© Stiftung EVZ/Emanuel Barica
Sinti and Roma were persecuted and murdered by the National Socialists. Anti-Gypsyism, discrimination, and exclusion continue to shape their daily lives today and limit their participation in society. As part of the “Acting Together with Self-Organizations” cluster and in cooperation with the Freudenberg Foundation, the EVZ Foundation supports projects by and for Roma and Sinti and advocates for their rights. The funding program aims to strengthen Sinti:ze and Rom:nja, their self-organizations, and their political participation.
Numerous self-organizations of Sinti and Roma have been working for decades to secure recognition, rights, and equal participation. The Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility, and the Future (EVZ) has supported this work for over ten years, since 2019 in partnership with the Freudenberg Foundation, in close collaboration with representatives of the communities. The goal is to amplify the voices of Roma and Sinti, provide sustainable support for their self-organizations, and expand their political and social participation.
With the funding program self.bestimmt!, we are setting new priorities for 2026: We aim to support self-organizations of Sinti and Roma in Germany that actively shape social change—locally, regionally, or nationwide. The funding is intended to help open up new avenues for action, influence decision-making processes, and achieve sustainable impacts.
Network Meeting in October 2026 in Kassel, Picture: Nini Skripietz
We want to give organizations supported by the funding program the opportunity to continue their professional development beyond the scope of the project funding, to exchange ideas with other self-organized groups, and to strengthen their organizations. To this end, the EVZ Foundation and the Freudenberg Foundation are offering an empowerment network. The network is designed to provide you with a variety of opportunities for professional development and strengthening through various formats. The accompanying program includes both annual network meetings and a digital offering on the EVZ Academy online platform.
The advisory program committee advises the foundation on the design of the program and selects projects for funding. By convening this committee, the EVZ Foundation actively supports the call by the Independent Commission on Antiziganism for greater participation by Sinti and Roma in the media, politics, academia, and public administration. The members of the 2026 committee are Benjamin Adler, Sabina Salimovska, Mareile Krause, Silas Kropf, and Edlira Majko. The following participation guidelines have been signed by the committee members:
Members of the Program Committee shall not participate in the formulation of a project idea nor in the decision regarding whether a project is submitted. They shall not receive any fees or salaries from the EVZ Foundation for projects funded by the program. They may be passive members of implementing organizations or serve on their supervisory or advisory boards. If such organizations submit a project idea, the relevant members of the Program Committee are excluded from deliberations on the project idea within the committee. Holding an active position at an organization during the application period (e.g., project manager, board member, executive director) results in the organization’s exclusion from funding. Cases of conflict of interest are reported to the EVZ Foundation.
© Stiftung EVZ/Emanuel Barica
"What attracted me to the program’s theme is the idea of self-determination as a shared process, not an individual one. In today’s world, many voices are still unheard or overlooked, so creating spaces where people can express themselves freely is essential.
In my illustration, I show a group of diverse individuals actively exchanging ideas, raising their voices, and shaping their environment together. The message is that participation is not passive, it is something we build collectively. Self-determination begins when people feel seen, heard, and empowered to act."
Emanuel Barica, visual artist and live performer, Berlin
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Senior Project Manager
Tel.: +49 (0)30 25 92 97-52
E-Mail: neidhart@stiftung-evz.de
