Building Cultures of Remembrance (BCOR)

The BCOR Next Generation Cooperation Grants support projects that pass on the knowledge, skills, and experiences of remembrance professionals to a new generation of practitioners, students, and young professionals working in remembrance culture and corporate social responsibility. 

Projects may include workshops, trainings, educational programs, public events, mentorship activities, or other innovative approaches that engage high-school youth, college youth, recent graduates, and young professionals. Priority will be given to projects that build professional skills and use novel pedagogies to engage young people in remembrance culture.

In 2026, the BCOR Next Generation Cooperation Grants will provide funding for projects that use the knowledge and expertise of the remembrance practitioners to benefit young people and emerging practitioners in the fields of remembrance culture and corporate social responsibility.

Projects may include workshops, trainings, educational programs, public events, mentorship activities, or other innovative approaches that build professional skills and engage young people with remembrance culture and historical legacies.

Projects that use novel pedagogies to engage high-school youth, college students, and recent graduates in these topics are particularly encouraged. Projects that include international knowledge transfer (from the context of one country to another) are especially encouraged.

The BCOR Next Generation Cooperative Grants are generously funded by the Allianz Foundation North America. Projects may be implemented in any of the U.S. cities served by the Allianz Foundation North America, with special focus on:

• Minneapolis/St. Paul
• Toronto
• Richmond
• Washington, DC
• New York
• Baltimore
• Chicago
• San Francisco

The grants are intended to support activities that have a clear and measurable benefit for young people and that build upon the expertise, relationships, and lessons developed through the BCOR network.

Grant awards will range from $5,000 to $10,000 per project, depending on the proposed level of impact, the number of young people reached, and the professional skills the project develops.

• Pass on knowledge, experience, and professional skills to students and young professionals seeking careers in the remembrance culture space
• Build the skills and capacity of the next generation of practitioners working in remembrance culture
• Engage high-school students, college students, recent graduates, and young professionals in questions of remembrance, historical legacies, and corporate responsibility
• Support innovative workshops, trainings, educational activities, and other approaches that introduce young people to remembrance work
• Strengthen connections among practitioners, educational institutions, civil society organizations, and others active in remembrance culture
• Expand the reach and impact of BCOR beyond the participants of the transatlantic exchange
• Create tangible results that contribute to a more inclusive and responsible culture of remembrance

Professionals active in the remembrance culture and corporate social responsibility spaces active in the United States, Canada, or Germany may apply for a Next Generation Cooperation Grant.

Applicants may include members of the broader network engaged in remembrance work in the United States, Canada, and Germany, including practitioners, organizations, educators, and other professionals whose proposed activities align with the goals of the grant program.

Priority Areas:

• Develop the professional skills of students and young professionals pursuing careers in remembrance culture.
• Provide workshops, trainings, or other skill-building opportunities.
• Introduce young people to remembrance culture and the responsible engagement with historical legacies.
• Use innovative or novel educational approaches to engage high-school students, college students, or recent graduates.
• Create opportunities for participants to learn from practitioners with experience in remembrance culture and corporate social responsibility.
• Build connections between young people and the wider BCOR network.
• Demonstrate a clear potential for continued impact beyond the grant period.

Individual cooperation grants in 2026 will range from:

$5,000 – $10,000 per project

Awards will be determined based on:

• The anticipated impact of the proposed project
• The number of young people reached
• The professional skills and competencies developed
• The strength and feasibility of the proposed activities
• The project’s contribution to the goals of BCOR

The BCOR Next Generation Cooperative Grants are generously funded by the Allianz Foundation North America.

Applicants must demonstrate a clear connection to the remembrance culture and/or corporate social responsibility fields and present a compelling project that advances the goals of the BCOR Next Generation Cooperation Grants.

