EU EXTERNAL DONORS
Visegrad Fund
The Fund is an international donor organization, established in 2000 by the governments of the Visegrad Group countries—Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia to promote regional cooperation in the Visegrad region (V4) as well as between the V4 region and other countries, especially in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions. The Fund does so by awarding €8 million through grants, scholarships and artist residencies provided annually by equal contributions of all the V4 countries. Other donor countries (Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States) have provided another €10 million through various grant schemes run by the Fund since 2012.
Visegrad Grants
Visegrad grants support regional partnerships among NGOs and civil society organizations, public institutions and municipalities, private companies, and non-profit organizations as well as education and research centres that contribute to cooperation in the Visegrad region. Projects must develop meaningful cooperation and active participation of organizations from at least 3 of V4 countries: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia.
To apply for Visegrad Grants, your project must address one of the objectives of the grant program from one of seven focus areas eligible for funding, some of these are:
- Culture and Common Identity: Increased awareness of cultural diversity and cross-border intercultural dialogue; Increased awareness of common heritage, including history and contemporary art; Increased promotion of common identity and heritage inside and outside of the V4 region; Larger volume of common cultural productions reaching out to new audiences.
- Education and Capacity Building: Improved hard /soft skills for a better access to labor market, lifelong learning and internship programs; Strengthened cooperation among educational institutions; Increase in the volume of common formal, informal and non-formal educational tools and teacher training opportunities; Increased sharing of best practices in the dialog among decision-making bodies, municipalities, schools and families; Increased awareness of cultural diversity and cross-border intercultural dialogue.
- Public Policy and Institutional Partnership: Increased awareness and active involvement of civil society in policy-making processes with emphasis on youth; Increased capacity building of civil servants; Creating new approaches to existing regional public challenges; Creating common advocacy strategies addressing regional issues.
- Social Development: Promotion of tolerant and inclusive mindset in society, protection of minorities; Deepened inter-generational understanding and dialogue; Improved regional strategy and policy for demographic and other social and economic challenges; Increased awareness and practice of a healthy and active lifestyle and reduction of substance abuse.
The deadline for the call is the 1st of June 2021. The budget may vary from 10 000 EUR to more than 30 000 EUR. Maximum duration of project implementation is 18 months Grants can cover up to 100% of project budget with 15% for overheads.
For more information, please visit the Visegard Fund’s website.
To learn more about current calls for proposals or Eurodiaconia’s funding events, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Policy, Projects & Research Officer Vera Nygard at vera.nygard@eurodiaconia.org and our Projects Assistant Giorgia Signoretto at giorgia.signoretto@eurodiaconia.org.