SOCIAL AND SUPPORT FUND
SOCIAL AND SUPPORT FUND
In addition to the regular funding provided by the Elite Sports Scholarship, the Social and Support Fund scholarship recipients in special life situations. The fund provides quick and easy assistanceshould additional financial burdens arise during their studies or athletic career—such as due to injuries, unexpected expenses, or special personal challenges.
The goal of the fund is to provide support to athletes in such situations and to continue to enable the successful combination of elite sports and academic studies.
From left to right: Nicole Schroedel (BNP Paribas Wealth Management - Private Banking), Dr. Sarah Tapp (Foundation University of Mannheim), Sabrina Scherbarth (Managing Director Foundation University of Mannheim, Serafin Schefold (Scholarship Holder), Frederic Krahn (BNP Paribas Wealth Management - Private Banking), Sarah Seidl (Overall Coordinator Sportstipendium MRN), Larissa Schilde (Dual Career Advisor University of Mannheim) in front of the Mannheim Castle.
NEW SPONSOR FOR THE SOCIAL AND SUPPORT FUND OF THE ELITE SPORTS SCHOLARSHIP
Support from the Social and Assistance Fund, financed by BNP Paribas Wealth Management - Private Banking, is available to all sports scholarship recipientsif they have to cover exceptional expenses themselves, such as costs for competitions, equipment, or training camps. A total of €25,000 is available for this purpose, spread over five years.
“For us and our customers, the values of performance, safety, and freedom are of particular importance. That is why we decided to support this initiative, because it embodies both our values and the qualities of a top athlete,” says Marcel Becker, Head of Private Banking Germany at BNP Paribas. “With our contribution, we want to give student elite athletes a little more security so they have more freedom to train and thus achieve their peak performance.”
Sarah Seidl, Executive Director of the Sports Scholarship and Commissioner for Elite Sports at University of Mannheim, is delighted about the funding, which is distributed through the University of Mannheim Foundation: “Due to their participation in elite sports, our scholarship recipients face a monthly financial burden that is approximately 300 euros higher. Often, the cost of equipment, travel to and from competitions, and training camps can no longer be covered by the clubs. That is why we are very grateful that, with the support of BNP Paribas Private Banking, we can provide our scholarship recipients with financial assistance as they pursue their dual careers.”
Frederik Krahn (Director at BNP Paribas Wealth Management) and Sarah Seidl (Managing Director of the Elite Sports Scholarship) at BNP Paribas in Frankfurt am Main on September 23, 2025.
Establishment of the Social Fund in 2015
The Social Fund, which has been in existence since 2015 Social Fund was initially endowed with 2,000 euros by Bethmann Bank AG . Because “Clubs and associations have fewer and fewer financial resources at their disposal. As a result, they are increasingly passing costs on to the athletes,”, explained the overall coordinator Sarah Seidl. In some cases, training camps and travel to and from competitions must be self-funded. In recent years, this—along with family reasons, for example—has already left several scholarship recipients in dire straits.
To prevent students from dropping out due to financial concerns or dropout from competitive sportthe social fund was set up for the scholarship holders. The 2,000 euros provided annually by Bethmann Bank AG for this social fund were available in full exclusively to elite athletes studying at the universities of Mannheim and Heidelberg, the Mannheim Business School and the Heilbronn universities.
From left to right: Klaus Greinert (partner and managing director of the Spitzensport Scholarship), Markus Heilig (branch manager for Stuttgart and Mannheim at Bethmann AG), Sven Klotz (asset manager at Bethmann Bank AG), Henrik Westerberg (Dietmar Hopp Foundation).
DETAILS OF THE GRANT
One scholarship holder reports:
"In the context of the U23 European Championships 2019, I incurred financial costs that were not covered by the corresponding German sports federation. These costs consisted of the immediate preparation for the competition as well as the travel to and the stay at the competition site. Unfortunately, my club at the time did not provide any financial support, so I had to cover the entire costs privately. As an athlete who is not sponsored by Sporthilfe, whose only financial support comes from the Elite Sports Scholarship Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, such large sums of money present a great challenge. This additional burden makes the athletic career of a young athlete enormously difficult. For this reason, it was a great relief for me to receive financial backing."
Background
What may seem like a sure thing from the outside hides many worries and burdens that come to the surface precisely when an athlete is about to take the big, decisive step of competing at the national level. This significant step is made possible in part by individual support programs such as the Social Fund. As a result, athletes do not have to end their journey to the top for financial reasons, but instead have the chance to focus entirely on their actual task—delivering outstanding performance.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Student elite athletes who wish to apply for support from the Social Fund should contact the relevant elite sports coordinators
Larissa Schilde
(University of Mannheim),
Kathrin Igel
(University of Heidelberg) or
Jan Willner
(Heilbronn Universities).
On request, you can find out which documents have to be submitted in detail.
ELITE ATHLETICS SCHOLARSHIP PARTNERS WITH BNP PARIBAS WEALTH MANAGEMENT - PRIVATE BANKING
What does the support provided by the Social and Support Fund actually entail?
The video provides insights into the funding structure and includes specific examples:
We would like to express our sincere gratitude for this wonderful opportunity to provide athletes with timely, needs-based support in exceptional circumstances.