Promotion of a Diverse Society

The Welfare Foundation NRW continuously awards grants to non-profit organizations of the independent welfare sector in North Rhine-Westphalia to support projects that promote integration, reduce discrimination, and enable equal coexistence of all population groups. Funded measures are those that integrate into overall municipal strategies or are implemented through local networking, for example in day care centers, open all-day schools, youth clubs, counseling centers, or extracurricular educational institutions. The focus is on diversity in all its facets – from gender and identity to cultural and religious backgrounds, as well as social origin and different abilities.

The funding aims to ensure the participation of those affected, establish sustainable networks at the municipal level, and evaluate them based on clear criteria: contribution to integration and participation, reduction of discrimination, involvement of those affected, and sustainable networking within the municipality. Projects are intended to have a long-term impact, create spaces for encounter, and, through sensitized professionals and multiperspective participation formats, consolidate the values of acceptance and appreciation. Sponsors develop strategic concepts for various fields of action – from social counseling centers to sports clubs to residential facilities – that address local conditions and, together with municipal partners, become vibrant places of lived diversity. With this funding measure, the Foundation strengthens commitment to a diverse society in North Rhine-Westphalia.