The Berlin Senate Department of Economics is able to fund the creative sectors of Literature & Publishing, Design, Games & Interactive, Fashion & Textile, Music, Arts, Advertising & PR, as well as Film & Broadcast. In charge is the initiative Projekt Zukunft ("project future").
Projekt Zukunft ("project future") is the initiative of Berlin´s Senate Department for Economics, Technology and Research to support the growth areas of information and communication technology, media and creative economy.
Every year, Projekt Zukunft funds infrastructure support projects to the tune of 1.5 million euros, including competitions and industry-related lighthouse events - the digital economy in particular, as a cross-sector that cuts across all submarkets of the creative industries, has received over 20 million euros in funding over the past 5 years. The state of Berlin's Creative Industries Growth Capital Fund (€30 million), which includes €15 million in state funding, has financed over 30 emerging Berlin startups in over 100 rounds of funding, including aupeo, moviepilot, sofatutor, tausendkind and C' est tout. The fund is aimed specifically at companies from the media and creative industries.
Funding schemes are generally aimed at all industry sectors. Therefore, businesses and sometimes also professionals acting within the creative industries may apply for them. In addition, there are funding schemes especially suited to accommodate the needs of the creative industries:
• Subsidies for small and medium-sized businesses and “micro-loans” up to 25000 EUR
• Coaching Bonus Program
• Program to Support Research, Innovation and Technologies
• Venture Capital Funds for Creative Industries
Additionally, the following funding schemes are specifically suited to the creative industry:
• Cash flow Financing for Film Productions
• Design Transfer Bonus Program
• Berlin Kredit Innovativ
Please be advised that information may not always be available in English. Please contact the Investitionsbank Berlin directly at (030) 2125 4747 to obtain the assistance required.
Other than Investionsbank Berlin, funding schemes for small and medium-sized businesses are also available from the KfW Bankengruppe at federal level. Details on their services can be found here: www.foerderdatenbank.de
The Förderfibel lists all funding schemes and gives extensive information on the requirements and objectives of individual programs. Furthermore, you can easily access the “Förderfinder” of the Investitionsbank Berlin online in order to find the program that accommodates your needs best.
In addition, the federal government's funding finder offers further funding opportunities, not only for the creative industries and outside of an artistic self-employment.
Application forms can be downloaded from the download section at www.investitionsbank.de and/or at www.kfw-mittelstandsbank.de/ .
The Venture Capital Fund offers dormant or open equity holding for Berlin businesses in the creative sector with high growth potential and a scalable business model.
Grants are only available as part of investments and technology subsidies, they are also partially available for company presentation at trade shows and/or abroad.
Regarding film funding, the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH provides loans, repayments of which is subject to conditions.
With most funding schemes the application has to be submitted before establishing your business, i.e. before a tenancy agreement is signed and before you commit to financial obligations. When applying for a start-up grant from unemployment, please note that you must submit the application for the start-up grant to the Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) before you register your self-employment.
The Service Centre of the funding institution may be approached for assistance:
• Service Centre Investitionsbank Berlin
• Service Centre KfW Bankengruppe
The Service Centre of the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce also offers assistance.
The "Programm für Internationalisierung" of the Investitionsbank Berlin funds joint trade fair stands for small and medium-sized businesses as well as institutions with sufficient proximity to the buisness community.
These joint projects within the framework of trade fairs are subject to participation within the framework of the Landesmesseplan.
Additionally, individual trade fair funding is available.
For more information look here:
Yes, as part of the “Entering New Markets” program you may apply for twofold funding: first, funding for the elaboration of a strategic concept and second, for financial means to enable market development.
Contact:
Service Centre Investitionsbank Berlin
The European exchange program for young entrepreneurs - ERASMUS - offers further support.
Games are part of the ICT and media-related creative industries cluster and therefore subject to the same funding and financing possibilities. Additional funding and financing options are however available specifically for this area:
The Investitionsbank Berlin offers a funding program for research, innovation and technology (ProFIT), through which grants, subsidised loans and subsidised silent partnerships are available. You will find further information at: https://www.ibb.de/en/homepage/homepage.html
Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg offers support for the regional games industry through a project funding for digital media content for games, mobile and web. The funding is intended for the development of game prototypes and pilots as well as innovative formats for mobile and web content. Measures contributing to the professionalisation of the games industry are also supported. Funding in the form of interest-free loans is available in amounts of up to 100 000 EUR per project.
