Schwammstadt grant programme
Grants help private property owners in Bremen and Bremerhaven add green roofs or façades, remove sealed paving, and install rainwater or greywater systems.
Denne finansieringsmulighed er i øjeblikket beskrevet på engelsk.
Choose the module that fits your property. Funding pays a share of approved construction costs, including technical incidental costs. Awards depend on available funds and the authority’s assessment.
- Green roofs: up to 25% of eligible costs, €5,000 per installation and €45/m², with at least 10 cm of rootable substrate or a peak runoff coefficient Cs ≤0.5 (at least 50% rain retention). The higher tier pays up to 30%, €6,000 and €50/m² with at least 15 cm or Cs ≤0.3 (at least 70% retention). A biodiversity design with at least 10 cm substrate and varied planting flowering throughout the growing season adds €5/m², capped at €1,500 per award per property. Own labour is excluded.
- Green façades: up to 50% of eligible costs and €5,000. Total greening costs must be at least €250. For DIY work, only materials and plants count. Professional establishment care for 12 months can count if requested in the application and commissioned from a specialist.
- Depaving: up to 30% of eligible costs, €5,000 and €40/m². Removal and disposal of paving, suitable soil and planting can count; permeable replacement surfaces can also include professionally laid substructure and surfacing. Own labour is excluded.
- Rainwater and greywater systems: up to 40% of eligible costs and €5,000. Rainwater storage used only for garden irrigation receives up to 25% and €1,500. Storage, earthworks, separate pipes, treatment equipment and reinstatement can count; subsequent decorative work and own labour do not.
The grant is paid after completion, submission of cost receipts and confirmation that the installation or depaving has passed acceptance without defects. Unexpected construction overruns can be submitted in writing for an additional award within the module’s limits.
The authority checks that the work is technically, ecologically and economically sensible and sets the eligible costs. This is a grant you do not repay if you meet its conditions.
Eligibility
You must be a private individual or private-law legal entity owning land or buildings in the state of Bremen, including Bremerhaven, or hold a property right such as a heritable building right. A condominium owners’ association applies through its administrator or authorised representative. Majority public ownership is excluded.
The work must be voluntary, rather than required by law, a development plan or a permit. Secure the full financing when applying. Each installation can receive funding only once. Do not start before approval unless the authority approves an exception on request.
- Roofs must cover at least 10 m². Costs above the waterproofing layer and structural strengthening can count. Greening over asbestos- or PVC-containing roofing is excluded. The installer must confirm the substrate thickness or runoff performance for payment; a test certificate may be needed for low build-ups. Route roof runoff to infiltration where soil conditions allow.
- Façades must be able to reach at least 10 m². Adapt supports to the façade to prevent damage, follow FLL façade-greening technical rules and normally use recommended plants for ground-rooted planting. Self-clinging plants, necessary façade renovation and repair of existing greening are excluded.
- Depaving must cover at least 20 m². All rainfall on the area must infiltrate locally, without a sewer connection, soil or groundwater danger or contaminated runoff. Notify the wastewater utility if the entire property is disconnected. Evidence of proper disposal of removed materials may be required.
- Rainwater systems must connect more than 50 m² of roof to at least 2 m³ usable storage. For the indoor rainwater route, the administrator requires toilet flushing plus another use, such as garden irrigation; garden-only systems have the lower rate. Retained greywater systems treat water solely from personal washing and reuse it for toilets. Systems must meet current technical rules and the Drinking Water Ordinance; mark outdoor taps “not drinking water”. Chemical-additive systems and PVC components are excluded. Infiltrate clean storage overflow where soil and groundwater allow. DIY work on drinking-water pipes is permitted only with prior proof of relevant professional training and is not reimbursed. The operator bears the operating risk.
Obtain any other necessary permits. Notify the wastewater utility of rainwater or greywater operation and the health authority where the Drinking Water Ordinance requires it. Keep the funded measure for at least ten years after completion. Misuse, including a grant leading to a rent increase, or early removal or resealing requires repayment on demand within one month, with annual interest five percentage points above the base rate. On-site checks are allowed. The funding entitlement expires twelve months after the award notice; a justified request can obtain one six-month extension. Bremen may prioritise dense, particularly overheated neighbourhoods with many heat-sensitive residents.
Where the grant is business state aid, total de minimis aid from Germany must stay within €300,000 over three years for a single undertaking. Businesses count together where majority voting rights, board-appointment rights, contractual dominant influence or a shareholder voting agreement create control, including indirect links. Declare prior three-year de minimis aid before an award and keep the aid certificate for ten years, producing it on request and for future aid applications.
This business-aid route excludes primary production in agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture; certain processing or marketing aid tied to product price or quantity, agricultural aid passed to primary producers, export-related aid and aid conditional on favouring domestic goods or services are also excluded. A business with both excluded and eligible activities can receive aid for eligible work only if activities or accounts are separated so excluded activities receive no benefit. Other public aid for the same costs must comply with the regulation’s aid limits.
Provide information and any evidence required for success monitoring and participate in programme evaluation.
How to apply
- Status
- Løbende ansøgning
- Vilkår for ansøgningsrunden
- Applications are ongoing; programme rules are valid through 31 December 2027. Awards depend on available funds.
Applications are ongoing. The programme rules are valid through 31 December 2027; awards remain subject to available funds.
Contact Bremer Umwelt Beratung e.V. on 0421 / 7070100 or info@bremer-umwelt-beratung.de and download your module’s form from the programme page. Submit a written application before starting. Include a cost estimate and the module’s site plans or sketches; roof and depaving applications also need existing-condition photos, façade retrofits need photos plus planting/support details, and water systems need a layout showing their components. For rainwater, the government service directs you to submit the signed form and documents to Bremer Umwelt Beratung by post, email or in person at Birkenstraße 47/48, 28195 Bremen. The senator’s authority issues the written award notice.