Project Prize Money

The annual awarding of the International Charlemagne Prize to individuals or bodies that have made outstanding contributions to this goal is one of the most significant media events in Europe. Past award ceremonies for popes, heads of state, kings, cultural figures, and most recently Macron, Guterres, and Zelensky are often noticed worldwide.

Since 2008, the European Charlemagne Youth Prize has also attracted Europe-wide attention. To date, well over 10,000 young people have taken part in the competition with their projects. The best entries are honoured and all participants are encouraged to continue their involvement in the European community project.
The International Charlemagne Prize has also established a European Youth Academy, which addresses young academics with questions about the future of Europe and presents their answers throughout Europe as food for discussion.
Finally, the Charlemagne Prize also organises political forums and cultural events throughout the year, which often attract nationwide attention and contribute to the dissemination of the European idea.

The International Charlemagne Prize has set itself the ambitious task of reaching as many citizens in Europe as possible with its ideas and actively promoting the common goals of a free, democratic, peaceful, successful and united Europe that is worth living in.

From 2024 onwards, the International Charlemagne Prize will pursue its activities with expanded and stronger resources in order to achieve even greater identification of citizens with European goals.

The generous endowment of the charitable private foundation of Aachen citizens and entrepreneurs Dr. Ing. Eckhard Schulz and Dr. rer. nat Stefanie Schäfer-Schulz will enable the Charlemagne Prize, with the significant involvement of the respective Charlemagne Prize laureate, to provide financial support for new or existing pro-European projects across Europe in such a way that they are successful and can promote the European Union and its ideals.
The entrepreneurial couple will make a donation of €1 million, initially for a period of ten years, to fund the development and implementation of projects that strengthen and stabilise Europe and increase the influence of the Charlemagne Prize.

The project funds can be used to support activities by citizens, NGOs, associations or federations, government agencies or European associations that promote European values, test democracy and freedom, or enable people to experience life across borders with different cultures and languages. These may include reconciliation projects, integration activities for migrants, but also the provision of training and jobs, educational projects, conferences on specific topics such as the European treaties or current European policy issues; social measures or cultural activities, possibly theatre, literature or music festivals, cross-border newspaper, radio or media projects, training courses or academies, games or even the creation of websites, digital newspapers or newsletters. Events focusing on the European Commission's priorities, such as European climate protection, regional economic structural development, digitisation, REPowerment or sustainability projects, are also eligible for funding. Support for partnership projects with groups or institutions in non-EU countries or on other continents, projects in space or the oceans is also conceivable. Of course, language support, either analogue or digital, Erasmus projects, introductions to and simulations of the workings of the European Parliament or its committees, or simply the collection of cross-generational experiences of EU citizens are also possible funding objectives. There are no limits to pro-European imagination.

However, all these projects must serve the unified European ideal, the integration and understanding of peoples and states, raise awareness of the necessity of the European Union and lead to a common European identity. Put simply, the projects should reflect the lived community of Europeans.

Funding is provided in accordance with European non-profit standards; a list of criteria is designed to facilitate the funding process. Political parties and party-affiliated organisations are excluded from funding. The respective Charlemagne Prize laureate is involved in submitting proposals for funding. These may relate to projects in their home country or across Europe. The projects are monitored by the independent Charlemagne Prize Foundation.

Thanks to financial support for individual projects in various European countries, the International Charlemagne Prize can actively participate in European activities as a partner of the project organisers, thanks to funding from the DSA Schäfer-Schulz Foundation. that promote integration and are in line with its objectives. It can establish contacts and networks, engage in communication and appear in the media throughout the year in various regions of Europe with its promotion of the European community. The International Charlemagne Prize will play an intensive and committed role in shaping ‘Europe from below’.