Further Information on the Grant Making Process

Have you already been invited to submit a proposal and are looking for information on the process that follows? If so, you have come to the right place for information on the application procedure and the funding process:

Guidelines for the three phases of our grant making process (proposal, implementation, completion)
Templates to prepare for the proposal and completion phase
Support for financial administration

Guidelines for the Proposal Phase

Step 1

Invitation by the foundation

Robert Bosch Stiftung specifically identifies potential recipient organizations and contacts them.

Duration: Individual
Please note: Unsolicited proposals are not accepted.

Step 2

The proposal is created

You will prepare the detailed proposal with a comprehensive description and a finance plan.

Duration: Individual
Result: You send the proposal to Robert Bosch Stiftung.

Step 3

The proposal is reviewed

Your proposal will be processed internally at the Robert Bosch Stiftung by the area of support team and the Grant Management team.

Duration: 1-2 months
Decision: Grant contract or rejection.

For guidance on the project proposal (Step 2), you can optionally use the following template before entering your data in the portal:
• Project Proposal (docx)
Together with the proposal, you must fill out a finance plan in the portal and upload documents regarding the legal status of your organization.

Support for Financial Administration
Information on processing the finance plan can be found on the website financial administration guidelines.

After you have submitted your proposal, it will be reviewed by colleagues from the area of support and from Grant Management. You will have dedicated contact persons from both teams (for thematic and administrative matters), so that you can continue to work together with the same contacts in a spirit of trust beyond the proposal phase.
The review of your grant proposal may lead to further questions. The proposal can be revised if necessary. Particularly for proposals from organizations abroad and for first-time grants, we would like to establish contact with your administrative team and ask for additional information on the administrative processes within your organization. Based on a questionnaire, you will provide us with information about your standard processes (especially procurement and financial documentation processes) and submit your policies (e.g., travel policies). We call this exchange format 'Partner Consultation'. Please allow sufficient time to prepare and compile the documents.
Once all the necessary information has been reviewed and approved, you will receive a grant contract from us to be signed. We are happy to assist with any questions and to discuss the contents of the contract.

Guidelines for the Implementation Phase

You can apply for a cost-neutral extension within the support period if you need more time for the project. In the Robert Bosch Stiftung portal, you just need to click on the "Extend support period" button and enter the new planned end date and a justification. We will review your request promptly upon receipt and contact you with questions or confirm the extension. Please remember to submit the extension request well before the end of the support period.

You can request a change to the approved finance plan within the support period. This is particularly necessary if you are planning costs that have not yet been included in the finance plan.
If you plan additional costs for already included cost items, you only need to request a change for large reallocations. Your grant agreement describes the reallocation allowance that you are permitted to usewithout requesting for a finance plan amendment.
To request new cost items or reallocations, click on the "Request finance plan amendment" button in the Robert Bosch Stiftung portal. In the next window, enter the changes to the finance plan and provide a justification. We will review your request promptly upon receipt and contact you with questions or confirm the new finance plan. Please remember to submit the finance plan amendment request well before the support period ends.

If you expect additional costs for your work that exceed the agreed support amount, you can submit a request for a budget increase within the support period. Please note that our funds are limited, so please discuss with your contact persons at Robert Bosch Stiftung in advance whether a budget increase is possible. Once your contact person has agreed, click on the "Request budget increase" button in the Robert Bosch Stiftung portal. In the next window, you can edit the finance plan and justify the budget increase. You can also request an extension of the support period in the same window and in combination with the budget increase. We will review your request promptly upon receipt and contact you with questions. Please remember to submit the budget increase request well before the support period ends.

Guidelines for the Completion Phase

In the final report, you describe the results, achieved impact, experiences, and learning processes that emerged during the support period. In the final report, please address how your work has developed and changed in relation to the original planning (project proposal) during the implementation.
For guidance and to prepare for the completion phase, the questions from the final report will be displayed to you during the proposal and implementation phase.

In order to document that the funds provided by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH have been used by you for non-profit purposes and in accordance with the contract, you must generally submit a financial report at the end of the support period.
The financial report is the comparison between the planned and the actual costs of the project. Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH reviews the financial report according to the following criteria:

Was the amount provided by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH used for non-profit purposes and in economical manner?
Were the provided funds spent within the scope of the proposal and for the supported purpose?
Were the contractual conditions met during project implementation?

On our website with Financial Administration Guidelines, you will find further details on the financial report.
For orientation on the financial report, you can optionally use the following templates before entering your data in the portal:

Template for organization with public benefit status based in Germany (XLSX)
Template for organizations based outside of Germany. Projects in which transactions are carried out exclusively in Euro (XLSX)
Template for organizations based outside Germany. Projects in which funds are used in different currencies (XLSX)

If you have not spent all the funds within the support period and as agreed, you are obligated to repay the remaining funds. You can find the RBSG bank details in the grant agreement. Please transfer the remaining funds, stating the 11-digit grant id.

Further funding programs

In addition to our funding process, which is open to all organizations, we have developed special funding programs that we call "Support of Actors" and "Support of Ideas."

Unfortunately, unsolicited applications for these special funding programs are not possible.

Date of last update: July 2026