DBU General Project Funding - Environmental Protection

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Enriched Foundation · Found: 2026-03-11 11:09

Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) funds innovative solution-oriented projects for environmental protection including circular economy, recycling and waste reduction. Open to SMEs and research institutions. Over 11,300 projects funded with approx. 2.12 billion EUR since 1991. Project proposals accepted on rolling basis.

Source: https://dbu.de/foerderung/projektfoerderung

Funding Details

Contact: Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) — Contact page: https://www.dbu.de/kontakt/ | Online application portal: https://www.dbu.de/foerderung/projektfoerderung/foerderung-beantragen/
Last Checked: 2026-04-20 10:25

Application Checklist

Eligibility

Applicant is an SME, NGO, association, foundation, university, research institution, or other eligible entity — not a purely public-sector body seeking institutional funding
Project is located in Germany or (with limitations) in Central/Eastern Europe — projects in Africa or Southeast Asia are generally not eligible

Project Scope

Project is innovative, has model character, and contributes concretely to environmental protection — not basic research only, not market launch of existing products
Project falls under one of DBU's 11 defined funding themes (e.g., resources, nature conservation, water, sustainable products) or the open-theme category

Required Documents

Submit a project outline (Projektskizze) of 3–10 pages via the DBU online portal as a first step — full application is only submitted upon DBU invitation
Full funding application (~20 pages) must follow the structure outlined in DBU's 'Hinweise zur Antragstellung' guidance document

Constraints

Project must not have been started before the funding decision — already-running projects are excluded
No funding for projects that only fulfill mandatory legal requirements, are pure investment measures, or consist exclusively of monitoring or printing/travel cost subsidies

Historical Context

The DBU was founded in 1990 and began grant-making in 1991. Funding guidelines were revised in 1998 and 2004, with a comprehensive update following a major evaluation. As of the page content, over 11,300 projects have been funded with approximately 2.12 billion EUR since 1991.

Why it was added

German/EU foundation CE/plastic program

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