About the funding
The number of internal conflicts and conflicts between nations has continued to increase in recent years. This trend is accompanied by a rising number of local, regional, and international conflict transformation initiatives. The need for targeted and timely support is therefore high.
Our aim is to support those projects that serve to facilitate conflict transformation in conflict (and post conflict) societies in different regions. As a result, projects are supported that focus on dealing with the past, including questions of transitional justice, mediation, human and minority rights, the unique role of digital technologies in conflict (and post conflict) societies, the way conflicts are reported on, and the role played by religion in conflicts.
We are particularly eager to support projects that make it possible to transfer good practice from one region or target group to another.
Grant applications looking to secure project funding will be accepted throughout year.
The Support We Offer
The Robert Bosch Stiftung is a charitable organization. We pursue our aims in a nonpartisan and independent manner. Our projects and programs tackle social challenges in order to develop solutions and bring about change. We also support third-party projects that are submitted to us and that correspond with our funding goals.
Practical Relevance and Quality
The Robert Bosch Stiftung takes on social discussions and problems as early as possible in order to illustrate exemplary solutions and generate impetus that can be harnessed by others. Cooperative agreements with our partners – other foundations and state and private institutions – promote the exchange of experiences and a practical approach. They also increase the amount of financial support for projects. Depending on the issue and the associated strategic direction, we decide whether to implement a project ourselves or whether to seek cooperation with a partner organization.
When implementing our projects, we are committed to high standards of quality. We maintain transparency in our activities and welcome critical dialog both internally and externally. Our aim is to be a reliable, upstanding partner, which is why we scrutinize and examine the benefit of each project in light of our quality standards and our associated commitment to quality assurance. This includes ensuring that projects are implemented in an efficient and cost-effective way on the basis of a binding cost and financing plan.
The Robert Bosch Stiftung employs a wide variety of methods in order to achieve its objectives.
These include:
- Competitions
- Conferences/round tables
- Exchange programs
- Prizes
- Programs for Journalists
- Scholarships
- Studies
- Study trips
We support people who are dedicated and prepared to shoulder responsibility. We offer them scope for their ideas and set up platforms for exchange between cultures and decision-makers as well as for national and international knowledge transfer. Alongside funding for scholarship holders, we also work with multipliers who ensure that our projects have a wide-reaching effect. These include journalists, researchers, teachers, educationalists, social workers, and medical specialists.
We do not fund any of the following
- Building projects, investments, manufacturing facilities
- Ongoing infrastructure costs
- Projects that have been proposed in the past
- Individual scholarships outside of our fellowship programs (no scholarships for vocational training, degree programs, internships, doctoral programs)
- Casework (e.g. treatment costs, car costs)
- Printing costs
- Evaluation measures outside the scope of projects carried out or supported by the Foundation
- Projects that are not transferable (individual case, no transfer possible), not sustainable (no follow-up opportunities), and/or not innovative
Furthermore, specific exclusion criteria apply for certain areas of support. These can be found on the page for the area of support concerned.
How to access support
As a foundation that offers support, we are open to new project ideas, provided they are a good fit with our areas of activity and funding principles. It has to be possible to clearly state the objectives of the project idea.
In order to be able to quickly and appropriately process your application, we have developed a procedure that comprises two key stages.
Applicants start by submitting a written inquiry in which they briefly outline their project idea and its financing by answering a series of set questions. We will get in touch with you after about four weeks. If we wish to pursue the project further, you will receive an invitation to submit a grant request. We only accept grant requests that we have invited in this way. The invitation itself does not constitute a preliminary decision with respect to funding for your project.
Inquiry and Grant Request
First Step: Inquiry
Forms for first-time applications for third-party projects are available for download. Past experience in processing applications has shown that project ideas are evaluated swiftly if the application is limited to a short inquiry of two pages length. Inquiries will be accepted in German and English.
Guideline for inquiries (DOC)
Second Step: Grant Request
We generally inform applicants within four weeks whether a project will be accepted for further examination. The application must then be substantiated in greater detail. In our response, we provide suggestions which, however, do not yet imply a decision to accept the project.
(Please use this form only once requested by the foundation and only if the respective program pages do not include an invitation to apply. Grant requests will be accepted in German and English.)
Please note: The forms can best be opened in newer versions of MS Office (Office 2007 onwards).
For more information click "Further official information" below.