Municipal Networking: Working Together to Advance Climate Protection

As a municipality, company, religious or charitable foundation/association in your region, would you like to create a network with important actors to advance climate action in common? Would you like to join forces, identify options for action and intensify the exchange of experiences among each other? Then this blog article is aimed at you. Here you can find the essential facts about the funding priority "Establishment and operation of municipal networks" from the federal funding "Municipal Guidelines" of the Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection.

What is getting funded?

Funding is available for the establishment and operation of municipal climate protection networks that cover at least one field of action in municipal climate protection, such as energy and resource efficiency or climate-friendly mobility. This includes a network manager who provides technical and content-related support to the network, consultants, the moderation of network meetings, speakers' fees for network meetings and for the further training of network participants, as well as individual material expenses.

How is funding provided?

The funding period is three years and applications can be submitted continuously until the 31st of December 2027. Contact the project management organisation ZUG (Zukunft - Umwelt - Gesellschaft GmbH, Stresemannstraße 69, 10963 Berlin).

How much funding is available?

The funding rate is 60 % of the total eligible expenditure. Financially weak municipalities and applicants from lignite regions can even receive 80% of the total eligible expenditure as a grant. The grant is a maximum of €40,000 per network participant and a maximum of 1,500 euros per network participant for the accompanying public relations work.

Who receives funding?

Funding is available to:

• Municipalities and municipal associations,
• municipal enterprises and special-purpose associations with municipal participation,
• Educational institutions and child and youth welfare institutions,
• Public, religious, or non-profit cultural, health and social institutions,
• non-profit (sports) associations,
• religious communities with corporate status and their foundations, as well as companies.

How does the application process work?

In order to submit the application, the sample templates of the project management organisation, i.e., the "Vorhabensbeschreibung" and the "Kooperationsvereinbarung", must be completed as well as the application in „easy-online“. The two mentioned templates must be added as mandatory attachments at the end of the application. In addition, an annex to the "Vorhabensbeschreibung" explaining the planned services can be uploaded (there is no template for this). Both online and postal submission are required. The requirement is that the promoter must receive the paper-based signed documents within 14 days of online submission. Currently, a five-month processing time until approval is assumed. After approval, a "Gemeinsame Erklärung" according to the sample template must also be submitted to the project management organisation. All documents and further information can be found here.

What are the advantages of funding the establishment and operation of a municipal network?

The main advantage is that the ecosystem work can be funded up to 60 %. The network work includes the technical and content-related support, operation and monitoring of the network, the preparation and implementation of the network meetings, the development of an electronic network platform, the preparation of reports to monitor progress, the use of advisors and speakers for the further training of network participants and the accompanying public relations work

What are the approval requirements?

First and foremost, it is required that the network consists of at least six network participants and that qualified network management is employed. It must also be ensured that the network participants are not members of one or more networks in identical fields of action.

What other funding priorities can be applied for under the Municipal Guidelines?

General information on all strategic and investment funding priorities of the Municipal Guidelines can be found here.

Conclusion

The municipal network forms the ideal basis for working together with the relevant actors to ensure the reduction of greenhouse gases. Municipalities and municipal enterprises have great potential for reducing greenhouse gases. In addition, other funding priorities from the municipal guidelines can be applied for from within the network, such as a feasibility study.

To acquire the network partners, a one-time grant of €5,000 can be applied for. Funding is provided for travel expenses to the on-site recruitment meetings, advertising materials and the organisation and implementation of a regional information event.

Our offer

We are happy to take over the network management in the acquisition and or networking phase of the municipal network. As a market leader in the field of funding advice, we have many years of experience and can provide you with advice and support based on our expertise. We also communicate directly with the project promoter to quickly answer any questions that may arise or organise an information event for you in order to address interested parties for the municipal network to be established. Please feel free to send us an e-mail with your request.

Author: Franziska Schmid