Funding for greening, green roofs and desealing

In brief. For greening, green roofs and desealing there is no single "greening programme", but rather a combination of federal, state and municipal pots. At federal level, the BMWSB programme "Adapting Urban and Rural Areas to Climate Change" mainly finances capital investment in blue-green infrastructure; state programmes such as the NRW Klimaanpassungsrichtlinie fund desealing and rainwater management; and many municipalities run their own grant programmes for private roof and facade greening. All work with windows and budgets. Last reviewed: August 2026, check day-to-day availability with the relevant body.

Why this matters for your municipality. Greening and desealing are visible, effective adaptation measures: they cool, retain rainwater and improve the townscape. Precisely for this reason, the funding pots are in high demand, and often oversubscribed. Knowing at which level which measure is funded lets you shape your project correctly and also decide whether the municipality should launch its own grant programme for residents and businesses.

What does the federal government fund for greening and desealing?

The central federal instrument is the BMWSB programme "Adapting Urban and Rural Areas to Climate Change", administered via the BBSR. It funds capital investment measures in blue-green infrastructure, such as green and open spaces, desealing, water retention, as well as preparatory and accompanying services. Further funding rounds are common in such programmes, but not guaranteed; the budget is currently tight. The DAS funding scheme can also cover nature-based measures if a suitable window is open.

What do states and municipalities fund?

At state level, North Rhine-Westphalia's Klimaanpassungsrichtlinie (KA-RL) covers, among other things, measures for infiltrating, evaporating, storing and safely discharging rainwater; desealing and green roofs often fall under this in substance. In addition, many municipalities run their own funding programmes, often for private roof and facade greening or desealing of existing surfaces, sometimes co-financed with state funds. These municipal grants are often the most direct route for residents and businesses. If your municipality is planning such a programme, designing it is itself a fundable task within adaptation management.

Which pot fits which measure?

Rule of thumb: large, municipal investments in public green and open spaces fit better with the BMWSB programme or the state guideline. Small, private greening projects are usually funded by municipalities through their own grant programmes. Desealing can fall into either category depending on scale. Because responsibilities overlap, it is worth looking at all three levels, while checking that the same costs are not funded twice.

The honest limitation. Funding for greening and desealing is in high demand and correspondingly scarce; the BMWSB most recently reported high demand from municipalities. Windows close once funds are exhausted, and a grant is never guaranteed. We do not promise approval. In addition, the programmes vary considerably by region; what applies in NRW is regulated differently elsewhere.

When KomAdapt is worthwhile. The "Funding Roadmap & Reporting" module assigns your greening and desealing projects to the matching programmes at all three levels, federal, state and municipal, and links them with the exposure analysis that many applications require. This shows you which area fits which pot.

_Is there a nationwide funding programme for green roofs?_ No single programme specifically for green roofs. At federal level, the BMWSB programme funds capital investment in blue-green infrastructure, which can include green roofs. For private green roofs, municipal grant programmes are usually the route. Last reviewed: August 2026. _Who funds desealing?_ Desealing is funded at several levels: the BMWSB programme for larger municipal projects, state guidelines such as the NRW KA-RL, and municipalities' own programmes for smaller areas. _Should our municipality launch its own greening programme?_ This can make sense to engage residents and businesses; many municipalities do so, sometimes with state co-financing. Designing such a programme is itself a task within adaptation management. _How high are grants for greening?_ This varies greatly by programme, from fixed amounts per square metre in municipal programmes to percentage funding rates in state and federal programmes. Binding figures are only found in the applicable guideline. _Is the BMWSB programme still open?_ Most recently, the fifth tranche ran with around 80 million euros in federal funds; the deadline for project outlines ended on 3 July 2026. 326 outlines were received with an investment volume of 928 million euros, demand clearly exceeding available funds. Whether another round will follow is announced by the BMWSB via the BBSR. Check the current status at [anpassung-klimawandel.bund.de](https://anpassung-klimawandel.bund.de).

Incoming links to be set from: climate-adaptation-funding, desealing-potential-funding, sponge-city-principle.