First funding commitments from "EUJA! Initiative projects for the Capital of Culture year"

Six months after the start of the funding programme "EUJA! Initiative Projects for the European Capital of Culture" funding programme, the project partners City of Chemnitz, Sparkasse Chemnitz, Kulturhauptstadt Europas Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH and GGG have today given an initial positive assessment. Since the beginning of May, more than 130 initiatives have applied for support from one of the three programme pillars.

Lord Mayor Sven Schulze: "I think it's great that so many Chemnitz residents, associations and initiatives want to get involved with their ideas. The EUJA projects will enrich the European Capital of Culture programme in the coming year in both small and large ways."

Today, Sparkasse Chemnitz handed over the first funding commitments from the special "Civic Engagement" programme at the town hall.

"The projects submitted are very diverse. They involve art, culture, sport, history and, above all, people with visual or hearing impairments, for example," says Dr Michael Kreuzkamp, Chairman of the Board of Sparkasse Chemnitz.

The bank supports a large number of Capital of Culture projects in the region. The Sparkasse's EUJA special programme alone has already led to 18 partnerships. "We are in talks with many more projects," emphasises Dr Michael Kreuzkamp.

The special fund "Places of Awakening" from the city's cultural promotion programme had a closing date for applications on 1 September. The award-winning ideas worthy of funding are expected to be discussed by the Culture Committee at the end of the year.

The closing date for submissions for the first round of the special programme "Microprojects Intervention Areas, Public Spaces" is 31 October. The successful submissions will be published in November. Following the publication of the overall programme for Chemnitz European Capital of Culture 2025 on 25 October, further ideas are expected to be submitted. A further round for this special programme will therefore run from 1 January to 31 March 2025, in which eligible project ideas will be sought for the intervention areas in the city districts and incorporated districts for the second half of the title year.

Andrea Pier, Commercial Director of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH: "We are delighted to give the citizens of Chemnitz the opportunity to realise their own ideas in the 'Public Spaces' intervention areas of the city of Chemnitz. Innovative and creative micro-projects will combine urban development and the Capital of Culture programme. Interested parties are invited to submit their ideas and thus make a contribution to shaping the urban space."

Katja Loße, authorised signatory of Grundstücks- und Gebäudewirtschafts-Gesellschaft mbH (GGG): "As the municipal housing company operating throughout the city, we are happy to support the implementation of the citizens' programme. Our employees provide those interested in projects and applicants with assistance and advice in selecting and applying for the appropriate programme pillar. We are thrilled by the anticipation and enthusiasm with which the applicants get started. We are happy to support them in turning an idea into a concrete project."



Special civic engagement programme: the funded projects
Sparkasse Chemnitz is providing up to 200,000 euros for this sub-programme. Projects and initiatives outside of the cultural promotion and micro-projects could be funded with up to 20,000 euros. An advisory committee of Sparkasse Chemnitz has selected the following projects:

• Floor Fighters Chemnitz e. V.
  two-day streetfloorball event with participants from Europe
  
• Intercultural Garden e. V.
  Intercultural garden festival on the Kaßberg 2025
  
• Chemnitz City Fire Brigade Association e. V.
  
• Eubi-Cup European Edition
  
• Chemnitz Park Railway gGmbH
  200 years of railways in Europe (celebration weekend on 20/21 September 2025)
  
• CLUB KRONE e. V.
  "Music & Talk" event series (concerts are combined with talk guests from the worlds of music, society and culture)
  
• Walden e. V. Chemnitz
  Urban Highline Festival 2025 (multi-day cultural and sporting event expected to take place in August with slackline sports, culture and live music)
  
• Citizens' association FUER CHEMNITZ e. V.
  AG Mikwe Chemnitz (foam model with information boards)
  
• Heimatverein Euba e. V.
  "Pop up Camp River Dam Euba" (temporary campsite for Capital of Culture visitors including the dam and the festival site)
  
• Racoon Crew e. V.
  "PowerUp" - sports event with fitness and training programmes
  
• Lern- und Gedenkort Kaßberg-Gefängnis e. V.
  Travelling exhibition: Project title. "Jews, Germans and oil are our best export goods. - The free purchase of Romanian Germans 1968-1989"
  
• Chemnitzer Ballspiel-Club e. V.
  A wide range of sports to try out - ball sports for people with visual impairments
  
• ASB Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund - Ortsverband Chemnitz und Umgebung e. V.
  C-The Unseen" brochure Excursion tips, especially for people with a disability
  
• Evangelical Lutheran Petri Castle Church Parish
  Kronstadt Mass: Performance with Romanian-German choir Performance in Romania and Chemnitz
  
• Choir CANTICO - SUPPORTER: Salute e. V. Chemnitz
  Project title: Beethoven's sounds - Europe's culture - Chemnitz 2025 - a creative triad
  
• erlebnis geburt e. V.
  Midwifery and family festival on the intangible world cultural heritage "Midwifery"
  
• Caritasverband für Chemnitz und Umgebung e. V.
  Green oasis Sonnenberg - competition to beautify the neighbourhood
  
• AWO Kreisverband Chemnitz and surrounding area e. V.
  Annenplatz festival
  
• Citizens' association - Wir im Wehrdigt e. V. Glauchau
  Socio-cultural events and "Fete de la musique" in the Wehrdig district of Glauchau
  
  

EUJA! - The funding programme
"EUJA! Initiative Projects for the European Capital of Culture Year" is a funding programme for civic engagement by the City of Chemnitz and its partners, the Kulturhauptstadt Europas Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH, Sparkasse Chemnitz and Grundstücks- und Gebäudewirtschafts-Gesellschaft mbH, with which individuals, groups and associations can realise their events and projects in the European Capital of Culture year 2025.

A total of up to 430,000 euros in financial support can be distributed under the "EUJA!" citizens' programme.

EUJA! supports projects in the 30 intervention areas, the urban development project of the European Capital of Culture, as well as initiatives throughout the city and in the digital space.

The funding programme is based on three pillars. The special fund "Places of Awakening", financed by the City of Chemnitz, and the special programme "Microprojects Intervention Areas 'Public Spaces'", financed by the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH, are available for projects in the intervention areas. The special programme "Civic Engagement", financed by Sparkasse Chemnitz, is aimed at projects throughout the city in the fields of art and culture, education, social affairs and sport in Chemnitz. The Grundstücks- und Gebäudewirtschafts-Gesellschaft mbH (GGG) supports the programme with two employees.

www.chemnitz.de/euja