Travel grants

Travel grants for professional musicians and ensembles performing abroad

This fund provides support for music projects abroad in the form of a travel grant for professional ensembles and musicians based in Germany who intend to perform abroad. To be eligible, the projects must demonstrate a high level of musicianship.
The Goethe-Institut’s Music Division is assisted in reviewing project proposals by its artistic advisory board and event programmers at the corresponding Goethe-Instituts abroad.

Different guidelines now apply for Goethe-Institut funding in 2022:
Funding is also available for short trips and travel to neighbouring Western countries. Last-minute requests for funding will be processed as well.

Prerequisites for eligibility:

• The applicant musician or ensemble must be professional.
• The applicant musician or ensemble must must live and do most of its work in Germany.
• The project must be of a high level of musicianship and cultural significance.
• The applicant musician or ensemble must already be in possession of definite invitations from partners abroad.
• As a rule, we provide only partial funding in the form of a travel grant. So the bulk of the funding for the project should be previously secured.
• The focus of the tour should be on concertizing. Concert-related events such as master classes, seminars and workshops are also eligible for funding.
• Projects in almost any musical genre are eligible for funding, except: Schlager music, blues, cabaret, musicals, and international and commercial folk music
• Funding is available for concerts, master classes, seminars, workshops and residencies outside of the secondary and higher education sectors.
• For travel within Europe, the Goethe-Institut recommends taking the train, a flexible and environmentally sustainable means of public transport, even if it entails higher costs. So funding will be available to cover train fare.

The following are not eligible for funding:

• Projects involving young or amateur musicians or professional choirs (which are handled by our Section for the Promotion of Young and Amateur Musicians)
• Educational projects (also handled by our Section for the Promotion of Young and Amateur Musicians)
• Travel for mainly commercial or touristic purposes (promotional tours, appearances at trade fairs and the like)
• “Friendship meetings” and social function of chiefly local importance
• Fundraising events for a charitable cause
• Participation in congresses, symposia and competitions
• School or training-related projects (scholarships/educational grants, theses/dissertations, research work)
• Development aid projects

Required documents:

• Fully completed application form (see link to the new funding application form below)
• Official confirmation from the inviting local partner, specifying agreed dates and nature of the events (concert, workshop etc.) and the partner’s commitments (amount of fee payable, defrayal of costs of accommodation, equipment etc.)
• Recent audio recording (link)
• Two international travel quotes (from internet portals, travel agencies etc.) as proof of particularly low-fare travel

NB: Applicants have no legal entitlement to funding. Any funds we provide are a voluntary contribution to projects that are closely in line with the objectives of the German Federal Government's foreign cultural and educational policies and that would not be feasible without such support.
Projects already initiated, i.e. for which travel arrangements (e.g. flights) have already been booked, are generally not eligible for funding. So, before making any binding reservations and at least six months before the project starts, if possible, you are required to submit (along with your application for funding) an informal request for authorization to make early arrangements for the project and enclose three different travel cost estimates. The Goethe-Institut’s approval of such a request, however, does not constitute a firm commitment to award funding.

Please take note of our applicable privacy policy.

Deadlines

Applications should be submitted six weeks before the start of the project. Requests may be considered at short notice, if need be, after telephone consultation with the Music Division. To The Application Form

Applications must be submitted by the Cultural Funding Application.