Croatian Catholic Mission in Vienna receives largest diaspora grant

The Central State Office for Croats Abroad has allocated €1.8 million this year for programs of 126 Croatian diaspora organizations in European and overseas countries.

The largest grant, €50,000, went to the Croatian Catholic Mission in Vienna for the renovation of its premises and digitalization, CE Report quotes HINA.

Seven thousand euros less, or €43,000, was awarded to the Croatian Civic Association Jadran in Argentina for celebrating the anniversary of Croatian institutions and preserving Croatian identity in that South American country.

Six programs, or their proposers, received €40,000 each. These include the Croatian Home from Mendoza, Argentina, to strengthen ties with other Croatian associations in the region; the Estadio Croata Sports Club from Chile for improving its facilities; the St. Leopold Mandić Social Catholic Association from Bolivia for the “Mobility for Solidarity” program, i.e., the purchase of a vehicle for the association; the Croatian Parish of St. Jerome in Chicago and the Croatian Catholic Mission in London for the renovation of the parish center and mission house, respectively; and Revelin Media from Germany for organizing the 20th anniversary of Domovnica, the election of the most popular Croats abroad.

Seven organizations and their programs received €35,000 each. Among them are the Honorary Bleiburg Guard from Austria for commemorating the 81st anniversary of the Bleiburg tragedy and the Way of the Cross of the Croatian people in Austria and for expanding the chapel at Bleiburg Field; the Society of Croatian Catholic University Students and High School Students from Argentina for a program to strengthen Croatian identity among youth; the Croatian Club in Antofagasta, Chile, for “Steps of the Homeland” – a Croatian folklore seminar; the Croatian Pastoral Vicariate “St. Leopold Mandić” from Lima for church roof repairs; the short film Daisy by Sestra Films Pty Ltd from Australia; the Croatian Cultural Community in Hamburg; and NK Croatia from Heilbronn, Germany, for the renovation of club facilities.

Eight organizations and their programs received less than €5,000. These include AMCA from Toronto for organizing an Elis Lovrić concert, the Croatian Cultural Community in Calw, Germany, for renovating club spaces, the Croatian Firefighting Society “Dalmacija” No. 5 from Chile for expanding the Croatian Firefighting Museum, the Australian-Croatian Media Network for highlighting its activities and expanding the Croatian community radio (all €4,000 each), the Society of Friends of Matica hrvatska of British Columbia for the 54th Croatian Book Week, the Croatian Cultural Association Velebit from Germany for a bilingual website (Croatian and German) (€3,000 each), and Matica hrvatska from Munich and the Paraguayan Croatian Association for traditional celebrations of St. Martin and for the book Croats in Paraguay: History, Identity and Contributions from 1734 to 2024 (€2,000 each).

The minimum amount that associations could apply for and contract per project was €1,000, and the maximum was €50,000.

This year, the Office allocated €600,000 more for programs of Croatian diaspora organizations in European and overseas countries than last year, when €1.2 million was provided for the same purpose.

As reported by CE Report, Croatian sport had a successful 2025, with record investment in infrastructure, clubs, and associations.

foto HINA / Denis CERIĆ