Funding for Children and Youth

Whether in the youth center, at school, in a sports club, or in a child and youth welfare project: Good programs for children and adolescents rarely come about “on the side.” They require time, qualified professionals, reliable protection concepts, and often also funding for spaces, equipment, or digital tools. Funding is therefore a key lever to strengthen educational participation, reduce disadvantages, and provide young people with safe, effective learning and living environments.

In Germany, support for children and youth is diverse—but also complex. Typical focal points include equal opportunities and cultural education, democracy education and extremism prevention, psychosocial health and resilience, as well as integration and participation. Other topics include media literacy, STEM promotion, extracurricular youth work, and quality development of institutions. Funders include federal ministries (e.g., BMFSFJ, BMBF), states and municipalities, EU programs such as ESF+ or Erasmus+ Youth, as well as foundations.

To make your project eligible for funding, it is worthwhile to have a clear view of needs and target groups, a realistic logic of impact (output/outcome), and a thorough cost plan—including possible own contributions. Especially for projects involving children and youth, protection and prevention should be considered from the outset: code of conduct, complaint procedures, training, and for digital offerings also data protection and IT security.

The Reflecta Funding Compass helps you find suitable funding programs for your project, compare requirements, and approach the application process in a structured way. This saves you time, reduces failed attempts—and allows you to focus more on what matters: better opportunities and effective support for young people.