KfW 230 — Environmental Innovation Program Grant Route (Umweltinnovationsprogramm)

KfW 230 — BMUV Environmental Innovation Program is KfW's route for large, first-of-its-kind environmental pilot projects in Germany. It sits under the Federal Environment Ministry and is technically reviewed by the Umweltbundesamt before the ministry makes the funding decision. The program covers wastewater treatment, waste management, circular economy, air quality, climate protection, noise reduction, energy efficiency, and resource conservation, so it is aimed at projects that can show a public environmental benefit as well as a technical leap. Applicants can choose between a direct grant of up to 30 percent of eligible costs and a subsidized loan covering up to 70 percent. The grant route is the true non-repayable option, while the loan route carries the same program code but different financing mechanics. Eligible applicants include commercial enterprises with German operations, municipally owned companies, and public authorities, and the project must go beyond normal technical standards or combine known technologies in a new way. The technology also must not already have been implemented by the applicant or related companies anywhere in Germany or abroad. The process is deliberately staged: a project sketch goes first to KfW, then UBA technical review, then formal application and final ministry decision. That makes the program a better fit for teams that already have engineering work, site access, and a clear demonstration concept rather than early-stage idea work. The strongest submissions usually read like implementation plans with a credible pilot site, explicit performance targets, and a technology package that is genuinely new for the applicant.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.