Life in the Countryside
Low-interest loan for investments in infrastructure, tourism, cultural and recreational facilities, as well as diversification in rural areas of Baden-Württemberg. Financing volume up to €10 million per year, applications accepted continuously.
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Grant criteria
Funding objective
Promotion of investments in technical and social infrastructure, sustainable tourism, village renewal, repurposing of agricultural building stock, and non-agricultural forms of employment in rural areas of Baden-Württemberg, in order to improve local living conditions and strengthen economic development.
Eligible expenses
- Machinery, vehicles, and operating equipment
- Devices
- Land and building acquisition
- Investments in technical and social infrastructure
- Investments in rural tourism
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Non-eligible expenses
- Debt restructuring and ongoing costs
- Residential projects for owner-occupation
- Primary agricultural production
- Investments of municipal authorities
- Projects on the Rentenbank exclusion list
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Eligible to apply
- Individuals
- Public Institutions
- Companies
- Interest Groups and Other Associations
- Non-profit Organizations
Funding requirements
- Investment location in Baden-Württemberg
- Project in rural areas (cities and municipalities with up to 50,000 inhabitants outside of densely populated areas)
- Economic activity of the project
- SMEs according to the EU definition or other natural or legal persons in rural areas
Documents required for application
- Program Information Sheet Life in Rural Areas
- Application Form Life in Rural Areas
- Information Sheet on Subsidy-Relevant Facts
- Annex on State Aid Information
- General Terms and Conditions I Promotional Loan
- General Terms and Conditions II Promotional Loan
Description
A low-interest loan supports investments in technical and social infrastructure as well as in tourism, cultural, and recreational facilities in rural areas of Baden-Württemberg. With a financing volume of up to €10 million per applicant per year, measures such as village renewal, repurposing of agricultural building stock, or non-agricultural forms of livelihood are promoted. Eligible applicants include small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) according to the EU definition, natural persons, farmers, associations, non-profit organizations, and public institutions. Full refinancing (100% of eligible expenses) is possible, whereby the rural area according to the state development plan includes all municipalities with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants outside of densely populated areas. Ongoing application opportunities through the house bank ensure flexible planning independent of deadlines.
Eligible expenses include machinery, vehicles, operating equipment, devices, land and building acquisition, as well as investments in infrastructure and sustainable tourism. Additionally, measures for villagescape design, preservation of cultural assets, and the conversion of formerly agricultural building stock are among the eligible projects. Excluded are debt restructuring, ongoing operating costs, residential use for personal use, primary agricultural production, investments by municipal authorities, projects on the Rentenbank exclusion list, and from 01.01.2025 the installation of independent fossil fuel heating systems. For application, the program information sheet "Living in the Countryside," the application form, the information sheet on subsidy-relevant facts, the annex on state aid information, and the General Terms and Conditions (GTC I and II) must be submitted. The loan application is made before the project start via the house bank procedure, whereby the house bank bundles all documents and forwards them to the funding bank.
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