North Rhine-Westphalia Start-up Stipend
Gründungsstipendium NRW
Closed for now
The funder has not said when this reopens.
"1.200 Euro pro Monat. Für 1 Jahr" per founder. Gender-diverse teams receive "1.500 Euro statt 1.200 Euro pro Monat" plus a one-off bonus of up to €3,600 per person.
Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Industrie, Klimaschutz und Energie des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen
public · regional
Deadline: closed — TEMPORARILY PAUSED: due to high demand the jury sessions are suspended — "pausieren die Jurysitzungen ab dem 01.04.2026 vorerst". Applications already submitted continue to be processed. No reopening date was published at the time of verification.
This funder does not publish a success rate. We rank it using the rate observed across similar programmes and label it as an estimate rather than implying we know.
Moderate — a form and supporting documents.
This is de minimis aid. It counts against the €300,000 ceiling that applies to your company across a rolling three years in this member state (Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2831). If a new award would take you over, Article 3(7) disqualifies that award in full rather than reducing it — so check your headroom before you apply, not after.
Who can apply
- micro enterprises
- Stage: idea, pre_seed
- Locally registered entity required
For people "die in die Start-up-Szene einsteigen wollen" with an innovative business idea in North Rhine-Westphalia. An uplift applies to gender-diverse founding teams. Awarded as de minimis aid; the de minimis basis was not restated on the page verified.
How to apply
- Choose an accredited Gründungsnetzwerk in NRW. — link
- Develop the innovative business idea with the network's support.
- Pitch the idea to the network's jury; on approval the stipend runs for one year — jury sessions are currently paused.
What you will need
- Business idea description / pitch
Source. https://www.gruenderstipendium.nrw/ — checked 2026-08-14
"1.200 Euro pro Monat. Für 1 Jahr […] pausieren die Jurysitzungen ab dem 01.04.2026 vorerst"