Funding programmes

Do you have ideas for climate adaptation measures and are looking for funding or financing options? Filter the following programmes according to your needs and benefit from the wide range of funding options in NRW. Would you like to find out more about a programme? Simply follow the external link to the relevant programme: Here you will find more detailed information and usually a contact offer for specific advice.

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• Do you have large sealed traffic areas, such as driveways or car parks and/or roof areas? Do you want to save on rainwater charges?
• Do you have potential uses for rainwater, such as irrigation, adiabatic cooling, process water, after appropriate treatment up to drinking water quality?

Then the "Klimaanpassung.Unternehmen.NRW" programme would be an opportunity to tackle this measure now and save costs in the long term. The aim of the programme is to protect North Rhine-Westphalia's companies from the consequences of extreme weather events caused by climate change The focus is on nature-based solutions for greater climate resilience and biodiversity.

The negative effects of climate change, such as heat, drought or heavy rainfall events, pose an increasing challenge for companies in North Rhine-Westphalia. The state and the EU are providing funding for climate change-related measures in order to secure economic activities in the long term and further develop the economy in a climate-resilient manner.

The funding programme specifically supports small and medium-sized enterprises in adapting their properties to the negative consequences of climate change and making them more climate-resilient. The aim of the funding is to strengthen the future viability and competitiveness of the subsidised companies and thus the economy as a whole in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Among other things, the following are eligible for funding: Unsealing of surfaces, infiltration systems (e.g. retention areas/trays, vegetated ditches) as well as rainwater retention, storage and utilisation measures for the irrigation of green spaces such as rainwater retention basins, deep retention beds, seepage ponds, infiltration trenches, retention cisterns or similar as well as near-natural bodies of water.

Small and medium-sized companies as well as small and medium-sized municipal companies based or established in North Rhine-Westphalia are eligible to apply. The programme is particularly aimed at retrofitting existing properties. It is intended for measures with a total volume of > €200 thousand. This means that for the current call for funding, there should be a total of > 10,000 m² of sealed surfaces, depending on the measures selected. The suitability of the project to counteract the effects of climate change must be demonstrated when submitting the application. The funding rates are up to 50 - 60 %. The procedure is 1-stage.

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"Climate change means more frequent extreme weather. Climate adaptation is an effective strategy for preventing damage and keeping our cities liveable. Private and public owners of land and buildings can take precautions. To ensure that we can continue to live well in the Emscher-Lippe region and to minimise damage, we need to rebuild our cities - for example according to the sponge city principle. Rainwater plays a central role in this. If we store it, allow it to seep away and evaporate, this preserves our greenery, which in turn provides more fresh air and cooling. And when our cities absorb rainfall like a sponge, return it to the natural water cycle and it no longer flows into the sewage system, then we are talking about rainwater decoupling."

Goals of the funding programme:

• 25% decoupling of paved areas
• Increase the evaporation rate by 10 percentage points

"Enough good reasons for homeowners, entrepreneurs and local authorities to invest in climate adaptation. Anyone who converts existing buildings - greening roofs and façades, creating infiltration troughs or unsealing surfaces - does not have to bear the costs alone. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) subsidises these measures in all cities and municipalities of the Ruhr Regional Association (RVR) from its "Climate-resilient region with international appeal" (KRiS) funding programme to the tune of 60 percent. Emschergenossenschaft and Lippeverband are increasing the funding from the state in their catchment areas as part of the future initiative Klima.Werk: private owners can receive a 90 per cent subsidy and municipalities a 100 per cent subsidy. Here you can find out how you can obtain funding for construction measures with the KRiS programme:"

Further information

Funding is available to municipalities, companies, institutions and citizens in the Emschergenossenschaft and Lippeverband association areas for the implementation of climate impact adaptation measures.

In the Emscher region, funding has been available for many years for measures to disconnect rainwater from the combined sewer system. The tried-and-tested "Future Agreement on Rainwater" (ZVR) was replaced in January 2025: It will be continued under the new name "Directive of the Emschergenossenschaft(or Lippeverband) for the promotion of climateimpactadaptation(ELKA)" with minor changes. The main change is that this funding now also applies to the Lippeverband area (but only in the contributing municipalities).

Further information

Green roofs and façades are on the rise. This development can be read about in the green building market report 2024. However, as greenery also has an enormous water requirement, rainwater and grey water use should be considered immediately in any construction project. Unsealing measures should be taken for areas that cannot be greened. The market report contains a very detailed overview of the current support measures in the individual cities.

More information