankment promenade will be redesigned by 2026 - among other things, unsealed, greened and made fit for the future.

What defines a city for us today? A home? Bonn? Which landmarks stand out and are indispensable? What was the Roman Bonn, the electoral Bonn of the 18th century or the federal capital? What does the Bonn of the future look like? Green, without motorized traffic and without a City Hall? How do artists imagine a city and/or home in the past, present or future? All these questions can and should be answered as part of a competition for the legal graffiti wall "Hall of Fame Königshof".

The deadline for applications is Sunday, February 9, 2025.

 Graffiti competition

In 2025, the City of Bonn will once again be taking part in the North Rhine-Westphalia state government's funding program entitled "Strong Homeland North Rhine-Westphalia" and awarding a Homeland Prize. Under the motto "The Heimat Award: Making volunteering visible", the state government is offering prize money of 15,000 euros to participating cities that would like to honor their local civic engagement in a special way. Up to three award winners can be honored. These four areas are eligible for an award: Bonn as a city of the United Nations, home to people from all over the world; sustainable nature and landscape conservation; urban and cultural history; urban communities that strengthen local identity and connect people.

Applications and proposals can be submitted up to and including February 23, 2025.

 Bonn Homeland Prize

The Urban Arts department at Theater Oberhausen is awarding a total of three residencies to urban arts artists with a focus on dance and performance for the upcoming PottClash Festival. From April 27 to May 2, 2025, the three selected residencies will work on their submitted concepts on the premises of Theater Oberhausen. The prerequisite is a conceptual reference to urban art and culture and the involvement of two dancers from the theater's ensemble. In addition to the two dancers from the urban arts ensemble, each residency can also include its own dancers, performers, musicians or other urban artists. On the last day of the residency week, the results will be presented on stage at the studio as part of the creative night at the PottClash Festival on May 2, 2025.

The application period ends on February 17, 2025. The three selected residencies will be announced at the end of February and supported with 1,500 euros per residency.

 Call for applications - Urban dance world come to our house

Artistic creation and cultural education are important for the development of young people. For this reason, the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia has been promoting this since the 2006/2007 school year with the "Culture and School" program. The program is aimed at schools and artists as well as employees of cultural institutes and facilities for artistic and cultural education. They are invited to jointly develop project proposals that promote pupils' creativity and complement school learning over the course of a school year.

The application deadline is March 31, 2025.

 NRW State Program Culture and School

For the 33rd parliamentary session, the Bonn Donors' Parliament is offering funding totaling 35,000 euros for the implementation of social, ecological and digital projects by Bonn associations. This amount is intended to support projects in the following key areas: Integration of disadvantaged population groups and improving the quality of life in Bonn, work with senior citizens, offers and assistance for people with special needs, digital concepts, educational projects as well as ecology and environmental education.

Project applications can be submitted until February 14.

 Bonn Donors' Parliament

With its infrastructure funding, the Initiative Musik supports projects that create a sustainable framework for the development of popular music and jazz in Germany. The focus is also on establishing and strengthening regional funding institutions for popular music in close cooperation with the federal states and municipalities. Funding will be provided for activities that are implemented in cooperation with regional or nationwide players in the music industry and that promote and support the professionalization of offers and structures of the music scene in Germany; mentoring and workshops, exchange formats, communication forums or online exchanges, knowledge-creating and mediating activities, studies, evaluations and market research, measures to develop structures to improve equal opportunities or activities and projects that promote the sustainability of the music industry in Germany.

The application deadline is February 17, 2025, 6 p.m.

 Infrastructure funding

Cohesion cannot be taken for granted in a pluralistic society. It must be shaped and made tangible. The Deutsche Bahn Foundation creates connections and overcomes boundaries between people from different parts of society. It is committed to diversity, peaceful coexistence, respect and tolerance. With the "Promoting Dialogue - Strengthening Democracy" call, it is building on the previous year's call ("Strengthening Democracy") and sharpening the focus. Under the guiding principle of "Understanding without agreeing", the 2025 Foundation supports non-profit organizations that bring together people with different political attitudes, experiences and goals. The aim is to facilitate dialog on an equal footing and motivate citizens to share democratic responsibility.

