Over €100 thousand in government funding for sports initiatives by Lithuanians abroad
The Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport has allocated more than €103 thousand to support sports projects carried out by Lithuanian organisations abroad. These funds were distributed through a competitive grant process to 20 physical activity initiatives in the diaspora.
The maximum amount of funding available, €10,000, has been awarded to the British Lithuanian Sports Association which is organising the British Lithuanian Sports Games 2026. The initiatives that received the biggest funding also include the project “Healthy Lifestyle and Creativity Camp” by the Colorado Lithuanian School in the U.S., which was awarded €9,900 for its implementation.
Significant support was provided to the Greek Lithuanian community’s project “Let's Move Together: Sports and Fellowship Days of Greek and Cypriot Lithuanians 2026,” which received €8,500; the first padel tournament organised by the Lithuanian community in Spain, which was allocated €8,200; the Lithuanian Irish community’s family sports festival was given €7,800.
Funding has been allocated to initiatives by Lithuanian communities in Ireland, Austria, Belgium, Greece, Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, Sweden, and Germany. These funds will be used to rent and acquire sports facilities and equipment, to insure events and participants, and to purchase promotional items and small prizes.
Applications for the Ministry’s annual calls could be submitted by Lithuanian communities abroad, sports organisations, other non-governmental organisations, and Lithuanian-language schools. In evaluating the projects, the greatest emphasis was placed on how the proposed activities will foster Lithuanian identity, on community members’ involvement in sports festivals and events, on the provision of physical activity opportunities for community members of various age groups and levels of experience, and on whether the continuity of the planned activities is ensured.
Only those organisations that had settled their accounts for the previous year’s projects in a timely and proper manner were eligible for funding. High-performance sports and commercial projects are not funded through this competitive grant process.
In total, 27 sports projects from Lithuanian communities abroad and Lithuanian-language educational institutions applied for funding in this year’s call, with a total requested amount of over €225 thousand.
This year, funding for sports projects for Lithuanians living abroad has more than doubled compared to last year, when the Ministry allocated €45,500 for the implementation of the projects.
Through a competitive grant process, the Ministry also funds non-formal Lithuanian-language education projects at Lithuanian schools abroad. In 2026, €740 thousand were distributed among 109 educational projects. The funds will be used for improving professional qualifications of teachers at Lithuanian-language schools, for children’s and youth camps, educational/exploration trips for children and young people, creative workshops, meetings with Lithuanian writers, and other activities that foster Lithuanian identity.
World Lithuanian Sports Games / Photo by S. Čirba