"On Equal Terms" Fund
Integration, Encounter
The Software AG Foundation’s initiative supports projects that bring together people with and without a refugee or migrant background – in an unbureaucratic manner, with up to 5,000 euros and plenty of scope for their own approaches.
Funding applications are open to community foundations from across Germany, which may submit applications for their own projects or on behalf of local partner organisations.
What is funded
The aim of the fund is to strengthen civic engagement in support of refugees and new arrivals in Germany, without imposing strict conditions.
This flexible approach to fostering greater social cohesion supports a wide variety of projects in which long-established residents and new arrivals come together, for example through art and food culture, sport and the media: In doing so, it deliberately allows its applicants and project partners the freedom to shape their initiatives as they see fit; after all, they are best placed to understand local needs and requirements.
These can range from advice and support in various areas to training and skills development programmes, as well as encompassing different forms of self-organisation and empowerment. The only requirement regarding content is that the focus should always be on respectful and supportive interaction – that is, genuine cooperation and mutual support on an equal footing.
In this spirit, eligible for funding are, for example, initiatives that facilitate broad participation in social processes, ensure the exchange of experiences amongst all those involved, and provide for continuous reflection on refugee work through appropriate coaching or supervision. Intercultural training, as well as courses on legal issues or understanding democracy, are also eligible for support.
Furthermore, the fund supports integration measures that usefully complement existing support services or operate in areas where state subsidies or standard benefits do not apply.
However, support is not provided for benefits available under federal programmes or local authority services, nor for language courses alone, school-based initiatives or short-term projects that do not yield sustainable results.