NKK – Natural Climate Protection in Municipalities
The funding program supports voluntary measures to strengthen natural climate protection and biodiversity in inhabited areas, such as near-natural green space management, tree planting, and the creation of natural oases.
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Grant criteria
Funding objective
The aim of the funding is to provide incentives to municipal authorities and other public institutions to implement local climate protection measures. The focus is on transitioning to nature-based maintenance of green spaces, planting trees, and creating natural oases to promote biodiversity and sequester CO2 in the long term.
Eligible expenses
- Personnel costs
- Material costs
- Planning services
- Deculverting measures
Non-eligible expenses
- Costs for personnel already funded through basic funding
- Investments in feasibility studies
- Procurement of software (e.g., GRIS)
Eligible to apply
- Public Institutions
Funding requirements
- Eligible applicants are municipal authorities, municipal associations, legally dependent municipal enterprises, municipal special-purpose associations, as well as other public law entities not assigned to the federal or state governments
- The measure must be voluntary and must not constitute an economic obligation
- Compliance with German environmental and social legal requirements as well as the specified minimum requirements (e.g., implementation of at least one of the measures named in the care concept)
- Completion of the measure within 24 months (extension up to 36 months possible)
Documents required for application
- Application form
- Project description
- Care concept or proof of existing concepts
- Cost breakdown and financing plan
- Proof of budget situation (for financially weak municipalities)
Evaluation criteria
- Innovative content and feasibility of the measure
- Contribution to natural climate protection and promotion of biodiversity
- Sustainability and long-term impact of the measures
- Quality of planning and feasibility within the funding period
Description
The funding program "Natural Climate Protection in Municipalities" supports municipal authorities, municipal associations, and other public institutions in sustainably modernizing inner-city green spaces. The measure focuses primarily on the preservation and redesign of nature-oriented facilities, for example through the transition to nature-based green space management, the planting of trees, and the creation of natural oases. Not only planning services and project-related personnel costs are considered, but also structural interventions such as de-sealing measures that contribute to the restoration of natural soil functions. The funding enables projects that contribute in the long term to CO₂ sequestration and the promotion of biodiversity in urban and peri-urban areas.
The funding is aimed at property owners and responsible parties in municipalities who wish to improve the ecological condition of their areas through voluntary measures. Innovative concepts that strengthen natural climate protection and ecologically enhance urban living spaces are supported. Strategically, both preventive measures for renaturation and reactive interventions in existing structures are promoted. All funded projects must comply with the environmental and social legal standards applicable in Germany and be implemented within a limited timeframe. The broad target group of the program enables inter-municipal cooperation and offers opportunities to leverage synergies to balance regional differences in green space maintenance.
Within the framework of the program, financing is predominantly provided as a grant covering up to 80 percent of eligible costs – in cases of municipal budgetary emergencies, up to 90 percent. In addition to direct implementation measures, the support of activities such as public relations is also part of the funding. The structured funding contributes to sustainably improving inner-city infrastructures and establishing forward-looking concepts in the field of natural climate protection. This not only makes a contribution to mitigating climate change but also strengthens the quality of life in the affected regions in the long term. More information on the specific funding conditions and the documents to be submitted can be found on the information pages of the respective funding institutions.
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