Profil: Soziokultur (Profile: Socioculture)

Profile: Socioculture is the process funding programme of Fonds Soziokultur.

Applicants can apply for funding for the further development of their own organisation / association here.

Each organisation may only submit one funding application per call for proposals, i.e. either a project in the General Project Funding or a process via Profile: Socioculture.

 

What is funded?

Funding is provided for development processes and the organisational development of independent, non-profit organisations and institutions in the socio-cultural and cultural field with the aim of stabilising and raising the profile of their own organisation.

The process proposals are intended to structurally stabilise cultural participation and co-design on the basis of a clear profile and a financing and networking strategy. This is done in accordance with different local issues and diverse socio-cultural conditions and, at best, with the involvement of independent cultural practitioners as experts in socio-cultural practice and structures. The aim is to support independent organisations in the fields of socioculture, cultural education and media culture work in development processes that serve their medium-term stabilisation and structural anchoring.

The submitted processes are therefore self-development activities that, based on questions posed by the applicant organisations, contribute to

• stabilising financing and employment models, possibly with cooperation partners and/or the administration
• sharpening their own profile and potential for socially relevant, participatory cultural work
• addressing pressing social issues and tasks and clarifying the significance/needs for the organisation, services, staff and target groups
• analysing resources and possible synergies with other institutions/partners: Rooms, locations, materials, ideas, concepts, equipment, finances, personnel, administration, etc.
• Increasing visibility and communication and exchange with local or regional stakeholders, the administration and co-operation partners.

Diversity, social cohesion, globality, digitality and sustainability are cross-cutting social issues.

Cooperation with public organisations, in particular with cultural administrations or independent collectives/initiatives, is explicitly intended with a view to local anchoring.

External expertise is particularly important to the Board of Trustees. This can be provided by consulting agencies. However, an external expert in the sense of peer-to-peer counselling is much more promising.

 

What is not being funded?

• The ongoing work of an applicant
• Artistic and cultural projects and productions
• Scholarships
• Festivals
• Ongoing and regular programme offerings
• Cancellation fees
• Equipment
• Investments
• Training to acquire technical knowledge (e.g. Excel software)
• (Structural) measures for hygiene concepts
• Organisations without a socio-cultural focus
• Concrete project plans

Profile: Socioculture is a funding programme for the further development of your own work. It is therefore not possible to apply for specific projects. If you would like to realise a specific project, you must submit an application in the "General project funding" programme.

 

Who can submit an application?

Independent legal entities that are recognised as non-profit organisations: Associations, gGmbH, gGbR, gUG and foundations from the fields of cultural work, socioculture, cultural education and media culture work based in Germany.

The certificate of non-profit status (corporation tax exemption notice) must be submitted with the application (by e-mail to the administrative office). Provisional recognition of non-profit status is sufficient for an application.

Organisations that simultaneously receive 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. from the Capital Cultural Fund, the Art Fund Foundation, the German Literature Fund, the Performing Arts Fund, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, the Federal Cultural Foundation, the Amateur Music Fund, the "Aller.Land" funding programme, TRAFO - Models for Culture in Transition" etc.) are excluded from submitting an application.

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/chance of funding.

 

Application

You can submit your application in an online form under the menu item Application portal. You must register when using our application portal for the first time. With your login you can temporarily save your application in the online form, log back in later and continue working on it until you submit it to the Fonds Soziokultur once it has been finalised.

The application form is open from 01.04. - 02.05. (midnight).

Here you can find a sample application form.

Due to many server accesses, technical problems may occur after 11 pm and your application can no longer be submitted.

We therefore recommend that you send your application much earlier. If the application could not be submitted by midnight, it can no longer be accepted!

Counselling

The office of the Fonds Soziokultur offers application counselling by telephone all year round.

From the end of April, we will be offering various online information events (in German). You will receive general information on the funding opportunities offered by the Fonds Soziokultur and tips on completing the application form. We will also explain how the Board of Trustees selects the grants.

Advice on individual concepts is not possible in these online appointments.  Registration information events

How much can be applied for?

At least 5,000 euros - maximum 30,000 euros, but no more than 80 % of the total budget of the process applied for.

 

Process runtime

The organisational processes (including the cost-relevant preparatory work) may not begin before mid-July of the funding year. Conceptual preparatory work such as discussions with possible cooperation partners, potential sponsors, desired artists/consultants do not count towards the cost-relevant start, but may be carried out beforehand.

The process does not have to be completed in the current year; the Fonds Soziokultur can provide funding over one year. The process may not exceed 2 years. 

 

Funding decision

Funding decisions are made exclusively by the Board of Trustees at its selection meetings at the end of June / beginning of July of the year of application.

Cost- and financing plan

Co-financing (at least 20% of the total budget) can come from own funds, income and/or third-party funds.

Third-party funds are all subsidies/grants from private or public institutions (e.g. foundations, banks, state, municipality, etc.).

Private donations, membership fees and reserves are regarded as own funds.

Co-financing from other funding programmes of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) is not possible.

100% funding from the Fonds Soziokultur is not possible.

Planned third-party funding does not have to be approved at the time of application.

 

What are eligible expenses?

• Pro rata personnel costs of permanent staff (employer's gross salary incl. employer's social security contribution)
• Volunteer allowances/expense allowances (also for board members - however, no compensation for your board work, but only for the additional process work)
• Marginal employment (incl. statutory duties)
• Fees (fee corridor up to 60 €/h (except for sign language interpreters) for the positions of project management, artistic direction, workshop management, an hourly rate of 40 € should not be undercut, daily rate 500 €/day)
• Artists' Social Security Fund (KSK)
• Fees for further training
• Up to €2,000 travel expenses, e.g. for supra-regional collegial consultations

 

What are non-eligible expenses?

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

 

What needs to be considered in the cost and financing plan?

• The cost and financing plan must show all process expenditure and not just expenditure in the amount of the funding applied for.
• Only eligible expenditure may be listed in the cost plan.
• It is not possible to raise co-financing via non-eligible expenditure (e.g. own contribution is the rent for the premises).
• Only costs for which there will later be a verifiable cash flow may be calculated in the cost plan (no so-called own contributions/contributions such as voluntary work, etc.).
• Only amounts that will later be available in euros to offset expenses (= cash movement) may be specified as own contribution.
• If persons/agencies who are to be involved in the process are already known when the application is submitted, they should definitely 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.

 

Advice for applicants

• Read all information carefully
• Use our counselling service
• Give the application to someone to read who does not know the process / the planned further development

 

Application portal