Düsseldorf – November 06, 2026 -- The TARGOBANK Stiftung is funding nine water protection projects with about EUR 367,000 in its 2026 grant round, covering coastal protection, river and stream restoration and the rewetting of peatlands.
The projects are intended to improve natural water retention and make ecosystems more resilient to climate change, while securing habitats for animals and plants. Funded organizations include the Bergwaldprojekt, the BUND Auenzentrum, the Stiftung Biosphäre Schaalsee and the German Red Cross water rescue service (Wasserwacht).
Low river levels frame the funding round
The foundation cited extremely low water levels in the Rhine, Elbe and Danube, along with dried-out landscapes and growing water scarcity, as the backdrop for the round.
Nine-member jury selected projects in Düsseldorf in late September
The jury combined representatives of TARGOBANK and the foundation with PD Dr. Maren Striebel, a scientist at the University of Oldenburg. For the first time, a Deutschlandstipendium scholarship holder of the foundation, studying water sciences at the University of Duisburg-Essen, took part in project selection. The foundation's board made the final funding decisions in October on the basis of the jury's recommendations.
Isabelle Chevelard, chair of the executive board of TARGOBANK and of the foundation, said the bank's responsibility extends beyond its business activities and that economic success and social responsibility belong together.
Crédit Mutuel dividend scheme backs the foundation's EUR 10 million capital
Parent group Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale allocates 15 percent of its consolidated net income each year to social and environmental projects under its "societal dividend." Through that scheme, TARGOBANK raised the foundation's capital from EUR 1.5 million to EUR 10 million at the end of 2023. The foundation, established in 1986, has run an annual grant round with changing thematic priorities since 2024, alongside its work with fixed project partners.