The Central State Office for Croats Abroad has allocated €906,000 to support projects of interest to the Croatian diaspora and their non-profit organisations, as well as to financially assist socio-economically disadvantaged individuals.

This funding comes from a planned budget of one million euros.

A total of 216 projects, proposed by organisations and individuals, received support from the Office. Additionally, approximately 70 financially vulnerable Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Kosovo received one-time financial aid.

The highest possible grant of €20,000 was awarded to a single project, the Charitable-Cultural Meetings of the Croatian Community in New South Wales and Canberra, submitted by the Croatian Catholic Centre “Mary Queen of Croats” from Wollongong, Australia.

The Cultural and Assistance Society Croatian Home in Montevideo, Uruguay, received €14,000 for activities marking the 96th anniversary of the organisation.

Two projects in Serbia received €12,000 each: one for organised student transportation by the Croatian National Council in Subotica, and the other for the project Srijem Diocese Through History – A Legacy for the Future, submitted by the Srijem Diocese in Srijemska Mitrovica.

The Association of Returnees of Displaced and Refugees from Northwest Posavina “Posavljak” Bijelo Brdo in Derventa was granted €11,000 for the completion of works on the external square, a space for gathering and unity of Croats in Bijelo Brdo.

Ten thousand euros each were allocated to the Local Community Donja Blatnica, Čitluk in BiH for the renovation and interior works of the local Cultural Center, and to Marina Stojak from Salzburg for CroExpress – An Informative Media for Croats Abroad.

Other projects received less than €10,000, with the smallest grants of €1,000 going to projects such as Croatian Puppet Aid by the Association of Puppeteers Stribor from Zagreb, I Want to Stay by Jelena Glavaš from Grude, and the Little Cookbook for Diaspora Children by Anastasya Ležaić from Belgium.

One-time financial aid for around 70 socio-economically disadvantaged Croats outside Croatia, in BiH, Kosovo, and Serbia, range from €350 to €1,200.

The Central State Office for Croats Abroad allocated these funds based on a one million euro public call issued in February, the most significant in the past decade. The previous call in October last year was worth €880,000, and the one before that was €800,000.