Kongressfonds Berlin
Grants for professional events in Berlin
Are you planning a professional event at a conference hotel or event venue in Berlin? Under the Berlin Congress Fund, you can receive a grant for each attendee at an analogue event (possibly combined with a hybrid format). Funding is also available for sustainable event management.
'Kongressfonds Berlin' at a glance
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Grants for analogue, hybrid and decentralised events
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Extra bonus for sustainable event and company management
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Funding of up to EUR 70 per day per attendee participating in a professional event in Berlin
‘Kongressfonds Berlin’ in detail
Who is eligible for support?
- Legal entities under private and public law and partnerships
- Natural persons as registered or unregistered sole proprietorships (for instance, sole traders or self-employed persons)
- With a registered office, a permanent establishment or a branch office in the Federal Republic of Germany
- Organisers of an event
Who is not eligible for support?
- No funding is available for events that have already started or been completed
What is supported?
- Events in Berlin taking place after 1 January 2023 (such as congresses, conferences, seminars and training courses)
- Events in Berlin that exclusively address a professional audience (closed event)
- Events that address a professional audience if attendees participate exclusively for professional reasons (for instance, on behalf of employers or for research reasons at a scientific congress)
What is not eligible for support?
- Trade fairs, exhibitions and similar formats, even if they exclusively address a professional audience and/or are linked to an eligible congress
- Events that address private individuals or serve leisure or recreational purposes
- Events which the applicants themselves or third parties are obliged by law to organise
- Party political events
What kind of support is available?
- A non-redeemable, earmarked grant in the form of fixed-amount financing for up EUR 99,950 max. per event
- Basic grant of EUR 25 per day per attendee participating in the event
- Hybrid bonus of EUR 10 if the event takes place in Berlin and interactively online at the same time
- Sustainability bonus of EUR 25 if the sustainability criteria reach 300 points from four categories of the Sustainable Event Scorecard
- Bonus of EUR 10 per participant for decentralised meetings if the event takes place at several locations in Berlin at the same time and the attendees are connected via online platforms
| Basic funding | Hybrid bonus | Supplementary funding (sustainability) | Supplementary funding (decentralised event) | Total (max.) per attendee/per day |
| EUR 25 | EUR 10 | EUR 25 | EUR 10 | EUR 70 |
The grant constitutes de-minimis aid.
Terms and conditions
- The event must last at least four hours on each congress day.
- At least 50 attendees must be present in Berlin.
- No support is available if other public grants have been received for the same funding purpose (prohibition on cumulation).
How to apply
- Grants for events from 2023 onwards must be applied for via IBB.
- Support for events taking place this year (2022) must be applied for via atene KOM GmbH.
- A separate application must be submitted for each event.
- Funding can only be granted for projects that have not yet commenced at the time the application is submitted (received by IBB). The time of commencement is considered to be the time when a contract to execute the event is signed.
- The conclusion of a contract with an event agency in order to design, organise and implement an event as well as the conclusion of contracts generating revenue for the organisers are not eligible for funding.
- In order to apply, submit the completed application form along with the supporting documents (see checklist). You can apply online using the application process provided on IBB’s customer portal. Or you can print your completed application form and send it by post or submit it in person.
- Once your application is received, you will be sent confirmation of receipt. As soon as all the documents are complete, they will be reviewed.
Other important details
What happens if an event is cancelled?
- In the event that restrictions in conjunction with the SARS-CoV-2 Infection Protection Measures Ordinance in force at the time of the respective event make it impossible or commercially unreasonable to hold the event, eligible expenses actually incurred up to a maximum of 80% of the approved funding amount can be recognised and settled as eligible for funding.
- In such a case, the recipient is required to document that the expenses incurred were unavoidable and how efforts were made to minimise such expenses (for instance, through cancellation/termination) or to reclaim payments made.
How is the final funding amount calculated?
| Actual number of attendees present > expected number of attendees present | Original funding amount = Final funding amount |
| Actual number of attendees present < expected number of attendees present | Funding amount reduced accordingly |
| Actual number of attendees present < 50 | No funding possible! |
| Requirements for hybrid, decentralised or sustainable events are not met, although they were originally applied for | Funding amount reduced accordingly |
| Eligible expenses actually incurred < funding amount calculated on the basis of the actual number of attendees present | Funding amount reduced accordingly |