Several left-wing NGOs have slammed Germany’s education minister Karin Prien (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) for planned funding cuts for a contentious “pro democracy” programme.
Timo Reinfrank, managing director of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, called the cuts “a fatal signal at the wrong time” that would “weaken societal structures in a time where right-wing forces are gaining ground”.
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation is the party foundation of Germany’s hard-left party Die Linke. As Reinfrank confirmed on March 20 to German newspaper taz, the foundation had received federal funding of at least €850,000 under the programme.
That was for, among other things, the “Good Gaming” project that aimed to support gamers and content creators who suffer from discrimination.
Rebecca Weis, manager of anti-racism NGO Gesicht Zeigen (“Showing your Face”), was equally critical of Prien’s plans, telling newspaper FR on March 22: “Projects and organisation which have been working sustainably and successfully to promote democracy for years are no longer merely facing hostility from the right.
“Increasingly, their funders are also treating them with suspicion. Something is going very wrong here.”
On March 20, Prien had announced she wanted to revamp the federal funding programme Demokratie leben (Living democracy) – cutting the financial lifeline for about 200 NGOs and individual projects at the end of 2026.
Prien told newspaper Welt: “Despite high levels of motivation and dedicated efforts on the ground, the programme’s objectives are not being achieved, or at least not in a sustainable manner. The balance between resources invested and results achieved is not right.
“Social challenges are not being adequately addressed by the programme. For us, this means we want to continue with what has proven successful; discontinue what has not proven successful; and overhaul what is in need of reform,” she said.
The programme had been started by former family minister Manuela Schwesig (Social Democratic Party, SPD) in 2014 with the goal of strengthening democracy and preventing extremism. In 2023, it had an annual budget of more than €180 million.
In practice, critics say, the programme mainly focused on the perceived threat of right-wing extremism while turning a blind eye towards left-wing extremism and Islamism.
In fact, the leaders of several organisations that were funded under the programme were criticised for spreading anti-Semitism and left-wing extremism.
For example, one of the recipients was the German Communist Party Neukölln, which had been classified as part of the left-wing extremist scene by the German domestic security agency BfV. Another recipient was the far-left group Interventionist Left.
Another receiving organisation was HateAid, an NGO purportedly fighting against hateful online content. Yesterday, a Hamburg court ruled that HateAid could be labelled an affiliate of the Greens Party.
Many observers hope that Prien’s decision to cut NGO funding is followed by further steps.
Islamism expert Sigrid Herrmann wrote on X yesterday: “That is great, but it can only be the beginning. There is a lot of questionable funding being granted by the interior ministry, the foreign ministry [and other agencies].”
