The Grants Department is one of the most important offices of the Jewish community.

It functions as an interface between the community’s various departments and its projects as well as the boards of funding bodies, including government agencies, local councils and foundations. When seeking funding for its projects or institutions, the Jewish Community of Berlin submits the necessary applications annually or on a project basis, just as do other non-profit organisations and welfare agencies in the city, such as AWO (Workers' Welfare Organisation), Caritas, DPW (Association of Social Movements), Diakonie and the Red Cross). The Jewish Community of Berlin seeks grants for a long list of institutions and projects, including:

• the Heinz-Galinski Elementary School
• the Jewish High School
• the kindergarten of the Jewish Community of Berlin
• the “Olam” Youth Centre
• the Jewish Continuing Education Centre
• religious instruction programmes
• the administration of perpetual care at cemeteries no longer in use
• “Soziales” social welfare charity projects (Liga-Vertrag)
• for those qualifying for grants through the lottery association (Deutsche Klassenlotterie)
• for those qualifying for funding by the Federal Ministry of the Interior as well as the Central Council of Jews in Germany
• for those qualifying for funds from the budget of the Commission for Migration and Integration
• for immigration counselling

Grants usually cover only part of the required funding needed to operate a department or activate a project. A large portion of the monies end up coming from the community’s own budget or from the fees it collects for its other projects, programmes and organisations. These include course fees charged, for example, by the Jewish Continuing Education Centre; tickets fees to community events; tuition/parent contributions at the kindergarten and schools; as well as tax-deductable donations.

The department acts as a facilitator. It is responsible for coordinating and managing the co-operation with other offices and organisations of the Jewish community as well as with associated organisations and initiatives participating in the ever-changing bureaucratic funding process. Other tasks include preparing regular requests for funding; preparing financial and staffing plans as well as lists of needed materials; representing the Jewish Community of Berlin to state administrative bodies and at committee meetings of the League of Independent Supporting Organisations (Liga der freien Träger) as well as to the Berlin Senate administration.

Under “Services” you will find further information about the various departments and projects.

Funding guidelines of the Gerhard C. Starck Foundation can be found here.