International Visegrad Fund: grants for Ukraine 2026

The International Visegrad Fund distributes 11 million euros a year for regional cooperation across Central and Eastern Europe. For Ukrainian organisations, it is one of the few donors with a simple, clear application process, and Ukrainian applicants take part on equal terms with partners from Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary. The Fund has run since 2000, and it remains the only permanent institution of the Visegrad Group.

One condition applies to almost every programme: you build the project together with partners from the V4 countries. Under the Visegrad+ Grants scheme, Ukraine gets a simplified format: one Ukrainian organisation as the applicant plus two partners from V4 countries. Below we cover how the Fund works, which programmes are open in 2026, how to find a partner, and which thematic areas give you the best chance of support.

What the International Visegrad Fund is

Four V4 governments founded the Fund in 2000: Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. Its headquarters, in turn, sit in Bratislava. The annual budget stands at 11 million euros, and all four governments contribute equal shares. Because it is the only institutionalised form of V4 cooperation, the Fund runs on stable state funding, so there is no risk of a sudden shutdown.

Two bodies make the decisions. The Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs approves the budget and the rules. The Council of Ambassadors signs off on the final list of projects. Day-to-day work sits with the executive director, whose post rotates between the countries every three years. Since English is the Fund’s official language, applicants file every application and run all communication in English.

In total, the Fund covers projects in seven thematic areas: culture and common identity, education and capacity building, innovation and entrepreneurship, democratic values and the media, public policy and institutional partnership, regional development plus environment and tourism, and social development. NGOs, municipalities, universities, and schools can apply, and so can private companies, as long as the project stays non-profit.

The application system stays transparent. Deadlines are fixed and repeat three times a year. The Fund publishes programme rules in advance, applicants submit through the My Visegrad online portal, and results come out 60 days after the deadline. Historically the Fund has approved roughly one in three applications, so the odds here look more realistic than in many large European competitions.

Which grant programmes are open in 2026

The Fund takes grant applications three times a year: on 1 February, 1 June, and 1 October, by 12:00 Central European Time. Specifically, the submission window opens 30 days before each deadline. As of July 2026, the nearest open deadline is 1 October 2026, and its window opens in early September. Each organisation may file only one application per deadline.

Visegrad Grants

This is the core programme for cooperation inside the V4. A project has to bring together at least three organisations from three different Visegrad countries. Bilateral cross-border cooperation between two neighbouring V4 countries also qualifies, as long as the project runs within a 40 km radius of the border and tackles a local issue. The grant covers up to 100% of the budget plus up to 15% for administrative costs, with a typical size of 25,000 to 35,000 euros and a duration of up to 18 months. A Ukrainian organisation can join as a partner.

Visegrad+ Grants

This is the most important programme for Ukraine. It supports projects that contribute to democratic and reform processes in the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans regions. The standard consortium format is three V4 organisations plus one from an Eastern Partnership country. For Ukrainian applicants, however, a simplification applies: one Ukrainian organisation as the applicant and two partners from different V4 countries is enough (the 1 UA + 2 V4 format). The grant size and funding terms match Visegrad Grants: 25,000 to 35,000 euros, up to 100% of the budget, and up to 18 months.

Strategic Grants

This is the largest programme, aimed at experienced grantees. All four V4 countries must take part, and the project has to match the annual strategic priorities of the Visegrad Group. The 2026 priority is V4@35: Generation Future, which focuses on academic mobility, joint educational platforms, and discussions about the region’s future. The project budget usually runs from 35,000 to 45,000 euros, with a duration of 12 to 36 months.

Beyond grants, the Fund runs mobility programmes. The V4 Generation youth line funds short-term exchanges for young people aged 12 to 30 (up to 10,000 euros per project). Separately, the Visegrad Scholarship Program supports Master’s students, doctoral candidates, and postdocs who want to study or do research at V4 universities. The scholarship call opens every spring, with a deadline around mid-April, so the next window is expected in 2027.

The main condition: a V4 partner, and how to find one

No grant programme funds a single organisation’s project. So a partnership with V4 countries is always mandatory. For a Ukrainian organisation under Visegrad+ Grants, that means finding two partners, one from each of two different Visegrad countries. The partner has to be a real participant with its own tasks, because the Fund checks the quality of the cooperation rather than a signature on paper.

Here is where to start your search for a partner:

The Fund’s project database

The site visegradfund.org holds an open database of funded projects. Find initiatives in your theme there and see which V4 organisations ran them. As a result, you get a ready list of active partners who already know the Fund’s rules and have reporting experience.

University international offices and Erasmus+ networks

If you are a university or a research centre, your international office already has contacts in Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary through Erasmus+ and earlier projects. Those connections translate directly into a partnership for the Visegrad Fund.

Thematic and sector networks

Cultural, educational, and human rights networks often cover the whole of Central Europe. Museum associations, theatre platforms, education coalitions: each one has members from V4 countries ready for joint applications. A sector conference or festival also works well as a place to meet a future partner.

Direct outreach to organisations in the V4

Find 5 to 10 organisations in your theme in each V4 country and write to them with a short description of your idea. Start the search 2 to 3 months before the deadline, since agreeing on roles, budget, and letters of intent takes time.

Before you apply, the Fund allows up to two free consultations on your project idea. You can book them no later than 14 days before the deadline, after sending a draft application in advance. As a result, you lower the risk of a formal rejection because of a badly structured partnership.

Which areas give the best chance of success

Every project has to match one of the Fund’s seven thematic areas. For Ukrainian applicants, three of them have worked best historically: culture and common identity, education and capacity building, and cross-border cooperation within regional development. These themes fit the Fund’s mission naturally, since it grew around cultural and educational ties between Central European countries.

For example, cultural projects cover shared heritage, translations, film, and museum or arts initiatives. Educational ones, in turn, cover exchanges, joint learning platforms, and skills for young people and educators. For Visegrad+ Grants, democratic values and the media carry particular weight, because support for civil society, free speech, and access to information lines up directly with the programme’s goal for Eastern Partnership countries.

Notably, the main scoring criterion is so-called “Visegrad value”: how real and useful the cooperation between organisations from different countries actually is. Applications where the partnership looks artificial, and where the result comes down to a single event, score low. Strong projects show a concrete, measurable outcome and explain how the cooperation will continue after the grant ends.

Finally, one more requirement is easy to miss: the project has to be non-profit. Companies and startups can apply too, but only if the specific activity funded by the grant does not generate profit. The financial plan also has to stay within the 15% cap on administration, with the rest of the costs tied directly to the project goals.

A strong application starts with a clear idea. Before you look for partners, define the problem, the solution, and a measurable result. Shaping a project idea: where a strong proposal begins →

The International Visegrad Fund is a logical entry point for a Ukrainian organisation that wants to start with a real regional project. In fact, budgets here are smaller than in Horizon Europe, yet the rules are simpler, competition is lower, and participation stays open on equal terms with V4 partners. The nearest deadline, 1 October 2026, gives you enough time to assemble a consortium and prepare an application for the September submission window.