Funding for the Establishment of Social Cooperatives

The State of Lower Saxony funds initiator groups, consisting of private individuals, companies, or municipalities, who wish to establish a social cooperative. The aim is to promote the social interests of members and to support solutions for demographic change and economic transformations in rural areas of Lower Saxony.

Measures closely related to the establishment process of a social cooperative are funded. This includes expenses for member recruitment, consulting, the founding assembly, creation of the founding expertise, and registration in the cooperative register.

Funding is provided as a non-repayable grant within the scope of co-financing. The maximum funding amount is 6,000 Euros per social cooperative, with a minimum own contribution of 10 percent required, which can be reduced to 5 percent under certain circumstances.

The funding is subject to specific conditions, including the designation of a responsible representative, the social cooperative's focus on specific areas of activity in Lower Saxony, and the submission of an evaluative statement from the municipality, unless the municipality itself becomes a member of the cooperative.

The application must be submitted in writing using the forms provided by the approving authority to the Lower Saxony State Office for Social Affairs, Youth and Family before the start of the project. After project completion, a simple proof of use must be submitted.

The funding for the establishment of social cooperatives is based on the Guideline on the Granting of Subsidies for the Promotion of the Establishment of Social Cooperatives, supplemented by the administrative regulations for the State Budget Code. These regulations define the legal framework and conditions for the subsidies.