Guideline for Project Funding

Unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees at its meeting on 13 May 2024.

The Federal Law on the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism, Federal Law Gazette I no. 432/1995 (hereinafter: NF Law) makes provision in Sec. 2 (3) for project funding to be awarded.

Excerpt from the NF Law: “The Fund can also support projects that benefit victims of National Socialism, contribute to the scientific research on National Socialism and the fate of its victims, recall National Socialist injustice or preserve the memory of its victims.”

To more effectively implement the provisions of Section 2 (3) of the NF Law, the Board of Trustees hereby issues the following updated guideline for awarding project funding.

1.1. Funding can be awarded for

• projects that benefit victims of National Socialism and their descendants;
• projects that contribute to academic research on National Socialism and the fate of its victims, but also the role of the perpetrators and followers;
• projects that recall Nazi injustice by fostering remembrance or promoting and imparting knowledge about National Socialism, its consequences and the fate of its victims;
• educational and school projects;
• projects that contribute towards coming to terms with National Socialism and its aftermath.

1.2. Areas of thematic focus when awarding project funding

The Board of Trustees of the National Fund shall define areas of thematic priority on which the focus of the project funding shall be directed for a duration of one or multiple years in accordance with Sec. 2 (8) of the NF Law. The aim is to achieve more robust collaborations, sustainability and a broader impact on the public.

The thematic focus for the following calendar year will be determined by the Board of Trustees in the first half of the preceding year and announced on the website of the National Fund and via other channels as appropriate.

The funds available for project subsidies shall be distributed across three areas according to the following principle:

• One third of the funds is earmarked for projects that benefit victims of National Socialism and their descendants, in particular social and socio-medical projects;
• 30 to 50 percent of the funds are earmarked for projects that are consistent with the thematic focus of the year in which the submission is made;
• the remaining funds are earmarked for other eligible projects in accordance with 1.1. of the Guideline.

If the funds earmarked for one of the sub-areas are not fully utilised, the residue is to be transferred to the other sub-areas on a pro rata basis.

1.3. The projects submitted to the National Fund for funding should have a direct thematic connection to Austria.

1.4. In order to promote diversity, funding is awarded to a wide range of projects undertaken on varying scales and in different forms.

1.5. Particular consideration should be given to the innovative nature and lasting impact of the projects, as well as their theoretical and practical relevance for society and academic research with regard to the objectives stated in item 1.1. These aspects and objectives must be described in the application form when submitting the project for funding.

1.6. For projects run by local authorities and projects that are predominantly publicly funded, the backing of the National Fund is chiefly symbolic in nature and serves to emphasise the importance of the project.

1.7. Natural and legal persons from Austria and abroad who submit applications for funding for non-profit projects are eligible to receive funding.

1.8. Applications for funding must be submitted in German or English; the procedural languages are German and English. Translation costs in connection with making the application must be borne by the project applicants and will not be reimbursed.

1.9. As a rule, funding can only be awarded for projects that have not yet been completed at the time of the funding decision by the Board of Trustees of the National Fund.

1.10. As a matter of principle, funding will not be granted for projects relating to construction or infrastructure that do not serve to benefit victims of National Socialism or their descendants and are not dedicated to remembering and commemorating the victims.

1.11. There is no legal entitlement to project funding.

A detailed description of the types of projects eligible to receive funding can be found in the annex to this guideline under “Explanations”.

2.1. In accordance with Sec. 2 (4) of the NF Law, the National Fund can subsidise projects by means of one-off or recurring payments.

2.2. The National Fund subsidises projects in proportion to the budget available for project funding each year.

2.3. The total annual funding for any single project should not exceed 50,000 euros. Excepted from this rule are social and socio-medical projects and programmes as well as projects which directly benefit the survivors of National Socialist persecution or their descendants in other ways. Projects consistent with the annually-defined area of thematic focus are also excepted from this rule.

