{"id":29838,"date":"2026-09-14T11:01:04","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T09:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/?post_type=press_release&p=29838"},"modified":"2026-09-22T11:19:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T09:19:16","slug":"rewe-group-supports-cologne-cultural-fund","status":"publish","type":"press_release","link":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/press-and-media\/newsroom\/press-releases\/rewe-group-supports-cologne-cultural-fund\/","title":{"rendered":"REWE Group Supports Cologne Cultural Fund"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The City of Cologne, the REWE Group, and the K\u00f6lner Kulturrat e. V. are creating the Cologne Cultural Fund, a new funding instrument for the independent cultural scene. Many federal and European Union programs require applicants to contribute 10 to 40 percent of the project costs. This is precisely where the Cologne Culture Fund comes in: It provides the necessary matching funds, thereby enabling cultural professionals to apply for federal and EU grants. If the requested grant is approved and the total funding is secured, the fund pays out the promised matching contribution. The REWE Group lays the financial foundation with a contribution of 100,000 euros.<\/p>\n

For many cultural professionals and smaller cultural organizations, the required co-financing has thus far been a major hurdle. Even if a project is compelling in substance, has the potential to drive social change, or can generate international impact, it is often not even submitted for funding in the first place because the required matching funds are lacking. The Cologne Cultural Fund closes this funding gap: This way, every euro invested can mobilize many times that amount in additional funding.<\/p>\n

Culture is an important factor in Cologne\u2019s appeal as a city. It makes our city a great place to live, brings people and ideas together, and contributes significantly to Cologne\u2019s appeal. The fact that the REWE Group, as a Cologne-based company, is committed to culture in our city and is thereby opening up additional funding opportunities is a strong sign of corporate responsibility,<\/q> says Torsten Burmester, Mayor of the City of Cologne.<\/p>\n

The idea for the Cologne Culture Fund arose from a specific need within the independent arts scene. Time and again, we\u2019ve seen that ambitious projects couldn\u2019t be submitted because the required matching funds were missing. The fact that we\u2019ve now created a solution for this together with the REWE Group and the Cologne Cultural Council is an important step. The fund makes it possible to secure additional funding for Cologne and opens up new opportunities for our cultural actors,<\/q> says Stefan Charles, Deputy Mayor for Art and Culture.<\/p>\n

Culture fosters connection and makes Cologne vibrant and diverse. As a company with deep roots in Cologne, we want to help ensure this strength of our city is preserved for the long term. With the Cologne Cultural Fund, we\u2019re closing an important funding gap and laying the groundwork for additional funding to flow to Cologne. In this way, we aim to make more cultural projects possible. At the same time, this is an invitation to other companies to join us in supporting Cologne as a cultural hub. Because the more partners who take on responsibility, the more we can achieve for the cultural diversity and future of our city,<\/q> says Lionel Souque, CEO of the REWE Group.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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from left to right: Bruno Wenn, Chairman of K\u00f6lner Kulturrat e.V., Lionel Souque, CEO of the REWE Grou, Dr. Juana von Stein, Director of the City of Cologne\u2019s Department of Culture, Torsten Burmester, Mayor of the City of Cologne, Stefan Charles, Deputy Mayor for Art and Culture<\/p>\n<\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Private Commitment Meets Public Expertise<\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s how it works: Cultural organizations submit an application to the K\u00f6lner Kulturrat e. V. requesting coverage of the required co-payment. The K\u00f6lner Kulturrat e. V. accepts the application and forwards it to the City of Cologne\u2019s Office of Cultural Affairs for a technical review. The Cultural Affairs Office assesses the project\u2019s general eligibility for funding as well as the plausibility of the planned application at the federal or EU level.<\/p>\n

If the Cultural Affairs Office\u2019s expert assessment is positive, the Cologne Cultural Council issues a conditional funding commitment in the form of a letter of intent for the required self-financing contribution. The funds are disbursed once the requested federal or EU funding has been approved and the project\u2019s overall financing is secured. In this way, the model combines private commitment with the technical expertise of the cultural administration and the administrative implementation by the Cologne Cultural Council.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Cologne Cultural Fund Open to Additional Funding Partners<\/h2>\n

The REWE Group\u2019s commitment marks the start of a long-term funding model. Other companies and foundations are expressly invited to participate in the Cologne Cultural Fund. Together, they can help bring additional funding to Cologne and sustainably strengthen the independent arts scene\u2019s innovative spirit, international networks, and cultural diversity.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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About the Cologne Cultural Fund<\/h2>\n

The Cologne Cultural Fund is an initiative of the City of Cologne\u2019s Cultural Affairs Office and the REWE Group. The Cologne Cultural Council (K\u00f6lner Kulturrat e. V.) provides administrative support. The REWE Group is the fund\u2019s first funding partner, contributing 100,000 euros. Participation in the fund is open to other companies and foundations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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About REWE<\/h2> <\/div>\n
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    With sales of 31.6 billion euros (2024), more than 170.000 employees and over 3,800 REWE stores, REWE Markt GmbH is one of Germany\u2019s leading food retail companies. REWE stores are run as subsidiaries or by independent REWE retailers.<\/p>\n

    The cooperatively organised REWE Group is one of the leading trade and tourism groups in Germany and Europe. In 2024, the company generated a total external turnover of around 96.1 billion euros. Founded in 1927, the REWE Group has around 380,000 employees and operates in 21 European countries.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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    Contact<\/h2>

    \n Johanna Freimuth <\/p>\n\n

    Spokesperson <\/p>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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      15 June 2026<\/p>\n

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      Join the discussion on <\/h2>\n
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      Our LinkedIn feed has all the latest information from the REWE Group and the sector, with the most important developments from the worlds of retail, e-commerce, food, CSR and policy.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

      \n \n To LinkedIn feed <\/a>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

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      Funding model helps the independent arts scene attract federal and EU funding to Cologne<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":29786,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"17002,20063,20314,1375,9055,10859","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","nl_adhoc_sent":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"sales_line":[19],"focus_theme":[142],"class_list":["post-29838","press_release","type-press_release","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-company","sales_line-rewe-group","focus_theme-undefined"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_release\/29838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press_release"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_release\/29838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29850,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_release\/29838\/revisions\/29850"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29838"},{"taxonomy":"sales_line","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sales_line?post=29838"},{"taxonomy":"focus_theme","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/focus_theme?post=29838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}