A device for ventilating a vehicle seat, said device comprising: a cushion (12) which is elastic with respect to a user contact and which is designed to form a seating surface and/or a contact surface (24) for the back, said cushion having an air flow channel (16, 17) which forms an air outlet (15) in the direction of the seating surface and/or contact surface for the back; a cover unit (18) designed to at least partially cover the air outlet, the unit being air-permeable, rigid and preferably having a lattice-type construction; and a fan unit (14) which is associated with the air flow channel and which has an electric motor-driven fan rotor (30) and a fan housing (32), some sections of which housing radially surround the fan rotor. The cover unit and the fan unit are mutually spaced (d) along the air flow channel and preferably are secured to or in the cushion without a direct connection to sections of said cover unit and fan unit. Preferably, a mechanical connection between the cover unit and the fan unit is achieved only by a flexible, rubber-elastic material, especially preferably a foam-type material of the cushion (12).