Talent Promotion of the NRW Sports Foundation

Since 2000, the Sportstiftung NRW has been the most significant initiative for promoting young talent in competitive sports in North Rhine-Westphalia and offers a continuous funding instrument in the field of Sports, Culture & Media to individuals: athletes in Olympic, Paralympic, Deaflympic, and World Games disciplines. The funding provides a monthly grant of €250 for a maximum of 24 months. The grants are awarded as non-repayable subsidies and are paid out mid-month. Applications are possible by June 30 and December 31 each year, enabling funding to start from April or October 2026. Approximately 600 funding places are available per application round.

In the application process, in addition to the formal eligibility criteria – residence, training base, or competition for a NRW club as well as squad status (Junior Squad 1, Junior Squad 2, State Squad Plus, or corresponding World Games squad) – three documents are required: a motivation letter, an application video, and a personality questionnaire. An expert committee evaluates the applications based on six key competencies: intrinsic motivation, emotional competence, respect, team and criticism skills, authenticity, and commitment. The final decision is made by the board of the Sportstiftung NRW during its biannual meetings; the notifications are sent shortly thereafter. The funding goal is to support young top athletes on their path to sporting excellence and a successful educational career, establishing them as role models for the sports region NRW.