Do you have examples of successful projects to share?
Yes! In first round of the call the following projects were selected by an independent jury:
The KugelTour
Carmel, IN, USA & Seiffen, Germany
The KugelTour is a permanent, large-scale interactive marble run (Kugelbahn) designed to translate the "intangible heritage" of the German Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) into a functional reality in Carmel, Indiana. This public art initiative utilizes century-old craftsmanship to activate public spaces across multiple destinations, creating a walkable, family-friendly trail that brings transatlantic communities closer together. By placing runs at local museums, three businesses, and parks, the KugelTour transforms streets into a living gallery of play. This reciprocal legacy, mirrored by a sister track in Seiffen, blends master woodworking with Hoosier hospitality. The KugelTour is an evolving story where each new track is a collaborative design between Carmel’s community and the master woodworkers in Seiffen. Furthermore, the wooden balls are highly customizable for special editions, community events, and provide a fantastic platform for transatlantic design competitions for the next collectible ball.
The KugelTour honors Seiffen’s UNESCO World Heritage trade while fostering American STEAM education through a hybrid production model. Aside from local makers, engineers and artists, we are targeting our 16,000-student school district for curriculum integration to facilitate design collaborations and giving students a hands-on role in transatlantic production. German Engineering: Primary kinetic components are designed in Germany by DESIGNSYSTEM to ensure the highest standards of craftsmanship. American Integration: Modular housings and backdrops are fabricated in Indiana, facilitated by Moden Agency, ensuring tracks meet U.S. safety and ADA standards
By scaling a validated German model within the urban fabric of the American Midwest, this project fulfills the Goethe-Institut "Connecting Places" mission to re-energize international ties through forward-thinking, co-created art.
Greifswald Leben
Bryan-College Station, TX, USA & Greifswald, Germany
“Greifswald Leben” is a two-phase cultural exchange project showcasing Greifswald’s identity as both a cycling-friendly city and an artisan hub within the communities of Bryan-College Station.
Phase 1 focuses on Greifswald’s charming reputation as a Northern German artisan hub, where heritage cuisine merges with a vibrant community of drawing and sketch artists, fostering creativity and new cultural discoveries. Greifswald chefs and illustrators travel to Bryan-College Station to mentor high school students in culinary arts and visual design, blending cultural exchange with hands-on learning, inspired by the Goethe- Institut’s Graphic Travelogues Series, Graphic Cooking concept. The final products will be carried forward by the participating students through involvement in scholastic festivals and industry-backed competitions where their schools are represented at regional, state, and national levels. Collaborating cultural partner Texas Restaurant Association’s Brazos Valley Chapter elevates project visibility and publicity exposure to the state’s $138 billion foodservice industry. On the German side, University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald, St. Spiritus – a socio-cultural center and intercultural café – and Kunstwerkstätten, a Greifswald nonprofit in the field of cultural education and operator of the state-approved youth art school in Greifswald, support the exchange and develop opportunities for the Bryan-College Station return exchange to Greifswald.
Phase 2 adapts Greifswald’s artistic and cultural strategies to spark conversations around active micromobility and draws inspiration from Goethe-Institut’s CYCLE UP! program, which connects artists, policymakers, and communities on innovative ideas and practical solutions for increasing bicycle use in urban spaces. U.S. partners support a structured cultural demonstration cycling ride designed to embrace artisans for shifting travel perceptions and encouraging behavioral change through making the everyday benefits of shared, smart city shared roadways more visible. In this context, a Bryan-College Station Sister Cities “Biketober” micro-mural will be developed as a commemorative public artwork to celebrate the legacy of this project phase, a continuation of a past sister cities project. Unique to this proposed cycling ride is a planned wellness rest stop and turnaround point that connects similarities and cross-promotes Greifswald’s premier Fall Festival, Erntedankmarkt. Participation from the City of Greifswald brings valuable expertise in mobility and urban planning, strengthening the project’s cross-cultural exchange and practical application.
Also, feel free to take a look at the
Goethe-Institut USA and
www.goethe.de websites for a view into the types of projects the Goethe-Institut stands for– both have links to individual Goethe-Institut websites in the US and around the World .
Can you explain in more detail what you mean by 50% matching funds?
A Sister Cities – Connecting Places grant requires matching funds at the same amount as the requested funds, in other words 50% of the total budget. In other words, if you request $20,000, we expect you to add $20,000 in matching funds, whether monetary or in-kind.
IMPORTANT: we accept both monetary and in-kind funding, or a mix of both. So, for example, any contributions your required partnering arts or culture organizations make can be included as in-kind contributions towards your matching funds.
Here are some examples of in-kind contributions:
- donated event space,
- donated services or equipment needed for carrying out the events,
- donated food or refreshments
- donated accommodations (home stays, etc.)
- any other donations
Note: we will not accept partial salaries for organization employees or any other organizational admin costs.
How do I communicate these matching funds in the application?
We understand that at this point in time and until the project is accepted and funded, you are working with promises and conditional commitments from organizations and potential funders. This is totally fine. However, we do expect these organizations or funders to submit a Letter of Intent (see attached template) that lists their proposed contributions if the project goes ahead. Details can be worked out later, but we do need to see partner intentions to support the project through monetary or in-kind contributions. In the event that contributions are dependent on funds that are not 100% secure, please add wording to explain.
The submitted preliminary budget should list your parters’ proposed contributions. All in-kind contributions should be given a realistic monetary value to be listed in the budget. All contributions should be backed up with a Letter of Intent from the contributing organization or funding source.
What if we cannot submit a Letter of Intent for all proposed matching funds?
In exceptional case it may not be possible to submit a Letter of Intent. Please reach out to
Annette.Klein@goethe.de to discuss if this is the case.
