🌟 Keep Calm, we are building an AI for you. Join our FREE Community 🙂
Vielfalt stiften 2027: Paid Foundation Placements in Germany
Vielfalt stiften 2027: Paid Foundation Placements in Germany
5 min read
Updated
NBy Naman Kumar
Page Summary⌄
Paid placements: Participants receive compensation linked to Germany's statutory minimum wage for their placement working hours.
Who can apply: Bachelor’s students, graduates, Master’s or PhD students, and eligible early-career professionals with a personal or family migration biography.
Duration: Most placements last around three months and begin in January 2027.
Programme format: 40 hours per week, combining foundation work with workshops, seminars and professional development.
Deadline: Current applications close on 18 October 2026.
Table of Contents
The Vielfalt stiften programme offers paid placements at German foundations for students, graduates and early-career professionals with a personal or family migration biography.
Most placements start around 15 January 2027 and normally last three months. Participants gain practical experience inside a German foundation while also taking part in workshops, seminars and networking activities.
Applications for the current January 2027 cohort close on 18 October 2026, and the programme recommends applying early because applications are reviewed while the selection process is being prepared.
Vielfalt stiften at a Glance
Information
Details
Programme
Vielfalt stiften
Provider
Deutschlandstiftung Integration
Country
Germany
Opportunity type
Ready to Start Your German Study Adventure?
Explore our university finder tool to discover the perfect German university for your academic goals and preferences.
Naman Kumar has lived in Germany for over eight years and has spent more than five years helping international students navigate German universities, courses, scholarships, and admissions. Having studied in Germany himself and received scholarship support, he combines first-hand experience with practical guidance. He has supported more than 200 students in finding suitable study and funding opportunities in Germany.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Get the latest updates on studying in Germany, visa changes, and scholarship opportunities.
By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and consent to receive updates from our company.
Paid foundation-sector placement programme
Target group
Students, graduates and early-career applicants with a migration biography
Typical duration
3 months
Working time
Full-time, 40 hours per week
Placement work
32 hours per week
Additional programme
Approx. 20% of programme time
Compensation
Linked to statutory minimum wage for placement working hours
Start
January 2027
Application deadline
18 October 2026
Application language
German
Application method
Online
The programme is run by Deutschlandstiftung Integration and supported by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, Stiftung Mercator and ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS.
What is the Vielfalt stiften programme?
Vielfalt stiften is designed to help young people with migration biographies enter Germany's foundation and nonprofit sector.
Participants complete a paid placement at a participating foundation and gain direct experience in areas such as project management, communications, funding programmes, social impact and foundation management.
The programme also includes workshops and seminars covering professional development, diversity and the German foundation sector. After completing the placement, alumni can also access optional mentoring with experienced professionals from foundations and philanthropy.
For the January 2027 cohort, participating organisations include placements associated with foundations such as the Deutsche Telekom Stiftung, Stiftung Mercator, Bundeskanzler-Helmut-Schmidt-Stiftung, Crespo Foundation, Kommunale Stiftungen MĂĽnster and others. Individual requirements differ by placement.
Is Vielfalt stiften a paid programme?
Yes. Participants receive compensation linked to Germany's statutory minimum wage for the hours spent working at the host foundation.
The programme is full-time at 40 hours per week. According to Deutschlandstiftung Integration, approximately 32 hours per week are placement working hours, while the remaining programme time is used for the accompanying educational programme.
The official programme does not publish one fixed monthly gross salary, so applicants should check the individual placement details rather than assuming a specific monthly amount.
Who can apply for Vielfalt stiften?
The programme is primarily aimed at people between 18 and 35 years old with their own or a family migration biography.
Applicants should generally fall into one of these groups:
- current Bachelor’s students - Bachelor’s graduates - Master’s students or graduates - PhD students - graduates entering professional life - young professionals with a university degree.
A key eligibility criterion is having a personal or family migration experience or biography. The programme specifically aims to increase representation of perspectives that are underrepresented in Germany's foundation sector.
Applicants should also demonstrate motivation, openness to new perspectives and an interest in learning about foundation work.
Social or community engagement is valued. This can include traditional volunteering, civil-society involvement, care work, support work or other forms of contribution to the public good.
Can international students apply?
The official programme information does not specify a general nationality requirement.
However, applicants must meet the programme's migration-biography requirement and the criteria of the individual placement.
The working language in participating foundations is German, and applications in English are explicitly not accepted. Applicants therefore need sufficient German to complete the application and work effectively during the placement.
Applicants studying in Germany who are unsure about residence or work-permission requirements should check their individual situation before accepting a placement.
Do you need to be currently enrolled at a university?
No. Vielfalt stiften accepts both students and people who have already completed their university studies.
However, individual host foundations may set additional requirements for a particular placement, so applicants should always read the specific vacancy before applying.
Still studying or planning your next degree in Germany?
Explore relevant programmes and universities based on your academic background.
What documents are required?
Applicants need to prepare one PDF of up to 10 MB containing:
- a motivation letter of no more than 3,000 characters including spaces - a tabular CV - highest school-leaving certificate - university degree certificate, if available - or a current Transcript of Records - additional relevant certificates or supporting evidence, where applicable.
The application form also asks for information about your education, practical experience and migration biography.
Importantly, the online application cannot be saved and continued later, so applicants should prepare all documents before starting the form.
How to apply for Vielfalt stiften 2027
The selection process has two main stages.
Step 1 - Choose a placement:
Review the available foundation placements and check the specific responsibilities and eligibility criteria.
You may apply for more than one placement, but each opportunity requires a separate application with complete documents.
Step 2 - Prepare your application:
Create your motivation letter, CV and supporting documents and combine them into one PDF.
Your motivation letter should clearly explain: - why you are interested in the specific foundation - what you can contribute - your relevant academic or practical experience - why you are interested in the foundation sector.
Step 3 - Submit the online application:
Complete the official Deutschlandstiftung Integration application form and upload your PDF.
After submitting, applicants receive an email confirmation.
Step 4 - Attend the selection interview:
Shortlisted applicants are invited to a selection interview.
For the January 2027 cohort, interviews are expected to take place between 9 and 20 November 2026. The application portal states that selected candidates may be invited to a digital introductory interview.
Application deadline
18 October 2026 is the main deadline for the currently advertised January 2027 placements.
The programme recommends submitting applications early because applications are reviewed continuously while the selection process is prepared.
Some individual foundation opportunities may have different deadlines, so always check the specific placement page before applying.
Important things to know before applying
You cannot complete the programme part-time. The placement and accompanying programme together require full-time availability of 40 hours per week.
German is important. English-language applications are not accepted because German is the working language at the participating foundations.
You can apply to multiple foundations. However, every placement requires a separate complete application.
Requirements vary by placement. Your field of study does not appear to be restricted at programme level, but individual foundations may look for specific skills, interests or academic backgrounds.
