Background
The general public has a high level of trust in museums—even among those who do not visit them. Museums can help to strengthen social cohesion. Large STEM museums and science centers are primarily located in metropolitan areas and cities, whereas many of the small rural museums are dedicated to local or regional history. In addition, there are other small cultural institutions and associations in rural areas that do not necessarily deal with STEM topics.
A partnership between small rural institutions (with or without a STEM focus) and larger STEM museums/science centers and STEM exhibition venues makes it possible to entertain and engage local audiences with new STEM topics and to promote mutual learning, professionalization, and networking among cultural professionals, regardless of subject area and institution size.
Through these partnerships, we want to help bring more STEM topics to rural areas and reach existing and new target groups in a local and sometimes unusual context. Furthermore, we want to test, examine, define, and publish the conditions for success for such partnerships, thereby encouraging others to follow suit.
Your path to project funding – a two-stage process:
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- Submission of short application and pre-selection
- The short application is used by the foundation’s internal committees for classification and pre-selection. This process is completed approximately three months after the deadline.
- You can submit your complete short application from March 1, 2026, to April 13, 2026, via our new application portal (online from March 2026). The review of short applications received, including any virtual pitches by invitation, takes up to six months from the deadline. We reserve the right to use distributed peer review (DPR)
- Invitation to online pitch
- Submission of short application and pre-selection
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- If the initial review is positive, you will be invited to a one-hour virtual pitch: You will receive information about the date, procedure, and exact content by email approximately three months after the deadline.
- The pitch committee consists of representatives from KTS and external reviewers. We reserve the right to use a distributed peer review process.
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Do you have any further questions? Then take a look at our FAQs!
Contents of the short application for projects in the funding line
(to be submitted via the new application portal from March 1, 2026)
- Project partners (1/2 page per institution description and 1/2 page per selection rationale)Thematic focus, size, and degree of professionalization of your institution
– Thematic focus, size, and degree of professionalization of the partner institution(s).
– Why did you choose this particular partner institution(s)? Please also include the location (city or country) of your institution and the partner institution(s) in your justification. - Overall overview & objectives (2 pages)
– What are the objectives of your joint project?
– Which STEM topics do you cover through the partner institution(s), how and when have these been used in your institution to date?
– How do you present the selected STEM topics in a new context? What local references are there for the selected STEM topics?
– Which local target groups do you address with the help of the partner institution(s)?
– What specific training effects/exchanges do you envisage for your employees and the employees of the partner institution(s) (in addition to the three workshops/symposia organized by KTS)? - Planned measures & methodological implementation (1 page + 1 page schedule)
– Describe in a comprehensible manner the methods/measures you intend to use to achieve the objectives mentioned in the overview.
– Provide a schedule (e.g., table, Gantt chart, etc.) including key work packages and milestones, naming the project partners involved and their roles.
– Describe how you and your partner institution(s) intend to communicate about the project and disseminate the results.
– The evaluation of the project’s success should fit in with your project logic and enable you to clearly demonstrate progress compared to the status quo. Explain which success indicators you will use to measure impact, how you will collect them, and how you intend to organize monitoring and reflection throughout the project period.
Attachments to be submitted with the short application
(to be uploaded via the new application portal from March 1, 2026)
Tabular fact sheet (1 page)
Must include:
- Title of the project
- Start and end dates of funding (earliest start date is November 1, 2026)
- Total costs broken down by personnel, material resources, overhead (max. 10%)
- Project managers at the partner institutions with contact details
- If applicable: Other third-party funding sources, including reference to/distinction from KTS funds
- Proof of non-profit status
Proof of non-profit status of all partner institutions (§58a AO or §60a AO) or recognition of non-profit status by the tax office (exemption notice)
Desired effect
The “Bring STEM to the countryside – museum partnerships” funding line is intended to enable partner institutions to bring existing STEM topics to rural areas and present them in a new/unusual context. They offer rural target groups local access and thereby generate new/further interest in STEM topics. The partnerships are intended to be a space for experimentation for employees, promoting their experience, networking, and professionalization. As part of the funding line, the conditions for successful partnerships and the effectiveness of the offerings are to be tested, implemented, and then prepared and published for the sector.
The funded projects should achieve the following three objectives (focusing on only one objective is possible in exceptional cases):
- More STEM exhibitions/events are offered in rural areas, giving existing visitors new insights into STEM topics and drawing the attention of first-time visitors to local institutions.
- Existing concepts/exhibits from large institutions are used sustainably for exhibitions in smaller partner institutions.
- Employees of partner institutions learn from each other by participating in meetings, workshops, and training courses at partner institutions, as well as external networking events.
Information sessions on the “Komm MINT aufs Land – Museum Partnerships” funding program
The Klaus Tschira Foundation offers regular information sessions as part of the “Komm MINT aufs Land – Museum Partnerships” funding program.
These are aimed at all interested parties and potential applicants who have specific questions about the content requirements of the call for proposals.
When?
The consultation hours will take place on the following dates between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.:
Mon, February 2, 2026
Fri, February 27, 2026
Fri, March 13, 2026
Fri, March 27, 2026
Mon, April 13, 2026
How?
The consultations will take place by telephone. In order to accommodate all callers, a maximum of 15 minutes is available per inquiry. The responsible program manager can be reached during consultation hours at 06221 533 111.
Important note:
We kindly ask you to refrain from written or telephone inquiries outside of consultation hours.
For formal or administrative matters—such as deadlines, application forms, or submission methods—please refer to the FAQs. If you still have questions, our funding management team will be happy to assist you: antrag@klaus-tschira-stiftung.de.
We look forward to speaking with you personally!
