Strategic Grants from Visegrad Fund

Description

1) Objective

The International Visegrad Fund is an inter­na­tional orga­ni­sa­tion based in Bratislava founded in 2000 by the gov­ern­ments of the Visegrad Group (V4) countries; the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Republic of Poland, and the Slovak Republic. The pur­pose of the Fund is to facil­i­tate and pro­mote the devel­op­ment of closer coop­er­a­tion among cit­i­zens and insti­tu­tions in the region as well as between the V4 region and other coun­tries, espe­cially in the Western Balkan and Eastern Partnership regions. Strategic Grants support project proposals addressing annual strategic priorities of the Visegrad Group. Entities from all four Visegrad Group (V4) countries must be actively involved in each proposed project.

Strategic Grants priorities are:

• Returning to the roots: Projects focusing on emphasizing cooperation of all V4 members in the Visegrad region, also in the context of the 20. anniversary of the IVF’s establishment
• Small things matter: Projects focusing on cooperation at the local level aiming to enhance already established contacts as well as developing new initiatives. Also projects enhancing the IVF’s visibility at the local level
• 30 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain – civil society matters: Projects focusing on the importance of development and cooperation of civil societies within V4 and the neighbouring regions EaP and WB6

2) Eligibility

Any legal entity is eligible for funding if applying on behalf of a justifiable consortium of project partners. Preference is generally given to groups of non-governmental, civil society organizations (CSOs), public educational, cultural, research and scientific institutions, municipalities and local governments. As a rule, the project must be implemented by at least three organizations (including the applicant) from three different V4 countries.

3) Location

It is compulsory to secure participation of subjects from at least three different V4 countries (an organiser and at least two project partners); with the exception of Cross-Border Cooperation where cooperation of two countries is sufficient (organiser and a single project partner) and the Visegrad Strategic Program where all four V4 countries must be represented). Applicants are, however, strongly encouraged to involve project partners from all four Visegrad countries: Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Czech Republic.

4) Budget

Strategic Grants are designed for longer project duration (12–36 months), offer higher financial support (ca. €40,000 on average per project), and are recommended for more experienced grantees.

5) Application

The following are annual deadlines for submission: February 1, June 1, October 1. The application is done online.