Funding for projects promoting the social integration of immigrants

Allocation of project funding by the Federal Ministry of the Interior for the year 2027 under the federal programme “Social Cohesion – Local. Networked. Connected.”

Projects may commence from 1 January 2027.

Social cohesion thrives on mutual respect, open dialogue and an appreciation of social diversity. In the face of social change, growing tensions and increasing polarisation, new, creative and publicly effective ways are needed to promote understanding, solidarity and a sense of belonging in everyday life.

In this context, innovation and innovative approaches mean addressing social issues using new methods and formats, making diversity visible, and engaging people in dialogue and participation through creative formats.

The aim is to develop projects that test new formats for interaction, participation and communication, whilst pursuing innovative, creative and experimental approaches. The focus should be, in particular, on new ideas and methods that have a visible impact within the local community.

We are therefore looking for projects, for example, that:

• which develop new ways of promoting exchange, understanding and solidarity in everyday life by testing innovative and experimental approaches that can provide impetus for community life and serve as models,
• which develop digital, hybrid and interactive formats for interaction, participation, communication and collaboration that specifically target groups that have been largely overlooked to date and incorporate innovative forms of communication and participation,
• that make use of unusual locations and everyday situations for encounters, for example through mobile, temporary or pop-up initiatives in public spaces that enable new avenues of engagement and spontaneous participation,
• which employ creative, artistic, media-based and performative methods to address social issues in a practical way and to promote dialogue between different social groups,
• highlight diversity and successful coexistence in a way that captures the public’s attention, for example through creative campaigns and participatory activities, exhibitions, cultural events or media projects,
• which effectively highlight the life stories of migrants, successful integration work and positive examples of coexistence through innovative, experimental and creative formats.

Please note: Regular programmes or formats already established by the applicant that do not involve further development or experimentation will not be funded. Rather, the projects should provide new impetus, develop experimental and innovative approaches, and inspire others to follow suit.

Call for applications