Sustainability Communication, Education, and Assessment
Funding of projects for the development and testing of new methods and tools for sustainability communication, education, and assessment, with a special focus on children, youth, and educational institutions.
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Grant criteria
Funding objective
The goal is the development of practical indicators, methods, and concepts for the sustainability assessment of processes, products, and services, as well as the strengthening of sustainability competencies and awareness through new approaches to communication, learning, dialogue, and participation, especially among children, adolescents, and multipliers.
Eligible expenses
- Personnel expenses
- Material costs
- External services
- Travel expenses
Non-eligible expenses
- Artistic projects (exhibitions, performances, etc.)
- Regularly recurring specialist and annual conferences
- School gardens and environmental learning sites
- Campaigns and individual gardens
- Redesign of websites
Eligible to apply
- Companies
- Non-profit Organizations
- Educational Institutions
- Public Institutions
- Individuals
Funding requirements
- Location or effectiveness of the project in Germany
- Relation to sustainability communication, education, or assessment
Documents required for application
- Project description
- Financing plan
- Cost breakdown
- Curriculum vitae
- Proof of non-profit status or company register excerpt
Evaluation criteria
- Degree of Innovation
- Practical Relevance
- Sustainability Aspects
- Target Group Appropriate Communication
- Degree of Digitalization
Description
The German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) supports innovative projects nationwide through its program "Sustainability Communication, Education, and Assessment," which develop and test new instruments and methods for evaluating, conveying, and strengthening sustainability competencies. Funding is provided to companies, non-profit and public institutions, educational establishments, as well as private individuals based or active in Germany. The focus is on approaches with high practical relevance that systematically assess processes, products, and services using practice-oriented indicators. Methods for dialogue, participation, and transformative learning formats are supported, as are digital tools and concepts for children, adolescents, and multipliers in schools, universities, and out-of-school learning venues. Project costs – ranging from personnel expenses to material costs, external services, and travel – can be subsidized up to 100%. Regularly excluded from funding are artistic productions, school garden projects, public relations campaigns, and redesigns of websites.
The funding aims to make systemic interrelationships tangible and to embed sustainable action among young people and educators. A particular emphasis is placed on developing innovative concepts to support multipliers, for example in the form of citizen science initiatives or real-world laboratories. New approaches to dialogue-oriented communication, participatory educational formats, and digital learning applications are intended to sustainably strengthen both awareness and action competence regarding energy efficiency, climate protection, and environmental education. Applications can be submitted to the DBU at any time; approved funds are disbursed on a project basis and usually released in several installments. Prior to application, it is advisable to read the funding guidelines to avoid exclusion criteria and to verify eligibility for funding.
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