As of July 28, 2026. Both programs are recurring, but the next edition – referred to below provisionally as the 2027 edition – has not yet been announced. We are a pump manufacturer and distributor, not a grant consultant – this text is for informational purposes only, and the only binding documents are those published by the Marshal’s Office of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship.
Who this document is for
The text is intended for municipalities, counties, and water companies preparing an application for the next call for applications. We have compiled in one place the rules arising from resolutions of the Sejmik of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship, the regulations of the climate program, and the application and agreement templates, and then compared them with the course of application periods from 2022–2026. You will find deadlines, funding limits, catalogs of eligible and ineligible costs, a list of attachments, and the most common reasons for rejecting applications – together with an indication of which document establishes each obligation.
We devote a separate section to water management in eligible projects: draining a section of a ditch before desilting it and rainwater retention systems in blue-green infrastructure. This is the only section in which we speak from the perspective of a manufacturer – the remaining sections present a compilation of official provisions.
Two programs, two separate procedures – a comparison
A common misunderstanding is to treat both programs as two versions of the same instrument. In reality, they are administered by separate departments of the office, and the programs differ in their legal basis, groups of beneficiaries, application periods, and rules for disbursing funds.
| Mazowsze for Land Reclamation | Mazowsze for Climate | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can submit an application | Water companies operating in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship | Municipalities and counties in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship |
| What for | Routine maintenance of watercourses and water facilities (7 types of work on ditches and drainage systems) | Blue-green infrastructure, plantings and green areas (including brine graduation towers), outdoor lighting |
| Amount of support | 80% of the project value, no more than PLN 100,000 | Up to 50% of eligible costs (2026 edition), no more than PLN 200,000 |
| When the last application period ran | January 2–31, 2026 | March 2–16, 2026 |
| When the announcement was published | December 12, 2025 (BIP) | February 26, 2026 (BIP) |
| How the funds are paid | Transfer within 30 days of concluding the agreement – before the work is carried out | Reimbursement – after the project has been completed and settled |
| Legal basis | Sejmik resolutions Nos. 34/22, 175/22 and 124/24 (an act of local law, in force indefinitely) | Regulations adopted each year by a separate resolution of the Voivodeship Board |
| What determines the award | Order of applications | Substantive scoring; in the event of a tie – order of applications (date and time) |
Mazowsze for Land Reclamation – grants for water companies
Legal basis – three resolutions that must be read together
The program is based on Article 443(2) and (4) of the Act of July 20, 2017 – Water Law, which allows local government units to grant subsidies to water companies. The rules in Mazovia are set out in Resolution No. 34/22 of the Mazovian Voivodeship Assembly of March 22, 2022, amended twice:
- Resolution No. 175/22 of November 22, 2022 – added a catalogue of costs excluded from the grant, clarified the list of annexes and the method of describing maps;
- Resolution No. 124/24 of November 19, 2024 – expanded the scope of work to include inspection chambers and drainage outlets, adapted the de minimis aid provisions to Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2831, and changed the application period to January 2–31 of the budget year.
The documentation must therefore be analyzed by taking all three resolutions together: Resolution 34/22 constitutes the base text, while the two subsequent resolutions introduce amendments to it. An amending resolution is not a standalone, complete set of rules – it contains only a list of the amendments being introduced.
What work can be financed
The grant concerns the routine maintenance of water and water-management infrastructure, understood as operation, maintenance, and repair intended to preserve the functions of water-management facilities. Following the 2024 amendment, the catalogue includes:
- mechanical and manual desilting of ditches,
- mechanical and manual mowing of ditch beds and slopes,
- raking vegetation from ditch slopes and beds,
- clearing and cutting trees and shrubs from ditch slopes and beds,
- cleaning and repairing structures on ditches,
- repairing ditch slopes,
- cleaning, repairing, or replacing drainage outlets and inspection chambers.
Grant amount and order of awarding funds
The grant amounts to 80% of the value of the requested project, but no more than PLN 100,000. The company covers the remaining 20% itself. If the total value of applications exceeds the funds secured in the regional budget, the order of submission determines the award of the grant – not scoring, the technical condition of the ditch, or the size of the company. This is the most important practical information in the entire program: a complete application submitted on January 2 has a different position than the same application submitted on January 30. One water company may submit only one application in a budget year.
Deadlines and methods for submitting applications
- Call for applications: from January 2 to 31 of the budget year. The exception was 2025, when applications were accepted from February 3 to 28. In 2026, the standard January deadline was already in effect.
- Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered. For postal submissions, the date of the postmark or dispatch counts.
- Submission methods: in person at the filing offices of the Marshal’s Office, by post to ul. Jagiellońska 26, 03-719 Warsaw, or electronically via ePUAP or e-Delivery.
- Work may begin no earlier than on the date the agreement is concluded. An expense incurred earlier will not be settled.
- Settlement: the report on the use of the grant must be submitted no later than November 30 of the budget year.
In the notice for 2026, the office added a procedural warning: when submitting a letter via ePUAP, telephone confirmation of its receipt is recommended, and reply correspondence is sent by traditional post.
Scope of costs covered by the grant
This part of the documentation is sometimes reviewed superficially, even though it contains provisions that most often determine whether the grant is settled correctly.
Basic rule: the grant covers the costs of carrying out the works (labour costs) and fuel used to perform the works specified in the agreement.
Excluded costs (added by Resolution 175/22): bonuses, profits, awards, employee travel, delivery and protection of equipment, employee training, preparation of design and cost-estimate documentation, formal and legal approvals, tender proceedings, surveying services, and the purchase of maps.
Equipment exception—worthy of separate attention. Both the 2026 call for applications and the agreement template allow grant funding to cover the purchase of equipment necessary to carry out the task, subject to both of the following conditions:
- the unit purchase value of the equipment may not exceed PLN 2,000,
- the total amount for purchasing such equipment may not exceed 30% of the grant.
Additionally, the grant may cover equipment repair costs—but only if the failure occurred during and in connection with the performance of the works covered by the agreement, the repair was carried out by an appropriate service provider, and the company submits a statement confirming the failure and the invoice for the service.
A decisive reservation applies here: it is not permitted to cover with the grant the costs not listed in the investor’s cost estimate or works not specified in the list of works included in the application. An item not included in the cost estimate submitted in January cannot be settled in November.
Application attachments – checklist
In accordance with the application template applicable in 2026 (the appendix to Resolution 124/24), the application must be accompanied by originals or copies certified as true copies by a person authorised to represent the company:
- the current articles of association of the water company or a certificate from the Polish Waters State Water Holding’s water management information system;
- a document confirming the constitution of the company’s management board;
- a document (authorisation) confirming the authority to represent the company and sign the agreement;
- a map with each ditch section clearly marked, including its name, length, and the numbers of the initial and final plots;
- investor’s cost estimate (gross);
- notifications, permits, approvals and administrative decisions, insofar as required by separate regulations;
- certificates of de minimis aid (including de minimis aid in agriculture or fisheries) received during the past 3 years, or a statement of its amount, or a statement that no such aid was received;
- information specified in the Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 29 March 2010 on the scope of information submitted by an entity applying for de minimis aid.
The call for applications emphasizes that every page of the submitted documents must be signed or certified by persons authorized to represent the company, and those persons must submit documents confirming their authorization.
De minimis aid – who does it apply to
If a water company conducts business activity within the meaning of EU competition law, the grant relating to that activity (provided it can be separated from non-business activity) constitutes de minimis aid. Since the 2024 amendment, Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2831 applies, and grants under this scheme may be awarded on the basis of the resolution until 31 December 2030. The application contains a separate field in which it must be indicated whether the company conducts business activity.
Most common errors – from the authority’s own justification
The justification for Resolution 175/22 describes the results of the 2022 pilot application round, in which 166 applications were submitted and formal deficiencies were found in most of them. The list of irregularities identified at that time serves as a practical checklist:
- failure to document the right to submit declarations of intent on behalf of the company,
- inconsistencies in the lengths of ditches shown on maps, in applications, and in cost estimates,
- failure to indicate the locations of facilities or arbitrary drawing of ditches on maps,
- listing nonexistent property numbers,
- incorrect designations of cadastral districts and incomplete locations of ditches,
- submission of photocopies not certified as true copies of the originals.
A request to remedy deficiencies is sent once, with a 7-day deadline calculated from the day following delivery. If this deadline expires without effect, the application will not be considered.
