Germany Close Up is financed by the German Government’s Transatlantic Program. This program draws on funds from the special assets of the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The funding received from the Transatlantic Program takes the form of a participant scholarship that covers two thirds of the participation costs.
Participants are required to cover the remaining third of their participation costs. This takes the form of a program participation fee. This fee varies from program to program and can be found on each program's individual Information page.
The participation fee coveres hotel accommodation (twin share, three star), most meals, transportation within Germany, and admission fees and event tickets. Not included in the fee are tips. Participants are asked to contribute 50 EUR (roughly US$55) for tips.
Participants do not pay their participation fee directly to Germany Close Up. Instead, this fee is paid indirectly in the form of a flight contribution, with all participants being requested to book and pay for their own flights. As the cost of flights often exceeds the participation fee, Germany Close Up is able to reimburse a set amount of these additional costs. Details on the reimbursement limits for a given program can also be found on the individual program pages.