German festival fund enters second round

The Initiative Musik Festival Fund has entered its second round with €4m (£3.3m/$4.4m) available for the nationwide programme in Germany.

Music and cultural festivals in the country are able to apply for grants of up to €50,000 from October 11 until November 4 before final approval is made by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media.

Festival Fund is organised by Initiative Musik, which is the German government’s central funding agency for popular music and jazz.

A jury of industry professionals evaluate the applications and consider factors such as sustainability, the promotion of young artists, and initiatives for participation and accessibility.

“Festivals are much more than just live music; they are cultural beacons that enable encounters and promote civic engagement,” said Initiative Musik managing director Katja Lucker.

“They make an invaluable contribution, especially in rural regions, by celebrating cultural diversity, uniting the local community and facilitating exchange between people.

“On behalf of the Initiative Musik and personally, I am delighted that the Festival Fund is now entering a new round and doing justice to the valuable cultural work of music festivals.”

Newly founded festivals are now able to submit applications for funding in the second round, after not being eligible in the first round.

A special focus for the grants has been put on festivals from non-urban areas, with organisers aiming for them to make up at least 70 per cent of the funded projects.

The first round of funding saw 141 projects from all 16 states receive approval for a cut of the €5m made available.

More than 90 per cent of the 800 applications were submitted by small to medium-sized festivals with a mamximum of 15,000 visitors.