Special Fund for Citizen Energy (Citizen Energy Fund)

The Schleswig-Holstein Citizen Energy Fund is aimed at associations of at least seven natural persons residing in the project area. The goal is to strengthen regional citizen participation in the energy transition in Schleswig-Holstein. The funding aims to support citizen energy projects in their planning and start-up phases.

The Citizen Energy Fund supports preparatory measures for citizen energy projects that contribute to greenhouse gas reduction. Funding focuses on the planning and start-up phase and covers a range of eligible expenses. However, investments in tangible assets as well as costs associated with the formation of a company or public-law fees are not eligible.

The Schleswig-Holstein Citizen Energy Fund provides conditionally repayable, interest-bearing grants. The maximum funding amount is 200,000 euros per project, with a de minimis threshold of 10,000 euros. The approval period is determined individually and is linked to reporting deadlines.

Specific conditions apply to funding from the Citizen Energy Fund regarding application submission, consortium formation, and compliance with aid regulations such as the De-minimis rule. Furthermore, requirements for budgeting and the publication of project results must be observed.

The application procedure for the Citizen Energy Fund is handled by Investitionsbank Schleswig-Holstein (IB.SH) and requires the submission of detailed project documents. The funding decision is made by an approval advisory board. The disbursement of funds is subject to the general administrative regulations on the State Budget Ordinance.

The Schleswig-Holstein Citizen Energy Fund is based on specific legal and regulatory foundations of the State of Schleswig-Holstein, as well as supplementary EU regulations. These guidelines define the framework and conditions for the awarding of grants.