Schools, Continuing Education Institutions

The Innovation Fund for Continuing Education of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia supports projects oriented towards the common good that advance the development of a sustainable system of lifelong learning in North Rhine-Westphalia. Funding is provided to educational institutions and non-profit organizations that develop innovative approaches based on §§ 17 and 19 of the Continuing Education Act (WbG). The goal is to create a flexible, cross-institutional and cross-provider learning infrastructure in which various partners – from adult education centers to family education centers to local non-profit providers – jointly test and implement new formats and didactic concepts. This aims to tailor educational offerings precisely to the changing needs of learners at all stages of life.

Funding is provided in the form of long-term grants and is continuously available. A prerequisite for application is recognition as a continuing education institution under the WbG as well as a project concept that places the principle of lifelong learning at its core. In addition to financial support, project partners benefit from networking and qualification measures to expand successful practical approaches to other regions. With this fund, the state government relies on innovative collaboration among diverse educational actors to make continuing education in North Rhine-Westphalia future-proof and to enable attractive learning biographies for all generations.