The Flow Fund is a funding initiative that strengthens democratic participation and social cohesion in Eastern Germany. Instead of allocating funds through centralized decision-making, we place responsibility directly in the hands of young, local changemakers—the so-called Flow Funders. The fund is designed, financed, and implemented in cooperation with the Kinnings Foundation.
What we aim to achieve with this new approach to giving:
The Flow Funders are between 18 and 35 years old, live in Eastern German federal states, and are active there either on a voluntary basis or as entrepreneurs. Eligible applicants for the program are individuals who have already been selected as participants of the »Kinnings Academy«, a leadership development program run by the Kinnings Foundation. Each Flow Funder receives €25,000 in grant funding to distribute, as well as an honorarium of €5,000 for their role.
Flow Funders develop their own criteria for allocating funds. To support this, they take part in a multi-month training program (curriculum). During this preparatory phase, they expand their knowledge of philanthropy, funding criteria, and grantmaking practices through expert input from external speakers. The program also provides space for peer consultation and reflection. The foundations support the development of thoughtful grantmaking strategies with their expertise and facilitate the reflection process.
In 2024, together with the Kinnings Foundation, we selected a pilot cohort consisting of nine Flow Funders, with a total funding volume of €225,000. The new concept attracted additional supporters, making €425,000 in funding available for the second round in 2025/2026. This was distributed by 17 Flow Funders to projects and organizations of their choice. The third round of the Flow Fund will begin in autumn 2026.
The Flow Fund is inspired by an initiative of the Pantha Rhea Foundation, a U.S.-based sister organization of the Schöpflin Stiftung. Together with the Kinnings Foundation, we launched the Flow Fund for Eastern Germany in 2024. For the 2025/2026 round, we were able to secure several co-funders, including »Effektiv Spenden«, the Alexander Gruner Stiftung, the AKB Stiftung, the Nordmetall-Stiftung, as well as a number of individual donors.
Administrative processing of grants to collectives and individuals is handled by the fiscal host interalia gGmbH.
In total, around one hundred organizations and individuals have received funding through the Flow Fund. Among the 2026 grantees are, for example:
If you have questions concerning the Flow Fund please contact foerderstiftung@schoepflin-stiftung.de.
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