Small seeds, big impact
01 Jun 2026
Ilona Jehn (centre) accepted the award and the prize money of 5,000 euros together with representatives of the other four award-winning universities at the network meeting at the University of Stuttgart. Photo: Daniela Aldinger/Stifterverband
The communication campaign "Krautfunding" by Fulda University of Applied Sciences has been honoured in the nationwide competition "Deutschlandstipendium Stories" organised by the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft. Ilona Jehn from Fulda University of Applied Sciences accepted the award and the prize money of 5,000 euros at the annual nationwide network meeting Forum Deutschlandstipendium at the University of Stuttgart.
Alongside four other universities, Fulda University of Applied Sciences was honoured for its innovative approach to attracting new sponsors for the Deutschlandstipendium and combining regional ties with creative communication. The campaign is based on an unusual but deliberately low-threshold concept: herb seed packets symbolise growth, development and the funding of young talent. The campaign was supplemented by flyers, personal talks at regional courses and a crowdfunding campaign via the "Partner der Region" platform. This created an easy way for citizens, enterprises and supporters from the region to get directly involved with students at Fulda University of Applied Sciences.
"With 'Krautfunding', we wanted to show that even small contributions can have a big impact together," explains Sabrina Dörr, who, together with Ilona Jehn and Christina Diel, is in charge of the Deutschlandstipendium programme at Fulda University of Applied Sciences. Dörr adds: "The award confirms that creative and personal approaches can motivate people to take responsibility for education and talent development."
The impact of the campaign is already very tangible. "The crowdfunding has funded an additional Deutschlandstipendium scholarship. At the same time, the campaign increased the visibility of the Deutschlandstipendium in the region and brought new supporters into contact with Fulda University of Applied Sciences," emphasises Dörr.
The competition jury particularly highlighted the successful combination of analogue and digital communication measures. The possibility of implementing the concept at other universities was also positively assessed.
Fulda University of Applied Sciences will continue to develop the campaign and present it at the Hessentag in Fulda, among other events. There, "Krautfunding" will be presented as an example of how regional networks, creative ideas and social commitment can jointly contribute to the funding of young talent. By further expanding the network of committed sponsors, Fulda University of Applied Sciences aims to facilitate additional scholarships in the long term and further strengthen the regional anchoring of the Deutschlandstipendium.
In addition to the Fulda University of Applied Sciences, the following universities were honoured by the Stifterverband: International School of Management, Bergische Universität Wuppertal, HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen and Würzburg-Schweinfurt University of Applied Sciences.