Applications should demonstrate:

• A clear project purpose and target audience
• A focus on students, young professionals, high-school youth, college youth, or recent graduates
• A clear connection to remembrance culture, historical legacies, corporate social responsibility, or related areas of professional practice
• A detailed description of planned activities
• The anticipated number and profile of young people reached
• The professional skills, knowledge, or competencies participants will develop
• A realistic implementation plan and timeline
• Clearly defined expected results and outcomes
• The potential for the project to strengthen or expand the BCOR network

Apply Here

The deadline for submitting applications is August 31, 2026 (applications must be received by midnight, U.S. Eastern Time)

Each year, BCOR brings together 16 participants for two joint trips, to explore remembrance work in the U.S. and Germany and draw lessons for the present and future. The goal is to foster professional exchange across borders and to build a new transatlantic network of experts.

In 2025 and 2026, the program will focus on the intersection of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and remembrance work. Together, we will explore the role of corporate responsibility in strengthening social cohesion, critically examine the importance of addressing (company) histories, and discuss lessons from the past that can inform both corporate and societal action today.

BCOR consists of two study tours and includes a series of expert meetings, visits to memorial sites and documentation centers, as well as group reflection sessions. Selected participants are expected to actively engage in the program and, where possible, present and discuss their own projects or project ideas with the group. Participants exchange experiences, compare existing structures and practices in the U.S. and Germany, and explore ways in which remembrance work can be integrated into responsible corporate practice. The program is conducted in English.

The BCOR Transatlantic Exchange program is funded by the Transatlantic Program of the Federal Republic of Germany with funds from the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, as well as the Hans & Berthold Finkelstein Foundation.

In the professional exchange taking place in 2026/2027, special emphasis will be placed on how the private sector can address historical legacies, demonstrate social engagement, and take responsibility in the present. Together with representatives from the private sector, as well as remembrance practitioners from civil society and academia, we will explore approaches and opportunities to learn from the past and take action in the here and now.

The U.S. study tour will take place from November 15 – 22, 2026. The program takes place in Atlanta.

The study tour in Germany is scheduled for September 13 – 20, 2026. The program takes place in Frankfurt and Berlin.

• Participants are expected to contribute their subject-matter expertise to the group and discuss their insights in regional, national, and transatlantic contexts.
• They will summarize their experiences in a final report that outlines their key learnings and how these can inform their professional practice.
• Participants will become part of a sustainable network of experts.
• Participants are encouraged to integrate what they have learned into their ongoing professional work.

• Gain insights into approaches to remember historical legacies in the United States and Germany.
• Discuss successful methods for addressing historical legacies.
• Explore opportunities to connect remembrance work and corporate engagement.
• Build a transatlantic network of experts and a platform for mutual learning.
• Strengthen awareness of shared values and foster transatlantic solidarity.
• Enhance awareness of corporate responsibility and providing professional development opportunities for civic learning in the transatlantic sphere.

Each year, eight participants from the United States and eight participants from Germany will be selected to participate in the program, selected through an open call for applications conducted by Cultural Vistas. 

Applications are being accepted from:

• Employees of companies and organizations working in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) who have a professional interest in remembrance work
• Employees of companies and organizations that are critically engaging with, or planning to engage with, their own corporate history
• Remembrance practitioners from civil society and academia who have a professional interest in collaborating with the private sector to promote remembrance work and civic engagement
• Individuals with a demonstrated professional interest in remembrance work related to addressing historical legacies in Germany and the United States (e.g., remembrance practitioners, historians, curators, researchers, artists, policy advisors, etc.)

• Monday, May 25, 2026 – Sunday, July 12, 2026: Application period
• Week of July 13, 2026: Participant selection by Cultural Vistas 
• Week of July 20, 2026: Final participant confirmation & notification 
• Week of July 27, 2026: Deadline for selected applicants to confirm their participation 
• September 13-20, 2026: Germany study tour
• Sunday, November 15, — Sunday, November 22, 2026: U.S. study tour
• December 2026: Virtual program reflection

The application phase for the 2026 BCOR program has ended.

Since 2025, the BCOR Transatlantic Exchange program has been funded by the Transatlantic Program of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the Hans and Berthold Finkelstein Foundation.

Previous iterations of the program had been funded by the Transatlantic Program of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, and the Heinrich Böll Foundation North America.

The program covers the costs of international and domestic travel to the program locations, accommodation during the program, breakfast and lunch, all local transfers, accident and health insurance, as well as all meetings and site visits included in the program.