International Visegrad Fund Strategic Grants Program

Deadline: 01-Feb-2025

The International Visegrad Fund is pleased to announce the Strategic Grants Program to support project addressing annual strategic priorities of the Visegrad Group.

Strategic Priorities

• Promoting volunteering in the V4 region
  • Intensifying cross-border volunteering in the V4 region and/or improving conditions for both volunteers and the respective host institutions.
• Promoting shared values
  • Strengthening relations between civil societies in the Visegrad region in the context of the 25th anniversary of the Visegrad Fund’s establishment.  Supporting projects that promote shared cultural and historical values.
• Supporting water management and flood protection cooperation in the region
  • Promoting joint water management and flood protection initiatives. Fostering collaboration on disaster preparedness and climate resilience across Visegrad and neighbouring countries.

Eligibility Criteria

• Any non-governmental, legal entity from any country can apply for support if they fulfil the partnership criteria. The Fund’s main targets are civil society organizations (CSOs), public educational, cultural, research and scientific institutions, municipalities, and local governments, but market actors, e.g., companies – especially innovation and startup-related ones – are also eligible, if their project is of nonprofit character.
• Natural persons (individual citizens) or institutions of state administration directly subordinated to the state and its bodies, e.g., ministries, government and state agencies, embassies, etc. can neither apply nor be valid project partners.
• Private entrepreneurs are not eligible to apply or be partners.
• Subjects that possess full or partial independence from state administration and possess self-governance (such as universities, academic, artistic, social, educational, cultural, research and/or science organizations, municipalities, and local governments, etc.) can apply for the Fund’s support.
• If the applicant is a research or higher education institution with several organizational units (e.g., universities, academies of science, etc.), they are obliged to indicate the name of the smallest possible organizational unit (institute, department, etc.) entrusted with the project’s implementation. Without this information, the application will not be considered eligible. When choosing the appropriate unit, make sure that they are entitled, according to their internal rules, to independently apply for project funding.
• Should an overlapping larger unit (e.g. a faculty of the university) have a running grant in the same grant scheme that the applicant wishes to apply for, it is the responsibility of the applicant to make sure that the running project is administered by a separate subunit (e.g. the applicant is a department under a faculty which already has a running project – a clear separation of subunits will be necessary to make the new proposal eligible).
• Consortia of organizations of which 2 or more are based in different Visegrad countries
• All types of non-governmental, civil society organizations (CSOs); municipalities and local governments; schools, higher education institutions; research and scientific bodies and public institutions are eligible as lead partner (applicant) and partners in the consortia.
• Market actors, e.g., companies – especially innovation and startuprelated actors – with a legal entity are also eligible, but only if their Visegrad project is of nonprofit character

Ineligibility Criteria

• Institutions directly under state administration (ministries, government agencies, embassies, state-funded cultural institutes, state-owned companies)
• Natural persons (individual citizens)
• Private entrepreneurs with/without a legal entity

Conditions

• Projects must develop meaningful cooperation and ensure active participation of organizations from all V4 countries
• Maximum duration of projects is 36 months, minimum is 12 months
• Grants cover up to 100% of project budget with 15% for overheads
• Projects must clearly address one of the annual strategic priorities of the Visegrad Group

For more information, visit International Visegrad Fund.