Swiss Funds for Poland: 19 Cities One Step Away from Huge Cash Prizes

• The Urban Development Programme is part of the Swiss-Polish Cooperation Programme, i.e. the so-called Swiss Funds for Poland.
• Experts from the Association of Polish Cities and Swiss experts will assist cities in preparing complete project proposals.
• The 19 cities with the highest scores on the ranking list were invited to submit Complete Project Proposals, i.e. detailed applications for funding.

The Urban Development Program is part of the Swiss-Polish Cooperation Program, also known as the Swiss Funds for Poland. It supports the development of medium-sized cities at risk of marginalization. Under the program, cities have applied for tens of millions of złoty for their projects – ranging from PLN 51 million to over PLN 80 million. These funds will be used to invest in a higher quality of life.

The common denominator of all projects is the development of cities. The goal is to make them better places to live and to prevent unfavorable trends, such as the exodus of residents to larger towns.

The range of projects that cities want to implement is wide - from investments in the modernization of water and sewage systems, renovation of parks, insulation of schools, to the purchase of new buses, replacement of lighting or reconstruction of intersections .

The recruitment process began in March 2024. 139 medium-sized cities were eligible to participate, as they were classified by the National Regional Development Strategy (a government document defining the directions of regional policy) as cities losing their socio-economic functions or at risk of losing them.

In the first stage, cities submitted Initial Project Proposals (IPPs). They had until January 16, 2025. 119 cities submitted their applications. 117 passed the formal evaluation. External experts then conducted a substantive evaluation. This resulted in a ranking list, approved by the Steering Committee.

The 19 cities with the highest scores on the ranking list were invited to submit Complete Project Proposals (FPPs), detailed applications for funding. They have until November 17, 2025, to submit their applications. Five cities were placed on a reserve list.

Experts from the Association of Polish Cities and Swiss experts will assist cities in preparing complete project proposals.

Five cities—Świętochłowice, Żagań, Nowa Sól, Konin, and Sandomierz—were placed on the reserve list. This means they can also work on project proposals . If savings are achieved among the 19 finalist cities' projects, the cities on the reserve list have a chance to receive funding. The final funding amounts in all cities will depend on state aid regulations.

Cities can obtain funding for expenses that will be incurred by the end of March 2029 (when the so-called eligibility of expenses ends).

The program is part of the Swiss-Polish Cooperation Program, also known as the Swiss Funds for Poland. It supports the development of medium-sized towns at risk of marginalization.

The programme budget is 327.882 million Swiss francs, or approximately PLN 1.5 billion, including:

• 278.7 million Swiss francs (1 billion 282 million PLN) - Switzerland's contribution,
• 49.182 million Swiss francs (226.2 million PLN) - national contribution.

The programme is managed by the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy.

The Swiss-Polish Cooperation Programme (colloquially: Swiss Funds, Swiss Programme) is a programme under which funds allocated by Switzerland for the development of our country are shared.

Switzerland has allocated 320.1 million Swiss francs (approximately PLN 1.47 billion) to Poland for the Swiss-Polish Cooperation Programme. This amount includes the national contribution, bringing the total to 375.458 million Swiss francs (approximately PLN 1.72 billion).