Allocation of Funding: Project Funding – 2nd Funding Round 2026

In the second funding round of the programmes Karrieresprungbrett Berlin and Pop im Kiez in 2026, Musicboard Berlin is supporting 17 projects with a total volume of 186,785.00 euros. Tag der Clubkultur, organised by the Clubcommission, is also being funded by Musicboard this year.

In the funding programmes Karrieresprungbrett Berlin and Pop im Kiez, 78 applications with a total volume of 1,303,513.64 euros were submitted to Musicboard in the second funding round for 2026. The jury recommended 17 projects with a total volume of 186,785.00 euros for funding.

Funding is awarded through Musicboard Berlin GmbH upon recommendation of an independent jury of Berlin-based pop experts. In 2026, the jury for the project funding consists of Edna Martinez (DJ, producer, curator), Melissa Kolukisagil (curator and producer, founder of İç İçe – Festival for New Anatolian Music), Silvia Silko (journalist for Tagesspiegel, radioeins, Deutschlandfunk), Ulrich Hartmann (musician and performer, project manager at the inclusive music project luftsprung live), and Wieland Krämer (musician, co-founder of Powerline Agency and Flirt99 Musikverlag). A new jury will be appointed for 2027.

In addition, Musicboard is supporting Tag der Clubkultur, a project of the Clubcommission. The Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion has approved additional funding totalling 630,500.00 euros to support this event and other formats. The funds are used to finance the prize money and programme organisation. The festival week under this year’s motto ›Stay Core‹ takes place from 3 to 11 October, showcasing the diverse players in Berlin’s club culture and their work. In addition, the Clubcommission conducts discussions and networking events on the topic of club culture, as well as the exhibition ›Tanzflächen der Wiedervereinigung‹.

KARRIERESPRUNGBRETT BERLIN

Karrieresprungbrett Berlin funds projects and platforms – from concert and club series, workshops and talks to interdisciplinary formats – that support up-and-coming artists and other newcomers from the pop music business and help boost their careers on a national or international level. For the programme Karrieresprungbrett Berlin 45 applications were submitted. The total volume of all applications amounted to 758,529.19 euros, with 114,425.00 euros being awarded to 10 projects.

POP IM KIEZ

The programme Pop im Kiez funds projects – whether pilots, campaigns or a series of initiatives – that increase the acceptance of live music in the pop music domain within a particular neighbourhood in Berlin. It’s a response to the current displacement of subcultural spaces in Berlin and intends to support musicians and their networks that are based in a particular neighbourhood scene. For the programme Pop im Kiez 33 applications were submitted. The total volume of all applications amounted to 544,984.45 euros, with 72,360.00 euros being awarded to 7 projects.