Heinrich Böll Motivation and Engagement 2027: Writing the Part That Decides

The online form asks for your CV, your motivation and an outline of your social and political commitment. The Foundation does not publish a word limit outside the form itself, so follow whatever the portal shows. What it does publish is what it looks for: a very good academic record, social commitment and political interest, a convincing reason for applying to Böll, and for PhD applicants a convincing project (official profile).

Know the values you are writing to

Böll names its focus areas plainly:

You do not need to cover all six. You need one or two that are visibly true of your life. A climate engineer who organised a campus energy audit and a lawyer who volunteered at a legal-aid clinic for women are both strong fits. Both are better than someone who lists all six values in one paragraph.

The commitment outline: evidence first

Reviewers see many applicants who “care deeply about sustainability”. What separates files is evidence. For each activity, give:

• What — the organisation or initiative, in one line
• Your role — founder, volunteer, coordinator, member
• Duration — months or years, and hours if it was intense
• Result — what changed: people reached, a policy adopted, an event run
• Who can confirm it — ideally your social-commitment referee

Two or three sustained commitments beat a long list of one-off events. Student government, union work, NGO volunteering, migrant support, environmental campaigns, feminist collectives and cultural projects all count. Paid jobs count only if they had a social purpose and you explain it.

Why Böll, specifically

Germany has 13 state-funded scholarship foundations. Reviewers want to know why you chose this one. Weak answer: “Böll offers generous funding.” Strong answer: you connect your work to the Foundation’s themes and say what you want from the scholar community — a working group you would join, a topic you want to debate, a network you want to build.

Read the idealistic support page and the Foundation’s mission statement before writing. Mention something specific that you found there, such as the scholar working groups.

Link engagement to your study plan

The motivation should explain why this German programme, and what you will do with it. The best letters draw one line: what you did at home, what you will learn in Germany, what you plan to do afterwards. If you will go back to work on renewable energy policy in your country, say so and name the kind of role.

Write it in German

Info sheet A1 asks for documents in German, and the final interview is generally in German. A clean, simple German text is better than an ambitious one full of errors. Have a native speaker check grammar, but keep the voice yours: interviewers will compare your writing with how you speak.

A simple structure that works

1. 1
   Opening: one concrete moment

   The project, problem or experience that explains your direction. Two or three sentences.

2. 2
   Your engagement

   The evidence above, in short paragraphs.

3. 3
   Your academic plan

   Programme, university, why it fits; for PhD, the research question in plain words.

4. 4
   Why Böll

   Values you share, and what you will contribute to the scholar community.

5. 5
   After the degree

   Where you want to work and how the scholarship gets you there.