New Project Funding Guideline and Thematic Focus Areas from 2025

On 15 October 2024 the Board of Trustees of the National Fund has decided on an area of thematic focus for its project funding from 2025 onwards in accordance with the National Fund Law.

On the recommendation of the Committee, special focus will be placed on funding projects that serve to identify and combat disinformation circulated by online media. Particular focus will be placed on projects seeking to counteract disinformation relativising the Holocaust or undermines the culture of remembrance.

Especially since 7 October 2023, disinformation has been circulating on a massive scale in online media with narratives that seek to relativise the Holocaust and delegitimise the commemoration of the crimes of the Holocaust and its victims. Even if such narratives do not necessarily cross the threshold of criminal liability, they often have at least the same effect. Therefore, in order to counter this disinformation, it is necessary to develop targeted content that can be made available to users of online media, especially those who want to play an active role in combatting disinformation. This content is also essential for flagging false or misleading information and providing platforms with well-founded arguments to remove it.

One third of the total project funding budget will be earmarked for this focus area in 2025.

New Guideline for Project Funding

The Board of Trustees also adopted a new guideline for project funding this year, which broadens the scope of the projects that can be submitted for funding and defines the procedures for awarding funding in more detail.

In future, it will also be possible to fund projects that benefit the descendants of victims of National Socialism, as well as projects that involve conducting academic research on the role of perpetrators and followers under the Nazi regime. The Fund will also continue to support educational and school projects in order to raise awareness about the past and enable a nuanced examination of history.

In addition to legal entities, natural persons are now also eligible for funding. Projects are no longer required to be co-funded. Moreover, two additional deadlines for submitting applications for decision by the Board of Trustees have been introduced, bringing the total to four dates per year. From next year, the submission deadlines will be 1 February, 1 April, 1 September and 1 November.

For full details of the changes, please refer to the current guideline for project funding.