Funding for Financially Weak Municipalities for the Financing of EU Funding Projects (Co-financing Guideline – Kofi-RL)

The program targets financially weak municipalities in Lower Saxony and their public-law associations, to enable their participation in EU funding projects. The aim is to reduce regional disparities and improve the spatial-structural development of the regions.

The Co-financing Guideline exclusively funds municipal own contributions incurred within the framework of EU funding projects from the 2014–2020 and 2021–2027 funding periods. The supported measures contribute to regional development and cover a wide range of activities covered by the underlying EU funds.

The program provides non-repayable grants to cover own contributions for EU funding projects. The funding amount can be up to 85% of the total eligible expenses, with a maximum amount of EUR 500,000 per project. The funding is available until the end of 2027.

The granting of funding is subject to specific legal and financial conditions. These include proof of a below-average tax revenue capacity of the applying municipality and the condition that the main funding has not yet been approved. Quality criteria are included in the eligibility assessment.

The application process requires the submission of complete documents by October 1st of each year in written or electronic form. The assessment is carried out by the approving authority in coordination with the Municipal Steering Committee, with the final decision being made after that of the main EU funding procedure.

The Co-financing Guideline (Kofi-RL) is the central legal basis for funding financially weak municipalities in EU funding projects in Lower Saxony. It is supplemented by general administrative regulations on the State Budget Code.