The Wadden Sea Fund was set up to give a sustainable and qualitative impulse to the Wadden Sea’s ecology and economy. Since 1 January 2012, the Dutch provinces of North Holland, Groningen, and Friesland are responsible for the Wadden Sea Fund. Grant applications can be submitted during the application periods, which are announced every year in the province’s application decree.
Themes of the Wadden Sea Fund
The Wadden Sea Fund comprises the following themes:
- Nature
- Water, soil, light and sound
- World heritage sites, cultural history and landscape development
- Sustainable recreation and sustainable tourism
- Increased sustainability of energy management
- Sustainable harbours of the Wadden
- Sustainable fishing
- Sustainable agriculture
- Budget Local innovations
All activities must take place in the Wadden Sea area, meaning the municipalities located around the Wadden Sea.
Target Audiences of the Wadden Sea Fund
The Wadden Sea Fund is interesting for all parties aiming to set up activities in the Wadden Sea area. This includes governments, businesses, and non-profit organisations. The primary condition is that an ecological and/or economic contribution is made to the Wadden Sea area.
The Wadden Sea Fund comprises three different financing instruments:
- Budget Local Innovation (BLI)
- Thematic Call
- Consultancy Costs
1. BLI (Budget Local Innovations)
- Projects should contribute to local innovation; promote living conditions or employment; and strengthen the quality of the Wadden Sea region
- The maximum contribution per project is €50,000
- The grant covers max. 50% of eligible costs.
- In total the available budget is €1 million
2. Grant Scheme Thematic Implementation Wadden Fund 2023/01
Grant applications for the Wadden Fund Thematic Implementation Scheme 2023/01 (Stuw ’23) can be submitted on Wednesday 1 March 2023 from 10.00 am. The scheme closes at 12.00 PM on Friday 1 December 2023. The grant ceiling is €8 million. A maximum of €1 million can be applied for per grant request.
3. Consultancy costs
- This concerns a voucher to compensate for the consultancy costs involved when drawing up a larger grant application for the Wadden Sea Fund
- The voucher comprises a maximum of €5,000
Assesment Criteria
- The proposal is in line with the implementation programme of the Wadden Sea Fund
- The application complies with the requirements set out in the 2020/01 Grant Scheme Wadden Sea Fund
- In some cases, the application must comply with the current grant regulation of the Wadden Sea Fund
- Policy rules of the Wadden Sea Fund apply
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The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide a quick overview of the objectives, structure, and conditions of this particular grant scheme. No conclusions can be drawn on the basis of this information. Moreover, this document has no legal status.