Ministry of Defence to give out €320,000 in grants to NGOs this year

The SVK Ministry of Defence will give out grants to NGOs to see their meaningful projects through to completion. Compared to last year, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď has decided to increase the amount of grants available more than threefold, in other words, this year the MOD is to disburse €320,000 in grants to NGO projects. The deadline for sending applications is 31 March 2021.

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “Support for cooperation with non-governmental, non-profit organisations is of immense importance to Defence. I'm very pleased that we've managed to increase the size of grants which we want to give to help fund interesting and meaningful projects. I guess there will be no shortage of applicants. Thanks to distributing these financial resources among NGOs, we will contribute to fulfilling one of our goals – to arouse interest in and raise public awareness of the themes our Ministry lives as business as usual.” He went on to add that those eligible to apply for grants, i.e. civic associations, foundations, non-investment funds and non-profit organisations should send written applications.

The MOD plans to support projects aimed at educational events, military themed activities and training for young people, cultural, social and sporting activities which motivate Slovak citizens towards patriotism and which raise greater public awareness of NATO and EU issues, as well as promoting the SVK Armed Forces, catering for the cultural, spiritual and social needs of regular soldiers, reservists and veterans, and supporting top level and high performing sportspeople and sporting talents.

Also eligible for grants are NGOs that can facilitate the staffing and recruiting process in the SVK Armed Forces or protect and develop military cultural and historical heritage, with special focus on military history. Grants may also be awarded to cover the costs associated with participation in events organised by international organisations working closely with armed forces, including membership fees.

To provide guidance for applicants, the MOD has set out 15 priority areas for projects. These include increasing public interest in defence as a way of addressing threats; new technologies and communication channels; servicewomen in the SVK Armed Forces; domestic crisis management after COVID-19; the future of NATO and European defence; building resilience against hybrid threats – the fight against the 21st century infodemic; security and defence implications of climate change on SVK Armed Forces operations and capabilities development; promoting SVK military history; and building, restoring and maintaining military memorials and museums.

Any further enquiries and applications for grants should be sent by email to dotacie@mod.gov.sk. More detailed information on grants can be found on the MOD website at Žiadosti o dotácie.