APPLICATION DETAILS

Sponsorship of projects of the diaspora aid for children and youths

The diaspora aid for children and youths is obligated to co-finance suitable diaspora projects related to the pastoral care for children and youths. The projects should reflect the everyday situation and the particular difficulties and opportunities that the pastoral care for children and youths in the diaspora is confronted with. The diaspora aid for children and youths is intended to promote the awareness of and the interest in the necessity of differentiated grants for the pastoral work with children and youths in the diaspora.

The following guidelines apply to all applications / projects of the aid for children and youths:
 

Application

  • In order to make an application, the appropriate application form (Downlaod: application form) must be used.
  • Applications must be submitted before the start of the project / campaign.
  • Parishes / organisations in the diaspora with a maximum of 12 % Catholic representation are eligible to submit an application.
  • A written application must be submitted either via the competent authority of the respective (arch)diocese or via the diocesan branch of the Bonifatiuswerk, which must give a written statement regarding the application. The mutual exchange of information concerning the application before it is submitted is required in any case.

Subsidy

  • The amount of the sponsorship is project-dependent. Depending on the project, the subsidy may be paid in the form of partial, fixed amount or deficit financing. The maximum sponsorship amount is determined on an individual basis by the diaspora aid for children and youths.
  • The project must generally commence within 6 months of granting. Otherwise the granted funds will be returned to the budget of the Bonifatiuswerk.
     

Obligations of the recipient of the grant

  • After the sponsored project has been completed, the applicant must prepare a detailed project report, which is to be submitted to the Bonifatiuswerk. It shall contain evidence of the utilisation of the funds and the actual total costs incurred. The purpose of the expenditure must be indicated in detail and accounted for by means of auditable documents.
  • The results of the sponsored projects must be made accessible to the public. Publications regarding the sponsored project must point out the sponsorship by the Bonifatiuswerk/diaspora aid for children and youths; a specimen copy is to be sent to the Bonifatiuswerk.
  • Non-compliance with these obligations may result in a claim for the return of the granted funds.
     

Types of projects

The following types of projects are sponsored by the diaspora aid for children and youths:

Building projects

The allocation guidelines for building grants apply.

Religious educational projects and holiday camps

– Diocese of Fulda, Archdiocese of Hamburg (except the Mecklenburg region), Diocese of Hildesheim, Diocese of Münster, Diocese of Osnabrück -

  • Applications for religious educational projects must be submitted directly to the competent authority of the respective (arch)diocese or to the diocesan branch of the Bonifatiuswerk Following the event, the organiser is to submit a field report, a list of participants and the detailed financing statement. Subsequently the release of the funds can be ordered via the competent authority.
  • The subsidy by the Bonifatiuswerk of German Catholics for the individual dioceses is budgeted annually and will be transferred as a one-off payment. At the end of a calendar year, the (arch)diocese’s respective competent authority or diocesan branch of the Bonifatiuswerk submits a detailed statement of accounts, listing the measures taken, the sums paid and any other relevant information, to the Bonifatiuswerk.
  • Subsidies of currently EUR 4 per participant per day are granted for religious orientation days, religious education projects, retreats, days of reflection, pilgrimages, participation in Catholic Days and ecumenical Church Conventions, days for altar boys and girls, and catechetic courses for families.
  • A subsidy of currently EUR 1 per participant per day is granted for religious holiday camps and other diaconal measures in this area.

Religious children’s weeks

– Archdiocese of Berlin, Diocese of Dresden-Meißen, Diocese of Erfurt, Diocese of Görlitz, Diocese of Magdeburg, Mecklenburg region in the Archdiocese of Hamburg -

In the new German states, the Bonifatiuswerk sponsors the preparation of material for the religious children’s weeks and their implementation. A separate subsidy for the preparation of material is granted to the respective leading (arch)diocese. A subsidy per participant per day for the implementation of the religious children’s weeks is granted to the organising (arch)dioceses. Currently this subsidy is EUR 3 if the group remains within the parish, EUR 4 if the children are offered meals and EUR 5 if the event takes place outside of the parish (e.g. in youth and educational centres).
 

Religious pree-school education & Child and Youth pastoral work

– Archdiocese of Berlin, Diocese of Dresden-Meißen, Diocese of Erfurt, Diocese of Görlitz, Diocese of Magdeburg, Mecklenburg region in the Archdiocese of Hamburg –

The allocation for religious education for young children (“Frohe Herrgottstunden”) and similar projects for religious elementary education, and for the children and youth pastoral work is calculated according to the following allocation formula:

  • Berlin: 16.7 %
  • Dresden-Meißen: 23.6 %
  • Erfurt: 23.0 %
  • Görlitz: 6.0 % 
  • Magdeburg: 22.7 %
  • Schwerin: 8.0 %
  • Total: 100.0 %

Diaconal Projects

Special diaconal, charitable projects in the area of child and youth work are sponsored after consulting the dioceses, provided that this does not result in double sponsorship. The project applicant must submit a detailed financial budget for this.

Pprojects for pastoral work in schools

Special and innovative projects in the area of pastoral work in schools are sponsored in close co-ordination with the (arch)dioceses. Care must be taken that the focus is on extraordinary school-based and extracurricular projects with a missionary and diaconal character. Sponsorship is also particularly granted for the religious and spiritual qualification and support of teaching staff and managers, as well as for projects that are dedicated to creating a Catholic profile for the facilities. The project applicant must submit a detailed project description and a decided cost and financial budget with regard to this. Projects within the context of Catholic religious education in schools, which are not run by the Catholic Church, will be given preference.

Catholic day care centres for children

– Archdiocese of Berlin, Diocese of Dresden-Meißen, Diocese of Erfurt, Diocese of Görlitz, Diocese of Magdeburg, Mecklenburg region in the Archdiocese of Hamburg -

Currently Catholic day care centres for children in the new German states receive a subsidy of EUR 49 per child per year.

International youth meetings and World Youth Days

  • Archdiocese of Berlin, Diocese of Dresden-Meißen, Diocese of Erfurt, Diocese of Görlitz, Diocese of Magdeburg, Mecklenburg region in the Archdiocese of Hamburg:
    International youth meetings and Eurocamps are subsidised per participant from a diaspora area per day (currently EUR 7.50). World Youth Days are subsidised with a maximum of EUR 30 per participant.
     
  • Diocese of Fulda, Archdiocese of Hamburg (except the Mecklenburg region), Diocese of Hildesheim, diocese of Münster, diocese of Osnabrück:
    In the Northern German (arch)dioceses, participation in the World Youth Days is sponsored with EUR 2 per participant per day.

 

Other types of seminars

– Diocese of Fulda, Archdiocese of Hamburg (except the Mecklenburg region), Diocese of Hildesheim, Diocese of Münster, Diocese of Osnabrück -

Furthermore, seminars, congresses, exhibitions, publications, all innovative and exemplary kinds of child and youth work, networking schemes, innovative projects of church-based youth bands and opportunities to exchange practical experiences are eligible for sponsorship. The sponsorship is EUR 4 per participant per day.

Material costs

Material costs will be accepted provided that they fulfil a pastoral purpose (teaching aids for religious education, objects for meditation, equipment for church-based youth bands etc.). The amount of the sponsorship will be decided on an individual basis after the submission of a financial budget.

CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION ON APPLICATIONS

 

Julian Heese

Director of missionary and diaconal pastoral work /
diaspora aid for children and youths
05251 29 96-50
julian.heese@bonifatiuswerk.de