The Charlemagne Prize
Project Prize Fund
Funding for a stronger Europe
Since 2025, the Charlemagne Prize has pursued the goal of creating an even deeper impact through a bold new funding initiative and an expanded mandate – by supporting charitable projects across Europe and strengthening the European spirit “from the grassroots up” with one million euros in annual funding.
Project Prize Fund 2025
European Solidarity in Action
The International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen and the 2025 Charlemagne Prize Laureate, Dr Ursula von der Leyen, are using the 2025 Project Prize Fund to support three projects that place the protection of children and young people at the heart of their work. More than €900,000 from the Project Prize Fund is being allocated to the Deutsche Traumastiftung and the Ukrainian organisations Magnolia and Posmishka UA. Their work is an impressive demonstration of how European values can be put into practice even under the most difficult circumstances.
Deutsche Traumastiftung: Supporting traumatised children and young people
More than €500,000 is being provided to support the Deutsche Traumastiftung in its work to improve trauma care and protect the mental health of children and young people. The foundation brings together medicine, psychology, social work and politics across Europe and is committed to improving access to qualified, comprehensive support for people affected by psychological and physical trauma.
The funding focuses on two European projects led by Professor Dr Jörg M. Fegert of Ulm University Hospital, President of the European Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and a founding member of the Deutsche Traumastiftung.
One focus is the training of Ukrainian professionals in psychosocial care. In cooperation with UNICEF Ukraine, the European Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (ESCAP) and the Mental Health Coordination Centre of the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers, professionals are being supported in providing better care for children, young people and families who have been traumatised by Russia’s war of aggression. Existing online training programmes are being expanded and supplemented by international experts. The aim is to establish a sustainable network of psychosocial professionals in Ukraine.
The second initiative focuses on child protection in a digital world. Cyberbullying, sexualised violence online and exploitative online structures are posing growing challenges for children and young people. In cooperation with the German Society for Child Protection in Medicine, Dazugehören e.V. and the Centre for Child Protection in Medicine in Baden-Württemberg at Ulm University Hospital, a European guidance paper and practical e-learning modules are being developed. The results will be disseminated across Europe through ESCAP.
“The Charlemagne Prize stands for Europe and its people. The Project Prize Fund is intended to support Ukrainian children who have been deeply traumatised by Russia’s brutal war of aggression. The Deutsche Traumastiftung is doing outstanding work for these children,” Ursula von der Leyen explains in justifying her decision.
Magnolia: Finding missing Ukrainian children
With around €300,000, the Charlemagne Prize Foundation is supporting the “Tracing and Reunification of Missing Ukrainian Children” project run by the Ukrainian organisation Magnolia. Since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression, Magnolia has been searching for children who are missing within Ukraine, have been separated from their families or have been forcibly taken to occupied territories or Russia.
The project combines professional casework with digital research, public appeals, international networking, and psychological and legal support for affected families.
The results achieved so far demonstrate the impact of the funding: since March, 320 missing-child appeals have been published. Television broadcasts, outdoor advertising and digital campaigns have reached more than one million people, and 208 children have been located. Hundreds of parents, relatives and carers have also received psychological and legal support via the Ukrainian 116 000 hotline.
Behind these figures are individual stories of children and their families. One of them is the story of twelve-year-old Angelina (name changed), who was abducted following the Russian occupation of the Kherson region in October 2023. For a long time, her family had no information about her whereabouts. Through Magnolia’s search efforts, it was eventually established that Angelina had been taken to occupied Crimea together with her brother. For the first time, safe contact was re-established. Angelina said that she wanted to return home. The information obtained was immediately passed on to the relevant Ukrainian authorities and now forms the basis for further steps towards her safe return.
A professional case-management system ensures that missing-person cases and consultations are systematically documented, evaluated and handled in a transparent and traceable manner. In this way, Magnolia combines concrete support for families with the transparent and verifiable use of funding.
Posmishka UA: Independence despite war and disability
Around €100,000 is being provided to the Ukrainian organisation Posmishka UA for the “Independent Living Skills for Children with Disabilities” project. In the heavily war-affected Zaporizhzhia region, a barrier-free social training flat is being established where children with disabilities can learn skills that will enable them to live as independently as possible.
Cooking, household management and other everyday activities are just as much a focus as fostering independence and social participation. The project is creating a space where children can develop practical skills while also gaining new perspectives for their future.
