Strengthening Future Regions in Lower Saxony

The program for strengthening future regions in Lower Saxony targets cities, municipalities, and joint municipalities that want to make their central and basic centers in rural areas more attractive and promote their urbanity. The funding measures are designed to strengthen the anchor function of these centers for the surrounding rural areas and support the goals of the Regional Action Strategy.

The program supports a variety of projects that contribute to increasing attractiveness or promoting urbanity in central and basic centers. This includes both investment and non-investment measures, advice and coaching for project development, and personnel expenses for coordinating municipal activities in the field of inner-city and center promotion.

Funding is provided as a non-repayable grant, either as co-financing for project funding or as a fixed amount for consulting. The funding amount varies depending on the measure and the financial strength of the applying municipality, with set lower and upper limits and specific project durations.

The funding is linked to various prerequisites and conditions, including the suitability of the project for achieving its objectives, adherence to quality criteria and commitment periods, and compatibility with state aid regulations such as the GBER or the De minimis Regulation. Applications must be submitted before the start of the project.

The application procedure is two-stage. First, an expression of interest must be submitted for investment and non-investment measures. After successful admission to the program, the actual grant applications can be submitted, which are subject to evaluation and ranking. Applications for consulting funding can be submitted continuously.

The legal basis for the funding program is the Guideline on the Granting of Subsidies for the Promotion of Strengthening Future Regions in Lower Saxony. It defines the framework conditions and state aid provisions to be observed when awarding grants.