Implementation and settlement
Pursuant to the model agreement for 2026:
- the grant amount is transferred to the company’s bank account within 30 days of concluding the agreement;
- the project is carried out from the signing of the agreement until 30 November of the given year;
- a change in the scope of works requires an annex, and the proposed change must be reported no later than 21 days before the end of the implementation period;
- if the scope of works or the cost of the project is reduced, the grant is reduced proportionally; if the value of the project increases, the grant does not increase;
- the report must include, among other things, contracts with contractors, acceptance protocols, invoices with proof of payment, and an as-built cost estimate; where there is a larger number of cost estimates or invoices, an as-built cost statement must also be included;
- Photographic documentation of each section before the works begin and after they are completed, taken from the same location, is required;
- A grant used contrary to its intended purpose, granted unduly, or paid in excess must be repaid with interest at the rate applicable to tax arrears;
- the company places the Mazowsze Brand logo and the support programme logo, along with the co-financing statement; graphic designs are approved by email at siw@mazovia.pl.
For the 2026 application period, the office also announced that, during verification, it would additionally check whether ditch sections run through wetlands and peatlands used for agriculture and covered by GAEC 2, and whether, on such sections, desilting, cleaning drainage outlets, clearing shrubs, and unclogging pipelines had been carried out more often than once every three years. It is worth checking this before describing the scope of the work.
Mazowsze dla klimatu – grants for municipalities and counties
How this program is structured
The full name is Mazovia Climate Change Adaptation Support Instrument – Mazowsze dla klimatu. Unlike drainage and water management, this program does not have one permanent resolution: each edition is launched by new Regulations adopted by a resolution of the Regional Board. The 2026 edition was launched by Resolution No. 321/157/26 of February 23, 2026, and the 2025 edition by Resolution No. 377/61/25 of February 24, 2025. This means that the scope and funding level may change from year to year, and the rules from an old edition should not be carried over to a new one.
The program aims to enhance protection against the effects of climate change and natural hazards, with particular emphasis on blue-green infrastructure, planting greenery, and energy efficiency.
What changed between the 2025 and 2026 editions
| 2025 edition | 2026 edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Areas | 1) blue-green infrastructure, 2) planting greenery and green areas, 3) outdoor lighting, 4) SECAP plan | Blue-green infrastructure, planting greenery and developing green areas (including salt graduation towers), outdoor lighting |
| Funding level | Up to 70% for blue-green infrastructure, up to 50% for other areas | Up to 50% of eligible costs |
| Funding limit | PLN 200,000 | PLN 200,000 |
| Application period | March 3–21, 2025 | March 2–16, 2026 |
For comparison of scale: in the first edition in 2022, the maximum aid was PLN 100,000, covering 50% of eligible costs. The program is growing, but its thematic scope is sometimes narrowed – in 2026, funding for SECAP plans and the preferential 70% rate for blue-green infrastructure were discontinued.
Application submission rules
- The applicant may submit one application for funding of up to PLN 200,000 or two applications concerning different projects, provided that the total funding does not exceed PLN 200,000. In the case of the Capital City of Warsaw, a maximum of two applications may be submitted for each district, subject to the same total limit.
- Each application must be submitted separately via ePUAP or e-Delivery (in 2025 – via a trusted ePUAP profile). In the event of a system failure, submission to polityka.ekologiczna@mazovia.pl is permitted.
- The application must be signed with a certified digital signature by a person authorized to make declarations of intent on behalf of the municipality or county, with the treasurer’s countersignature.
- Documents confirming the estimated total costs of carrying out the task must be attached to the application. A visualization, design, or other form of illustration is optional.
Payment after completion of the task – implications for budget planning
Financial assistance is granted in the form of a grant paid after the task has been completed and settled. Under the rules for the 2025 edition, the beneficiary must, as part of their own contribution, provide funds to finance 100% of the task costs – both eligible and ineligible – and only then receives reimbursement of part of the eligible costs. Funds for the own contribution may not come from other funds in the voivodeship budget. Payment is made within 21 days of acceptance of the final report.
How applications are assessed and what the actual competition is
Applications undergo formal and substantive assessment. The substantive assessment takes into account the G/P indicator (the municipality's or county's basic income per resident in relation to the average for Mazowsze), the type of task, and grants previously obtained under the program. In the event of an equal number of points, the position on the List of Beneficiaries is determined by the order of submission – the date and time the application was filed.
Figures from the 2026 edition, in accordance with the explanatory memorandum to Resolution No. 70/26 of the Sejmik of May 19, 2026:
- 303 applications were submitted; one applicant withdrew their application,
- 302 applications totaling more than PLN 33.3 million passed the formal assessment (PLN 33,374,625),
- The voivodeship budget allocated PLN 15,000,000,
- 137 projects totaling PLN 14,930,138 received funding.