Preparations for the training flat are well advanced. A qualified support team is in place, and the first families have already registered for the programme. Partnerships with the Child Protection Service of the regional military administration, the Zaporizhzhia City Council and the municipal institution “Zatyshna Domivka” support the implementation of the project.
The situation on the ground demonstrates how urgently international support is needed, particularly in frontline regions: in July 2026, the office of the Child Protection Service, a partner organisation of Posmishka UA, was destroyed in a Russian missile attack. Nevertheless, the project team remains determined to continue its work.
“This attack demonstrates why international support for child protection in frontline regions must not be allowed to diminish,” says Thomas Prefi, Chairman of the Charlemagne Prize Foundation. “The funding for this project reflects the conviction that European values of human dignity, participation and solidarity must continue to be defended, especially in Ukraine.”
European values are made visible where they are needed most
The three funded projects could hardly be more different – yet they share a common goal: protecting children and young people, strengthening their rights and giving them new perspectives in difficult circumstances.
The Deutsche Traumastiftung is strengthening psychosocial care and child protection, Magnolia is bringing missing children and their families back together, and Posmishka UA is creating opportunities for children with disabilities to learn how to live more independently.
The Charlemagne Prize’s Project Prize Fund thus demonstrates that European solidarity is more than a political commitment. It becomes tangible when professionals are trained, families are supported, missing children are searched for and opportunities for participation are created.
The Project Prize Fund is made possible by the charitable foundation established by Aachen citizens and entrepreneurs Dr Ing. Eckhard Schulz and Dr rer. nat. Stefanie Schäfer-Schulz. With one million euros available each year, the fund aims to promote the European idea beyond Aachen and create an impact where support is most urgently needed.
The projects of the Deutsche Traumastiftung, Magnolia and Posmishka UA exemplify this commitment. “By supporting these projects, the Charlemagne Prize Foundation is sending a clear signal that European solidarity does not end with political declarations,” says Thomas Prefi. “We want to bring the European idea to life where it is needed most.”
About the Fund
Reach and Visibility
The International Charlemagne Prize is one of Europe’s most prestigious awards and attracts worldwide attention through its annual presentation ceremony. The personalities and institutions honoured – most recently including Macron, Zelenskyy, Von der Leyen and Draghi – represent outstanding contributions to European unification.
The European Charlemagne Youth Prize, the Charlemagne Prize Academy, as well as political and cultural events, also help to make the European idea visible and inspire people across Europe to engage with the shared European project.
New Objective
Since 2025, the International Charlemagne Prize has expanded its mission: with additional resources, it aims to reach even more people and support concrete pro-European initiatives.
A private foundation established by Aachen-based entrepreneurs Dr.-Ing. Eckhard Schulz and Dr rer. nat. Stefanie Schäfer-Schulz makes possible a project prize fund of one million euros per year, initially planned for a period of ten years. Through this generous donation, charitable projects are supported – with the involvement of Charlemagne Prize laureates – that strengthen European values, make the vision of a united Europe visible and increase the impact of the Charlemagne Prize.
Impact and Sustainability
The project prize fund supports charitable activities by citizens, NGOs, associations, organisations, public institutions and European networks that promote European values, strengthen democracy and freedom, and make cooperation across borders tangible.
Eligible projects include reconciliation and integration initiatives, educational programmes, conferences on European policy issues, social and cultural activities such as festivals and media projects, digital formats, language promotion, Erasmus projects, as well as initiatives addressing the priorities of the European Commission – including climate protection, digitalisation, sustainability and regional development. Partnerships with institutions outside the EU and projects in emerging fields such as space exploration or marine research are also possible. The scope for pro-European creativity is unlimited.
All projects must serve the idea of a united Europe – promoting integration, mutual understanding and awareness of the importance of the European Union – and thereby contribute to a shared European identity.
Funding is awarded according to European standards for charitable organisations; a set of criteria supports the selection process. Political parties and affiliated organisations are excluded. The respective Charlemagne Prize laureate is involved in the nomination process. Project oversight is carried out by the independent Charlemagne Prize Foundation.
Thanks to the support of the DSA Schäfer-Schulz Foundation, the International Charlemagne Prize can actively participate in European initiatives, foster networks and help make “Europe from the grassroots” visible throughout the year.