There are various ideological and idealistic orientations among the 13 organisations for the promotion of gifted children. These can be roughly divided into the following four categories:

Political, denominational and ideologically independent:

• Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes

Politically oriented:

• Konrad Adenauer Foundation (CDU-affiliated)
• Friedrich Ebert Foundation (close to the SPD)
• Heinrich Böll Foundation (close to the Greens)
• Friedrich Naumann Foundation (close to the FDP)
• Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (close to the Left Party)
• Hanns Seidel Foundation (close to the CSU)

Denominational:

• Cusanuswerk (close to the Catholic Church)
• Protestant Study Foundation
• ELES (close to the Jewish faith)
• Avicenna (close to the Muslim faith)

Other directions:

• Foundation of the German Economy (close to the economy)
• Hans Böckler Foundation (close to the trade unions)

If you want to apply to the “Begabtenförderungswerke”, you will probably be asking yourself what the funding actually covers. A basic distinction can be made between financial and non-material funding.

Financial support
The amount of financial support is generally based on the “BAföG” government grant. This means that the amount of the scholarship depends on your income and assets as well as your parents' income. One advantage over “BAföG”, however, is that the scholarship does not have to be paid back.

In principle, a scholarship is therefore possible up to a maximum amount of €812 per month (as of 28.06.2023). In addition, all scholarship holders receive an income-independent lump sum for study costs of €300 per month. Other grants, such as for health and long-term care insurance, can also be awarded.

It is important to know that as a scholarship holder of the “Begabtenförderungswerke”, you are no longer entitled to “BAföG”. This is because the scholarship itself serves the same purpose as “BAföG”.

Ideal support
In addition to purely financial support, the organisations for the promotion of gifted students also offer non-material support. Each scholarship organisation designs this individually, which is why the offers vary between the individual organisations. The non-material programme gives you the opportunity to take part in workshops, seminars and conferences, for example, or to take advantage of advice and support services. 

First things first - good grades alone are not the key to a scholarship from the “Begabtenförderungswerke”.

Other aspects that increase your chances of receiving a scholarship from the “Begabtenförderungswerke” are:

• social / societal / political commitment
• willingness to accept responsibility
• interest in interdisciplinary / interdisciplinary exchange
• desire to help shape the programme

Usually somewhat pushed into the background, but nevertheless important, is that you must be enrolled at a state or state-recognised university or university of applied sciences. Depending on the foundation, there may also be other criteria, such as which semester you are currently in or whether it is a first or second degree programme. You can usually find more detailed information about the respective criteria on the website of the relevant scholarship organisation.

Important to know: In contrast to many other scholarship providers, most organisations for the promotion of gifted students have two application deadlines per year.

Basically, you should be aware that a scholarship from the “Begabtenförderungswerke” allows you to benefit from a wide range of support options and offers, either financial or non-material. It is therefore not surprising that a certain amount of help and participation on your part is desired in return. However, the exact structure varies greatly from organisation to organisation. The following aspects therefore do not necessarily apply to all sponsoring organisations.

This can be seen, among other things, in the fact that some foundations agree a so-called “probationary period” after a successful application, while newly accepted scholarship holders from other organisations receive funding until the end of the standard period of study. During this probationary period, it therefore makes sense to make a certain amount of effort in order to receive an extension of funding. The formulation and submission of a (semi-)annual report by the scholarship holders is widespread.

This includes, for example, relevant information regarding your studies, your commitment over the past few months or your participation in seminars. Participation in the internal educational programme or in some events may also be mandatory for some sponsoring organisations. Another component is often participation in, or assistance with public relations work, in which you represent your organisation to the outside world, for example at an information stand.