As of recently, funding of serial content is also available.
Further information at: http://www.medienboard.de/WebObjects/Medienboard.woa/wa/CMSshow/2731336
IBB: Here you can find an overview of all programs for start-up promotion with the IBB.
IHK: The overview for the most important information for start-ups in the creative sectors from the IHK.
Agentur für Arbeit: Overview of financial promotion for start-ups.
KFW Entwicklungsbank: All programs and further information für start-up possibilities.
Bürgerschaftsbank Berlin-Brandenburg: An overview of the benefits for start-ups of the BBB.
The first point of call for small loans is your local bank. However, also the Investitionsbank Berlin offers micro-loans up to EUR 25,000 with a simplified application procedure. Or the Gründungsbonus could also be an option. In addition, crowdlending can now also be a way of obtaining a micro-credit by granting a loan to a project via private lenders and repaying it according to a certain system with interest.
The German Federal Employment Office (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) offers financial support submitted to certain conditions for unemployed persons wishing to establish their own business. Details can be found on the leaflets compiled by the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce at www.ihk-berlin.de. Please be advised that you need to apply for a start up grant before registering your business.
Deutschland startet ("Germany is starting") is giving complementary elegibility assessments, how to improve the start-up with federal promotion or existing self-employment. You can also find news, a start-up encyclopaedia and an overview for start-up programs in Berlin.
Infoportal "Gründen in Berlin" ("starting up in Berlin") is the central contact point for start-ups in all branches, as well as a complementary information and consulting offer in all stages of the business from start-up to consultation.
Gründerszene: ("entrepreneurs") is an online magazine for start ups and digital economy in Germany, established in Berlin, with daily news, background information, technical and opinion articles, video contributions, analyses and report updates for start-ups.
Für Gründer ("for start-ups") - here you can find numerous information for start-ups.
www.junge-gruender.de ("young entrepreneurs") is an online platform with basics for start-ups, an encyclopaedia and a lot more of information.
www.existenzgruender.de ("start-ups") is the portal for start-ups, published by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection.
Broschüre "Gründen in Berlin" is a brochure for start-ups in Berlin.
The Senate is promoting the cultural fields of Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Literature and Music. But also cross-cutting fields are promoted, as long as they are charitable, artistic and/or non-commercial.
The cultural administration of the Senate promotes the cultural landscape with around 600 million euros per year (as of 2020). Roughly ninety-five percent of this total is distributed to seventy long-term recipients in the form of institutional funding. Around five percent of the budget is allocated as individual grants and project funding (including the Capital Cultural Fund).
Berlins Senate Chancellery of Cultural Affairs is providing you a detailed catalogue of information, answering all your questions.
Cultural Funding Consultation Berlin: Direct consulting on cultural financing in Berlin
The German Information Center for promotion of the arts (Deutsches Informationszentrum Kulturförderung) assembles information about private and public sponsors of arts and culture in an online database: www.kulturfoerderung.org/de
Information about promotion of the arts provided by the Federal Government of Germany (Bundesregierung): www.bundesregierung.de
Cultural Contact Point Germany, promotional programs of the European Union: www.ccp-deutschland.de
Website of the Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft e.V. Information on promotion of the arts in the European Union: www.europa-foerdert-kultur.info
The Association of German Foundations provides an index of all German foundations on their website: www.stiftungen.org
Stiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin www.lotto-stiftung-berlin.de
Federal Cultural Foundation www.kulturstiftung-des-bundes.de/en
Arts Fund Foundation www.kunstfonds.de
German Literature Fund www.deutscher-literaturfonds.de
Performing Arts Fund www.fonds-daku.de
Sociocultural Fund www.fonds-soziokultur.de/en
Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg www.medienboard.de/en
Please also check our database.
The Kulturförderberatung Berlin gives you all information on cultural funding sources on a federal level.
For information about cultural promotion on EU level click here.
In the infothek of Kreativ Kultur Berlin you can find all information about crowdfunding.
The Kreativ Kultur Berlin provides a list with all foundations.
You are Berlin-based, working in the cultural or creative industries and looking for information on project financing and funding?
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