3.1. Applying for funding

Funding must be applied for using the online application form provided on the National Fund website. Supporting documents must be uploaded electronically. All members of the Committee and the Board of Trustees have access to the digitally submitted project funding applications.

The application for funding must be accompanied by a detailed schedule of costs and financing stating the confirmed or projected sources of financing for the total project costs.

The application must also include a detailed project description (content, objectives, target group and form of implementation) and a definition of the intended impact and objectives.

If necessary, the National Fund may request further documents.

Project applications can be submitted via the National Fund’s online platform at any time.

The submission deadlines for applications to be brought before the Board of Trustees for decision are 1 February; 1 April; 1 September and 1 November.

3.2. Examination of applications and decisions on the approval of funding

The Managing Board of the National Fund prepares the resolutions and decisions of the Committee and of the Board of Trustees.

The Committee reviews all applications for project funding submitted via the online platform and submits its recommendations to the Board of Trustees for a decision.

Project applications are submitted to the Board of Trustees of the National Fund for approval four times a year.

The Board of Trustees decides four times a year on applications submitted by 1 February, 1 April, 1 September and 1 November.

Project applicants will be promptly informed of the Board of Trustees’ decision in writing. Written explanation will be provided in cases where funding is not approved. There is no right of appeal against decisions of the Board of Trustees.

3.3. Funding agreement and funding conditions

Following a positive decision by the Board of Trustees, the Managing Board will send the funding recipient a letter of funding approval and a funding agreement.

The general conditions for receiving funding are regulated in the funding agreement. Funding cannot be disbursed until the signed funding agreement has been returned.

In particular, the funding agreement also sets out the usage rights for the outcomes of the project by the National Fund as well as regulations on open access to the results of funded research projects.

The funding agreement must be signed by the funding recipient and returned to the Managing Board.

3.4. Changes to a project

Changes made to the project after funding has been approved must be brought to the attention of the Managing Board immediately. The Managing Board will forward the relevant information to the Committee, which then examines it at the next meeting and presents it to the Board of Trustees for a decision.

If changes are made to a project after the Board of Trustees has reached a funding decision, the National Fund reserves the right to revoke all or part of the previously granted funding approval at any time and to demand the reimbursement of any payments that may already have been made.

3.5. Payment

Funding can only be disbursed for the approved project upon return of the funding agreement bearing a legally binding signature.

The disbursement of funding for a project that extends over a longer period of time can, in principle, be rendered in lump-sum instalments in accordance with anticipated need and on the proviso that a further instalment will only be disbursed once proof has been provided of how the instalment already disbursed was used.

3.6. Billing and control

Upon completion of the project, the funding recipient must promptly, but within three months at the latest, submit to the Managing Board proof of how the funding was used. This should take the form of a factual report and figures demonstrating proof of the project accounting. The proof of use must contain an itemised list of how the funding was used and include supporting documents and other forms of substantiation such as specimen copies, photos, films and any other materials.

If the recipient has also used his/her own financial resources for the same purpose or has received financial resources from another legal entity, the figures provided must also include these.

For projects spanning a duration of several years, an interim report and itemised list of how the funding was used, including supporting documents, must be submitted at the end of each calendar year so that the National Fund can decide on the disbursement of further instalments on the basis of the interim report and itemised list.

3.7. Evaluation and quality management

Once a subsidised project has been completed, the National Fund must evaluate whether and to what extent the objectives and impact pursued by the funding recipient were achieved.

Projects are therefore not only audited in terms of their financial management, but also in terms of whether their actual implementation corresponded to the information provided in the project application and whether the impact and objectives defined in the project application have been achieved.

Upon approval of the funding, the funding recipient expressly agrees to support to the best of his/her/its ability the financial and project audit of the project accounts prescribed by the National Fund, including by external auditing bodies.

