Program Description: Structural Funding

The Structural Funding Program aims to establish sustainable professional structures and frameworks in the fields of popular music and jazz in Germany. The program supports transformation processes, as well as discourse and networking within the music industry.

Additionally, the program seeks to strengthen, establish, and develop regional and state-specific funding institutions and networks for popular music and jazz in close collaboration with federal states and municipalities.

The program primarily provides financial support for:

• The development of structures, networks, or coordination offices, and the creation of contact points implemented in collaboration with regional or nationwide music industry stakeholders.
• Exchange and dialogue formats such as conferences, conventions, and symposia.
• Projects that design and offer sustainable structures and qualification-based networking formats for artists and other stakeholders in pop, jazz, and live music culture, such as mentoring programs and workshop series.
• Non-profit activities that support the professionalisation of offerings and structures within the music scene, such as workshops and coaching.
• Digital platforms, for example knowledge hubs, aimed at making knowledge, information, and best practices in the music industry accessible and shareable.
• Conducting and publishing scientific studies and evaluations on pop culture and the music industry in Germany.
• Awards recognising outstanding artistic and cultural achievements that have cultural-political impact at municipal, state, or federal level within the music industry.

Projects not eligible for funding under this program include:

• Projects primarily focused on presenting artistic performances or artists in other ways (concerts, festivals, showcases, artist talks, etc.).
• Construction work, technical infrastructure, renovations, or investments in individual institutions or cultural venues.
• Music education for children and young people or projects within the non-professional sector.
• Product development by private, profit-oriented entities, such as start-up support.
• Music journalism projects, including podcasts or book publications.

Participation of additional partners is required to ensure the medium-term sustainability of the project. Regional structural projects must involve at least one regional public or municipal institution, documented in writing by a Letter of Intent (LOI). For nationwide infrastructure projects, the involvement of another natural and/or legal person in the project should be documented in writing through a Letter of Intent.

The funded projects must not compete with commercial offerings and thereby distort competition. All projects must be non-profit in nature.

Eligible applicants include natural persons, legal entities, or partnerships with legal capacity, based or residing in Germany, who can ensure proper management and are capable of public funding.

Applicants should have relevant practical experience in the music and cultural sector and ideally have established, or plan to establish,  a legal entity or partnership.

Legal entities of public law (e.g., public corporations) are not eligible to apply. The program aims to initiate and build sustainable structures. Regional projects may receive funding for up to three consecutive funding rounds or calendar years. Nationwide projects are limited to a maximum of five consecutive funding rounds or calendar years.

The funding is provided as a project grant in the form of a non-repayable subsidy through deficit financing.

For structural projects, funding is capped at a maximum of 75% of the respective total expenses per project. The demonstrated share of own funds and third-party contributions from other public (regional or municipal) funders and/or private sponsors must be at least 25%. For regional projects, participation of state, regional, or municipal funding is mandatory. The funding per regional project is limited to €50,000. For nationwide projects, the maximum funding is €80,000.

Overview of funding volumes:

Regional structural projects

• Funding rate 75%
• Own contribution/third-party funding 25%
• Maximum funding amount EUR 50,000

Nationwide structural projects

• Funding rate 75%
• Own contribution/third-party funding 25%
• Maximum funding amount EUR 80,000

No applicant or co-applicant, including legally independent subsidiaries or affiliated companies within the meaning of § 15 of the German Stock Corporation Act, should be a beneficiary of funding amounts from Initiative Musik (across all programs) of more than €100,000 per year.

Projects with total eligible costs below €10,000 are generally not considered.

The funding application must be submitted in digital form to Initiative Musik. The prescribed application form has to be completed in the online application portal and submitted exclusively online. The form and scope can be found in the form.

The application should primarily include the following program-specific documents:

• Brief description of the applicant (mandatory).
• Business registration, trade license, commercial register entry, or entry in the association register or foundation directory
• At least one “Letter of Intent” from additional indirect partners
• Description of the funding project (mandatory):
  • Initial situation
  • Goal(s) / Idea
  • Organisational implementation
  • Long-term perspective beyond the project
  • Timeline
  • Objectives
  • Financial expenditure

In a financing plan submitted to Initiative Musik, the applicant must realistically and plausibly present project-related expenses, the applicant’s own contribution, any third-party contributions, and the requested funding amount. The applicant guarantees at the time of application that the specified funding (own and third-party funds) is available.

Funding applications will be assessed and recommended for funding by an independent jury of experts based solely on the documents submitted. The Supervisory Board of Initiative Musik gGmbH will decide on the allocation of funds based on the jury’s recommendation, subject to the determination of eligible expenses during the application review process by Initiative Musik. The decision of Initiative Musik gGmbH is final. Legal recourse is excluded. Applications will be assessed solely on the basis of the documents submitted.

Selection criteria include:

• Expected positive effects on the music scene in Germany and/or on a regional and/or state level.
• Expected positive cultural-political effects for the music industry at the municipal, state, and federal levels.
• Improvement of structures and framework conditions for music creators, the creative economy in pop, jazz, and live culture, and other professional players in the music industry.
• The implementation of measures that contribute to networking, visibility, communication and the qualification of music professionals. The focus is on intended synergy effects to strengthen economic growth in the music and culture sector.
• Plausibility of the project within a coherent overall concept.
• Expected positive effects on equality of opportunity, diversity, ecological sustainability, and inclusion.

The funding decisions will be communicated to applicants in digital form by the Initiative Musik office. No reasons will be given for the selection decision.

Funding is granted through the digital conclusion of a private-law funding agreement exclusively for the individual case. It is a one-time grant and does not entitle the recipient to further funding and/or an increase in the amount of funding. The funding period for a project is generally up to 12 months. Further details are set out in the General Funding Conditions and the Funding Principles of Initiative Musik.

After completion of the project, Initiative Musik will check, on the basis of a statement of expenditure to be submitted, whether the project was carried out and the funds used in accordance with the application and the contract.

The conditions of the funding program described here shall apply from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2029.