Funding of the Foundation of Sparkasse Münsterland Ost

Since 2002, the Sparkasse Münsterland Ost Foundation has been supporting non-profit projects in the districts of Warendorf and Ahlen as well as in the city of Münster. With an endowment capital of €55 million, a wide range of initiatives are supported that promote science and research, education and upbringing, art and culture, international understanding, as well as youth and elderly care. Projects in the fields of environmental, landscape, and monument protection, public health, youth and amateur sports, and local heritage preservation are also considered. The goal is to create sustainable impulses for social cohesion and to strengthen the region’s future viability. Project funding is based on targeted allocation of funds without a “watering can principle”: only projects that fulfill the foundation’s statutory purpose and whose implementation has not yet begun before the application submission are supported. Ongoing personnel, administrative, and building maintenance costs as well as travel expenses outside the scope of the funded project are excluded.

Eligible to apply are non-profit organizations with headquarters or project locations within the business area of Sparkasse Münsterland Ost. Funding is provided in the form of a one-time grant; no individual maximum amounts are set, but they depend on the available foundation income and project scope. The digital application can be submitted annually by October 15. Applications can be created, saved as drafts, and supplemented at any time via an online platform. After checking for completeness, the documents are submitted to the board of trustees for decision. Funded organizations will be informed of the outcome in writing and asked to provide proof of appropriate use of funds. This call for proposals is aimed at all non-profit institutions in NRW that have professional structures and wish to implement ambitious projects. Further information is available in the foundation’s statutes, where the articles of association and funding guidelines are transparently presented.