With the funds from the Patriotic Fund, beneficiaries were able to purchase real estate that they would use for commercial purposes and that they would not be able to sell for five years. However, some foundations and associations used the support they received to purchase real estate that did not meet their needs. One example is the Independence Service Foundation, which purchased a studio with an area of approximately 24.5 square meters for over PLN 490,000. PLN (with a subsidy of approx. PLN 449,000) and another, with an area of approx. 35 m2 for PLN 480,000. PLN, the purchase of which was financed by the fund. A recording studio was to be built in the first studio and a conference and training center in the second. However, the latter was too small, so the foundation had to rent a conference space, the rent also being paid for with funds received from the Patriotic Fund.
In 2021, the National Guard Association, which received PLN 1.7 million from the Fund, acquired real estate for this amount to set up a training centre and a rescue base there. The property required additional equipment, for which the association also received funding in the amount of PLN 450 thousand zloty. The property, purchased and renovated with funds from the Patriotic Fund, was then used as a place to accommodate war refugees from Ukraine.
Patriotic Fund. What was the budget money used for?
The Supreme Audit Court also raised doubts about the equipment purchased by the beneficiaries of the Patriotic Fund. The National Guard Association purchased two radio stations and four drones with additional equipment (for PLN 72.5 thousand). However, the association did not have the necessary permits for the use of such equipment, and in the case of drones – operators with the required permits.
The rules of the Patriotic Fund provided for the obligation to make its own contribution for projects worth more than PLN 0.5 million. The Action-Life Foundation covered one of the tasks for which it received support from the fund with its own contribution from funds obtained in 2023 from the Prime Minister’s Office, although the contract concluded with it did not provide for such a possibility. With funds from the Prime Minister’s Office, the foundation purchased IT equipment, on which it spent about PLN 420,000. PLN, including, among others: eight mobile phones (some for almost PLN 10,000 each), two tablets and eight laptops (including those for more than PLN 28,000 each).
The NIK auditors also checked whether the beneficiaries of the Patriotic Fund complied with the principles of transparency in the implementation of the co-financed tasks. And it turned out that nothing was correct, because requests for proposals were not published on the websites of these organizations. “The Independence March Association, the Andegavenum European Heritage Institute and the Youth Initiatives Foundation made purchases for a total amount exceeding PLN 820,000. PLN, disregarding the rules ensuring competitiveness, which violated the agreements concluded with the Institute,” according to the report of the Supreme Audit Office.
