The German Child Benefit Foundation is once again awarding three prizes to projects and ideas that improve the upbringing of children in Bremen and Bremerhaven. They are looking for exemplary projects: effective, practical, and developed in collaboration with children. The application deadline is June 15, 2026.
New or ongoing projects, as well as viable project ideas that create new opportunities for children and young people in Bremen/Bremerhaven, will be recognized. These include approaches in education, health, participation, culture, physical activity, and the environment. The focus is on flagship projects: models that have proven effective, can be transferred to other districts, and promote local collaboration. This year, three prizes of €10,000, €7,500, and €5,000 will be awarded. Projects that do not win will also be considered for funding from the German Child Benefit Foundation Bremen. The board of the Child Benefit Foundation decides on the award recipients. Associations, non-profit organizations, and initiatives from Bremen or Bremerhaven whose projects benefit children and young people are eligible to apply. A clear benefit for the target group and a coherent approach to achieving impact in everyday life are essential.
Do you want to apply with a project? Here you will find further information and requirements for application, as well as the application form .
What did the German Child Benefit Foundation Bremen do??
The German Child Benefit Foundation is an initiative of Bremen citizens to promote new, non-profit projects with the goal of creating equal opportunities for children and young people. It was founded to contribute to addressing current and future challenges facing our society. The foundation acts as a catalyst, financial supporter, project initiator, and innovation hub, with its guiding principle being "integration"—integration through education, integration through sports, and integration through language. In Bremen, one in four children is affected by poverty, and they quickly fall behind in their education because their families lack the financial means for many things. The German Child Benefit Foundation aims to provide compensatory support in this area: offering start-up funding or co-financing for projects or programs that enable disadvantaged children to overcome their initial disadvantages. The foundation supports demonstrably effective projects such as Study Friends, the Kids Active Mentoring Program, the Bremen Sports Academy, Theater 11, the Huchting Community Farm, the Harbor Museum, Die junge Globale (The Young Global), and many others.
The German Child Benefit Foundation Bremen is affiliated with Stiftungstreuhänder GmbH as a trust foundation. The initial capital was raised by the foundation's initiators. In addition to the returns on the foundation's assets, the projects of the Child Benefit Foundation are supported by regular child benefit donations from high-income families who recognize a social inequality in the current tax regulations.
Source: Press Office of the Senate of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, The German Child Benefit Foundation, Press Release , April 1, 2026
