Travel Grants

We are convinced that all young people should have the opportunity to experience Europe1  – regardless of their social and regional origin, their school background or their financial means.
With the travel grants, our grant holders travel the continent independently and deal with current political and social issues, which they record in the form of video reports. They are the ones who tell Europe boldly and in new ways, making it more inclusive.

We explicitly support Europeans who have been able to travel abroad little or not at all. Applications from young people with migration and refugee backgrounds, from rural areas, from vocational schools and with a secondary school diploma are encouraged to apply and will be given special consideration.
The following applies to the scholarships: Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 27 at the time of travel and must be citizens or have their main place of residence in one of the EU countries or in the following countries (according to Interrail policy): Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar , Iceland, Isle of Man, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Russia, Moldova, San Marino, Switzerland, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City or Belarus.

Any country participating in the Interrail Global Pass offer. An updated, detailed country overview can be found here. Please make sure that you only include countries in your application where the Interrail Global Pass is valid. Note: The Interrail Global Pass is valid for two journeys in your home country (exceptions: Russia, Republic of Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine, Albania), ideally for the route to the border station and back from the border station.

The application is filled out using an online form on the Schwarzkopf Foundation’s website. All relevant links and information will be published there. The call is open from May 26th to June 11th, 2024 (23:59 CET).

The travel grant will be awarded in the form of a digital Interrail Global Pass, 2nd class, worth 522€ , valid for travel within a period of 1 month and valid for 33 European countries including Turkey. For information on the conditions of the digital Interrail Global Pass (mPass), please refer to www.bahn.de/interrail and www.interrail.eu 

Travel must begin no earlier than July 7th, 2025 and must be completed by October 31th, 2025. The total duration of the trip is a maximum of 1 month. You must at least travel for three weeks. Exceptions for two weeks travel time are possible.

No. The Interrail Global Pass includes two journeys in the country of residence: a journey to a border station on the departure and a journey from a border station to the place of residence on the return. It cannot be used for any travel within the country of residence.

No. Travelers determine the start of the 1-month period of validity of the Interrail Global Pass within the travel period (see point 6.) themselves. The last possible starting date is October 1st, 2025.

The trip must be planned and carried out independently. According to the regulations, parents can take two children with them free of charge, see regulations here.

No. The Interrail Global Pass should only be used for a personal travel project that addresses the personal project question indicated in the application.

No. All information on supplements, reservation costs and procedures can be found here. Costs for seat and/or night train reservations must be borne by yourself.

No. All costs for accommodation and meals are to be paid by the travel grant holders themselves and will not be covered by Deutsche Bahn or the Schwarzkopf Foundation.

The travel grants are intended to give those who have not been able to travel, or have only been able to travel very little, a chance to do so. We would like to know why this trip is important to you, what your background is and what your exact project plans are. We also value existing knowledge of video content creation and political and societal interest.

Travel scholarship holders are exclusively based on the written online application. If you have previously received a travel grant from the Schwarzkopf Foundation, you cannot reapply. This year’s theme is:  Resilience for a Better Future.

After receiving an email confirming your selection, you will receive the award conditions by carefully reading the travel conditions as they are binding on the trip. After signing and returning them to Armin Begić  (a.begic@j-i-k.de) by June 23rd2025, all travelers will be provided with an Interrail Global Pass order form, which you should fill out and send to the International Helpdesk of Deutsche Bahn.

The digital pass is created by Deutsche Bahn’s International Helpdesk via the Eurail system and travelers receive an email with a code for uploading the digital Interrail Global Pass in the „Rail Planner“ app. Travelers determine the start of the 1-month period of validity of the Interrail Global Pass within the travel period (see point 8.) themselves. The last possible starting date is October 1st, 2025.

A preparatory meeting for all scholarship holders will take place online on July 3rd 6:00 p.m. CET+++ 2025. One meeting will be offered in English, and a second meeting may be held in German. Participation is mandatory.

Each travel grantee must submit a video report, to which they commit by signing the grant conditions. The video report must be submitted no later than two months after the end of the trip. In the event of non-compliance, the value of the tickets received must be reimbursed. The form of a video report is mandatory.

We will upload selected videos to the Schwarzkopf Foundation’s social media channels, including our YouTube channel. The contributions can also be used for Deutsche Bahn press work. The travel grant holders agree that their report will be published on the websites of Deutsche Bahn and the Schwarzkopf Foundation, or in printed form, by signing the General Terms and Conditions.

If you have any questions before, during or after the trip, please contact  Armin Begić (a.begic@j-i-k.de). For technical questions about the Interrail Global Pass please contact the International Helpdesk of Deutsche Bahn (sales@dbitalia.it) or the Eurail customer dialogue (eurail.zendesk.com).