German Education Minister Karin Prien to overhaul 'Democracy Live!' program

Federal Education Minister Karin Prien announced plans to reshape the federal "Democracy live!" funding programme, which currently allocates about €191 million annually to NGOs for democracy promotion, extremism prevention and civil‑society engagement. Under the proposed changes, funding would be redirected toward local institutions such as schools, sports clubs, volunteer fire brigades, libraries and rural youth organisations, with the aim of strengthening community cohesion. Prien said that future criteria will focus on entities that bring people together locally and will no longer use diversity as the sole justification for support; the programme is not intended to finance particular political positions, for example on refugee policy.

The shift could affect organisations that have received support since the programme’s launch in 2015, including the Amadeu Antonio Stiftung, the environmental group BUND, Correctiv, the Central Council of Jews and the Konrad‑Adenauer‑Stiftung. The SPD parliamentary group criticised the move, warning that it sends the wrong signal and risks mis‑investment at the expense of democratic participation, especially amid growing societal polarisation. The faction argued that "Democracy live!" remains a key pillar for fostering local initiatives, civic education and extremism‑prevention work.