3.8. Publicity

To document the financial backing provided to the projects the National Fund logo must be visibly and clearly displayed in all of the project’s media. Supporting materials such as photographs or film footage of the project in adequate quality as well as all publications (e.g. invitations, advertising material, brochures, books) must be sent to the National Fund electronically with the factual report. The National Fund may use this material for documentation and publicity purposes, for example on the National Fund’s website or on social media, for an unlimited period.

3.9. Liability

Responsibility for the content and liability for any damage arising from projects funded by the National Fund is borne exclusively by the funding recipients.

Vienna, 13 May 2024

Explanations for selected project funding categories

1. Projects that benefit victims of National Socialism and their descendants

1.1. The National Fund can support projects that directly or indirectly benefit the survivors of National Socialism and their descendants within the meaning of Sec. 2 (1) of the NF Law. Priority shall be given to projects or social programmes that directly benefit the survivors.

1.2. The National Fund can support any form of project that directly benefits the survivors and their descendants – in particular projects and programmes with social and socio-medical content. The forms of support that best meet the needs of those affected should be chosen in each instance. This may also include the provision of direct financial support to survivors and their descendants.

2. Educational and school projects

2.1. Special focus is placed on projects that recall National Socialist injustice by fostering and imparting knowledge about National Socialism, its consequences and the fate of its victims (Section 2a (1) (7) of the NF Law), communicating this knowledge to a wider public and, in particular, passing it on to future generations, thus creating an impact on the present and the future.

2.2. The National Fund can support any form of project, such as school projects, projects in the field of adult education and projects that support people working in education, such as teachers or adult educators, in imparting this knowledge and in their historical reappraisal work.

2.3. The National Fund can support projects benefitting people who have acquired Austrian citizenship in accordance with Section 58c of the Austrian Citizenship Act. This support includes educational projects such as language learning, cultural and social education as well as integration and civic education.

3. Projects that serve to come to terms with National Socialism and its consequences, and, in particular, that serve to educate people about Nazi crimes

3.1. A particular focus here is the reckoning with antisemitism in all its forms based on the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, with antiziganism based on the IHRA working definition of antiziganism and with right-wing extremism based on the definition in the “Handbook of Austrian Right-Wing Extremism” (Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance). This also includes projects dedicated to the post-history of National Socialism.

3.2. The National Fund can support projects that seek to counteract the denial or relativisation of the Holocaust, particularly online.

3.3. The National Fund can support projects that further educational work at memorial sites and cemeteries where victims of National Socialism are buried.

4. Projects that contribute to academic research into National Socialism and the fate of its victims

4.1. The National Fund can support academic projects or projects relating to a certain academic discourse, which are dedicated to the topic of National Socialism and consequences of its aftermath. The aim is to spread knowledge about National Socialism, its consequences and the fate of its victims, and about the role of the perpetrators and followers (Sec. 2a (1) item, 7 of the NF Law).

4.2. Priority shall be given to projects that take particular account of the victims’ perspective in their avenue of pursuit, as well as projects that investigate Nazi persecution measures to which Austrians fell victim, but also deal with the role of the perpetrators and followers of the Nazi regime.

4.3. The National Fund can support any type of project, such as research projects, archive projects, conferences, symposia or publications.

4.4. Special consideration must be given to

• the innovative nature of the projects in terms of knowledge gain and academic value;
• the connection of the projects to an academic discourse and/or preliminary work (topicality);
• the theoretical and practical relevance of the projects for academic research and/or society;
• the sustainability of the projects i.e. the creation of opportunities to secure and utilise the results in the long term.

5. Projects that recall Nazi injustice or preserve the memory of the victims

5.1. The National Fund can support any type of project that contributes to preserving the memory of the victims, recalling National Socialist injustice and fostering the culture of remembrance.

5.2. The remembrance and commemoration of the individual victims of National Socialism, of their lives and deaths, is a central component of the National Fund’s project funding. Commemorative projects preserve the memory of the victims, for example by means of commemorative events, memorial plaques, memorial stones or memorials as physical manifestations of remembrance.