The addressees of the 3rd Open Competition include public, academic and educational institutions, NGOs, foundations and local governments. Individuals can also apply for funding.
Applications can be submitted until 30 January 2026.
The deadline is determined solely by the date the application is received by the Centre. The date of postage by the applicant is not relevant.
The application and the documents constituting its attachments, as referred to in § 10 section 3 points 1–5 of the Regulations of the 4th Open Competition, must be prepared using the application generator available at: otwartykonkurs.mieroszewski.pl.
The application together with the required attachments must be completed in Polish and submitted either in paper form or as an electronic document.
A paper application (a generated PDF with a handwritten signature) must be submitted in person, via a postal operator, by courier service or by other means to the following address:
Centrum Dialogu im. Juliusza Mieroszewskiego
Department of International Projects
ul. Jasna 14/16A
00-041 Warsaw, Poland
An electronic document must be signed with a qualified electronic signature, a trusted profile or a personal signature. An application prepared in this way must be submitted via the application generator at otwartykonkurs.mieroszewski.pl.
An applicant may submit only one application.
Note: A scan of a generated application signed by hand and sent by email does not constitute a valid application submitted to the Open Competition within the meaning of the Regulations of the 4th Open Competition.
The amount of the grant cannot be used to purchase fixed assets and equipment, to rent and pay for the office, security and cleaning of the office, purchase of alcoholic beverages, etc. No reimbursement is allowed for costs incurred prior to the date of the project grant agreement or after the completion of the project, as specified in the project grant agreement.
The amount of funding granted by the Centre may not exceed 80% of the total project budget. Therefore, the applicant is required to provide an own contribution of at least 20% of the budget. The applicant’s own contribution may take the form of a financial, in-kind or personal contribution.
The own contribution may include, for example, voluntary work. Its value should be calculated by multiplying the minimum hourly wage by the number of hours worked by the volunteer in the implementation of the project (in 2026, the minimum hourly wage amounts to PLN 31.40). It may also include an in-kind contribution, such as providing access to premises or equipment necessary for the implementation of the project. Financial resources obtained by the applicant from other sources, as well as contributions made by project participants, are also considered an own contribution.
The Centre does not specify either a maximum or a minimum amount of funding that an applicant may apply for.
The applicant should take into account when planning the project that it must not be aimed at making a profit. In the event of the profit of the project, the entity receiving the funding is obliged to return the funding according to the rules set out in the public finance regulations.
Funds granted by the Centre may be used to cover the costs of domestic and international travel, accommodation and meals for project participants, as well as their fees, provided that these are included in the approved budget. In accordance with the Regulations of the Open Competition, such expenses are classified as substantive (programme-related) costs.
The funding may also be used to cover remuneration for persons involved in the implementation and administration of the project, as well as administrative and promotional costs, among others.
At the application stage, it should be taken into account that the completion date of the project cannot be later than 31 October 2025. The start date of the project is the date of conclusion of the project funding agreement.
1. Each application must be completed exclusively using the application generator available at otwartykonkurs.mieroszewski.pl. Applications prepared in any other way, for example using text editors or as handwritten documents, do not meet the formal requirements and will not be considered.
2. Incorrect form of signature
- lack of a handwritten signature in the paper version,
- lack of a qualified electronic signature, a trusted profile or a personal signature, and in the case of applicants from outside Poland – a facsimile signature,
- an application submitted as a scan of a handwritten, signed document does not constitute an electronic document.
3. Lack of authorisation to represent the applicant: failure to provide a document confirming the authorisation of the person signing the application on behalf of the applicant (e.g. a power of attorney or an organisation’s registration document).
4. Incorrect deadlines: submission of the application after the deadline specified in the Regulations.
5. Incorrect project implementation dates: the project must be completed no later than 31 October 2026, and settled no later than 15 November 2026.
6. Lack of own contribution: failure to indicate the applicant’s own contribution in the budget (minimum 20% of the total project costs).
7. Lack of detailed cost breakdown
8. Failure to meet eligibility requirements: the applicant does not belong to the group of entities entitled to submit applications.
9. Non-compliance with the cbjectives of the Competition: the project does not align with the objectives of the Competition as defined in the Regulations.
10. Incorrect contact details: missing or incorrect contact details of the applicant, preventing further communication.
11. Non-compliance with language requirements: the application or its attachments have not been prepared in Polish, where this is required by the Regulations.
12. Submission to an incorrect postal or electronic address
13. Outdated registration documents: attachments such as excerpts from the National Court Register (KRS) or other registers issued earlier than three months prior to the submission of the application.
Consequences of Formal Errors
- No possibility of correction: applications that do not meet the minimum formal requirements (e.g. lack of a signature or incomplete attachments) are rejected without a request for correction.
- Possibility of correction: in the case of minor deficiencies, the applicant will be requested to remedy them within 7 days of receiving the notification.
After the call for proposals is closed, the applications are subjected to formal assessment as described in § 19 of the Rules of Procedure for the Open Competition. Applications that meet the formal requirements are admitted to substantive evaluation by a selection board consisting of at least five members, appointed by the Centre's Director.
During a meeting of the selection board, each of its members presents his or her opinion on each application, after which, by way of discussion, the selection board adopts resolutions proposing the grant and the amount of the grant or refusal thereof.
After reviewing the evaluation of the application by the selection board, the Director of the Centre either grants funding in the amount proposed by the board or refuses to grant the project.
1. Formal Assessment
An application must meet the formal criteria in order to be admitted to the substantive assessment stage. The formal criteria include the following:
- the application has been submitted by an entity eligible to participate in the Competition,
- the documents attached to the application are complete and have been prepared in accordance with the requirements (e.g. project schedule, budget, declarations),
- the project provides for the applicant’s own contribution of at least 20% of the total budget,
- the application has been signed by persons authorised to represent the applicant,
- the project implementation period falls within the timeframe specified in the Regulations (no later than 31 October 2026),
- the application contains all required information and has been submitted within the deadline.
2. Substantive Assessment
Applications admitted to the substantive assessment stage are evaluated according to the following criteria:
A. Compliance with the objectives of the Competition
The project fulfils the objectives of the Competition, such as:
- promoting dialogue and cooperation between Poles and the nations of Eastern Europe,
- building intercultural ties with respect for national and cultural distinctiveness,
- counteracting stereotypes and disseminating knowledge about the history, culture and heritage of the nations of Central and Eastern Europe.
B. Substantive quality of the project
- clear and realistic definition of the project objectives,
- originality and innovativeness of the project,
- the project’s impact on target groups and the potential to achieve lasting results.
C. Feasibility of project implementation
- the project schedule and action plan are detailed, coherent and feasible within the proposed timeframe,
- the project budget is realistic and adequate in relation to the planned activities.
D. Budget efficiency
- the relationship between the financial resources allocated and the expected project outcomes,
- the rationality of expenditures in relation to the planned activities.
E. Scope of the project’s impact
- the number and diversity of participants or beneficiaries of the project,
- the possibility of continuing activities after the end of the funding period,
- the project’s impact on the development of dialogue and intercultural cooperation.
F. Experience and capacity of the applicant
- previous experience in the implementation of similar projects,
- the applicant’s organisational and logistical capacity.
In the case of applicants participating in the Open Competition more than once, the Competition Committee also takes into account whether the applicant duly and timely settled the funding received in previous editions of the Open Competition.
The date for the transfer of the funds granted by the Centre shall be specified in the agreement.
The entity receiving the funding is required to open a separate bank account dedicated to the handling of the grant and to make all payments from the Centre’s funding exclusively through this account.