Funded by the German Federal Government, the Service and Competence Centre for Municipal Climate Action (SK:KK) provides cities with technical and financial support for their climate activities, as well as general advice and networking opportunities, which helps to incorporate local experiences into national policy-making processes. Additionally, the German Federal Environment Ministry’s National Climate Initiative (NKI) awards national funding directly to municipal climate measures, supports municipal climate strategies and provides funding to local climate managers, thereby building longer-term capacities and competencies. The NKI has funded more than 32,000 projects, worth EUR 1.07 billion between 2008 and 2019, which have unlocked total investment worth more than EUR 3.5 billion and has contributed to mitigating 13.8 million tonnes of carbon equivalent (net over the duration covered).