Applications are still possible until February 28, 2025.

 Deutsche Bahn Foundation Call for applications 2025

With its regional cultural funding, the Rhineland Regional Council supports cultural projects in the Rhineland that preserve and strengthen the Rhineland's tangible and intangible cultural heritage, cultural diversity and infrastructure in the long term and make them visible and tangible. To this end, the LVR provides cultural institutions and actors from all sectors with project-related funding every year upon application.

Applications can be submitted to the relevant LVR member authorities until February 28. The cultural office is responsible for the city of Bonn.

 Regional_cultural_funding

The Martin Roth Initiative's funding programme "Temporary Protective Residencies for Endangered Artists and Cultural Workers at Cultural Institutions in Germany" enables cultural institutions (host organizations) in Germany to temporarily host endangered artists and cultural workers and enable them to continue their work in a safe context. The application is made in tandem between the artists and cultural workers and the host organizations. In addition to a monthly grant, the funding includes project funds to support the artistic/cultural work, among other things.

The application deadline is February 28, 2025, 23:59 (CET).

 Martin Roth Initiative - Application

For over 30 years, the Fonds Darstellende Künste has been one of the six federal cultural promotion funds supporting the arts and cultural landscape of the Federal Republic of Germany, with a particular focus on promoting the independent performing arts. Four application deadlines end in March 2025: the resumption funding on March 11, the network funding on March 31 and the two cultural education programs, Global Village Kids Digital and Global Village Kids Ländlich, both on March 1.

 Funding programs of the Performing Arts Fund

Cultural institutions in major German cities are faced with a multitude of complex, cultural-political tasks for the future that are currently arising from overlapping crises. The Federal Cultural Foundation's funding program "The Day After Tomorrow - New Models for Cultural Institutions" invites cultural institutions and local authorities to create a space for fundamental innovation despite these challenges and to resist the impulse to fall back on the familiar and established. With this program, the foundation provides the means to facilitate the consideration of new models: for example, for inter-communal cooperation or experimental usage concepts for cultural venues. The program is based on the assumption that cultural institutions will only enjoy broad social support in ten years' time if they are perceived even more strongly as a common good.

Municipalities, cultural institutions and associations can still apply until March 14, 2025, 8 p.m.

 Federal Cultural Foundation - Funding program

The Monom Foundation for Change supports non-profit associations or other non-profit institutions as well as groups and individuals together with a non-profit association with the "Aktionstopf" call for proposals. Funding of up to 5,000 euros is available for projects that take a critical look at society, deal with anti-Semitism, sexism, racism and other ideologies of inequality or projects that address the Shoah or National Socialism. These can be events, public campaigns, publications and other activities. Priority will be given to associations whose work focuses on ideologies of inequality or dealing with National Socialism and institutions that are clearly committed to combating discrimination in everyday life.

Applications can be submitted until March 20, 2025.

 Monom Foundation - Action Fund

Inclusion means creating a diverse and open society in which everyone can participate in social life regardless of individual differences. Aktion Mensch wants to help create additional opportunities for inclusive encounters in order to make inclusion a tangible experience. Aktion Mensch supports inclusive projects in the areas of "education and personal development" and "leisure" as part of its "Viel vor" funding program. These include, for example, projects in the areas of local engagement, music and dance, nature and the environment, sport and games, as well as theater and art. For projects with a duration of up to one year, up to 10,000 euros can be applied for without any own funds.

Applications for funding can be submitted until January 31, 2026. The maximum implementation period of a project can be up to twelve months.

 Aktion Mensch - Funding offer

In February and March, the Kulturrat NRW is once again offering interesting further training courses - including on the topic of funding acquisition (February 25), AI, art, culture and law (March 6), contract negotiations (March 17) and crowdfunding (March 20). All events are free of charge and take place digitally.

 Kulturrat NRW - Webinars