USAID has not operated in Slovakia for years. (source: TASR/AP)
Slovakia’s ruling coalition has seized on the recent halt in US foreign aid to renew its attacks on Slovak non-governmental organisations (NGOs), reports the Denník N daily. Prime Minister Robert Fico claims that funds from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) were misused to support certain political parties. However, USAID has not operated in Slovakia for years.
Most US grants come through the State Department or the US Embassy in Bratislava, and have benefited institutions such as universities and NGOs like Cesta von (Way out), which aids the Roma community, and the Slovak Debate Association. The latter used funding for workshops on media literacy and grant writing. "We are now uncertain whether the embassy can cover the remaining costs," said association director Ondrej Schütz.
US funding comes from different sources
"It is undeniable that financial resources from USAID were used in Slovakia for political purposes, with the aim of distorting the political system and favouring certain political parties," Fico wrote in a letter to Elon Musk, who now heads the US government pseudo-department DOGE, complaining about how USAID money was used.
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok also suggested that NGOs like the Denník N daily, the Open Society Foundations, and Transparency International were directly funded by USAID. However, publicly available records show that USAID does not send funds to Slovakia. Instead, US grants come mainly from the Departments of State and Defense.
For example, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra received $350,000 from the US Air Force to conduct research on speech and trust, while the Technical University of Košice (TUKE) secured $150,000 for mathematical research.
Small grants for meaningful projects
The Slovak Debate Association received $100,000 for TechCamp Slovakia, which trained teachers in media literacy and digital tools. "These are small, meaningful projects aimed at improving education," Schütz emphasised.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights League, which supports migrants, was funded not by USAID but by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)."The aim of the project is to help build the capacity of law enforcement authorities in Slovakia, judges, and labour inspectorate employees who have the power to investigate transnational crimes," said communications manager Tomáš Kušnír.
Other groups, including PDCS – Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia, received grants to strengthen local governance and prevent extremism. "We regret the political narrative that paints this as something negative," said director Lukáš Zorád, noting that Slovakia lacks specialists in violence prevention.
A $55,000 grant also supported Denník N’s Corruption News Filter, which was previously free but is now behind a paywall following the suspension of aid.
