Gründungsstipendium.NRW
Ministry of Economic Affairs NRW · Founder stipend
$16K€1,200/month (~$1.3k) for 12 months plus coaching; gender-diverse teams can get €1,500/month
North Rhine-Westphalia's founder stipend: a monthly living allowance for one year plus individual coaching for innovative start-ups in any sector.
Key terms
- Founders apply through an accredited NRW start-up network (Gründungsnetzwerk) that recommends them
- Monthly stipend for up to 12 months plus individual coaching
- For innovative founding ideas in any sector, located in North Rhine-Westphalia
- New guideline in force since 1 Oct 2026 (amount and duration unchanged)
- Diversität+ module: one-off top-up for gender-diverse founding teams
Eligibility
- Where
- Germany
- Stages
- idea, pre-seed
- Needs VC/accelerator backing
- No
- Needs partner referral code
- No
- Must be incorporated
- No
- AI focus required
- No
- Students / researchers
- Not eligible
- Nonprofits
- Not eligible
Also required
- Must be based in North Rhine-Westphalia
- Recommendation from an accredited NRW network required
How to apply
Find an accredited Gründungsnetzwerk on gruenderstipendium.nrw and apply for the stipend with its recommendation.
- Benefit
- cash
- Equity-free
- Yes
- Decision time
- —
- Credit validity
- —
- Deadline
- Rolling
- Status
- Open
Verified 2026-10-30 · source
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