This means that the total value of the applications exceeded the available funds twofold, while approximately 45% of applications received funding. On the list of beneficiaries, scores ranged from 54 to 60 points, and the vast majority of tasks involved street lighting – solar-powered, hybrid, and the replacement of fixtures with LED ones. Salt graduation towers appeared in a dozen or so municipalities. The amounts ranged from several thousand złoty to the full limit of 200,000 zł.
Obligations overlooked at the cost-planning stage
- The beneficiary places the Mazowsze Brand logo and the support program logo, together with the co-financing statement, on information and promotional materials, the website, and social media, and uses the hashtags #Mazowszepomaga, #programywsparcia, and #solidarnośćmazowiecka in social media communications.
- After completing the task, an information board measuring 90 × 70 cm must be displayed for at least 5 years – its cost is borne by the beneficiary and cannot be settled from the grant.
- The task may be subject to inspection by the voivodeship for 5 years after completion.
Use of pumping equipment in tasks covered by the programs
Below, we identify only those elements of the scope of work for which the use of pumping equipment is technically justified, together with the formal requirements that must be taken into account when preparing the application.
Ditch desilting – draining the work section
Ditch desilting is carried out in a channel that usually contains standing water. In practice, the sequence of work is almost always similar: lower the water level in the work section, then remove the silt and repair the banks. A clean-water pump is not suitable for pumping water containing suspended matter, sand, and solids—a pump designed for contaminated water or sludge is needed, with suitable free passage and a durable hydraulic section.
Depending on the degree of contamination of the medium and access to power, three groups of equipment are used:
- Submersible pumps for contaminated water and sludge – for draining the work section and excavations around structures on drainage ditches. Where there is less suspended matter, pumps for slightly contaminated water are sufficient.
- Petrol engine pumps – for sections without access to electricity. Fuel is expressly listed as a cost covered by the grant.
- Pumps for heavily contaminated media – for cleaning drainage wells and structures on drainage ditches, where the pumped medium is closer to sludge than water.
Formal requirements that must not be overlooked. The grant primarily covers labor and fuel. Equipment purchases are permitted, but only within a limit of PLN 2,000 per item and a maximum of 30% of the grant amount, and the expense must be included in the investment cost estimate and the list of works in the application. Equipment purchased before the agreement is signed will not be reimbursed. The authority decides whether a specific expense is eligible—so it is always worth asking the Department of Rural Area Modernization and Water Management before submitting the application, not after making the purchase.
For blue-green infrastructure: a pump as part of the installation
In the 2025 edition regulations—the most detailed publicly available document on this program in a format that allows quotation—rainwater retention from the roofs of public buildings is listed among the activities covered by blue-green infrastructure, including specifically: rainwater tanks connected to downspouts, underground rainwater tanks, rainwater filtration and purification systems, systems for pumping rainwater and irrigating green areas with it, and intakes for drawing retained rainwater.
The same regulations, in the list of eligible costs, indicated, among other things, the purchase and installation of an irrigation system, the purchase of tanks and pumping systems, and the construction of an intake for collecting retained rainwater, together with landscaping in the vicinity of the intake. Retention ponds, basins and bioretention ditches, as well as the restoration of small water bodies, were also financed.
In this area, the pump is not an additional component but part of the retention system. An underground tank without a pumping system serves solely as storage—the retained water must be brought to the surface to enable the irrigation of plantings carried out under the same program. This function is performed by irrigation and rainwater pumps, submersible pumps operating in the tank, rainwater systems, and pressure booster sets that stabilize pressure in the irrigation system. This concerns rainwater and retained water, i.e. raw, untreated water that remains separate from the drinking water system.
Two reservations. First, the cited list comes from the 2025 edition regulations; in the 2026 edition, blue-green infrastructure remained a supported area, but the detailed cost list should be checked in the regulations applicable to the relevant edition. Second, in the 2025 edition, the purchase of fixed assets that the beneficiary could use for other tasks was classified as an ineligible cost—as were all after-sales services, inspections, repairs, spare parts, and maintenance after completion of the task. A pump permanently built into an installation is a different situation from portable equipment provided to a municipal crew, but the final decision on eligibility is made by the province.
Tasks in which pumping equipment is not present
Not every eligible task under these programs involves water management. Modernization of outdoor lighting, construction of light points with their own power source, and replacement of light fixtures—that is, the vast majority of tasks on the Mazovia for Climate 2026 Beneficiaries List—do not include plumbing systems. The above part of the study does not apply to such projects.
Brine graduation towers are a separate case and the second most frequently subsidized type of project. They operate with brine rather than raw water, which means different material requirements – above all, resistance to chlorides. The selection of equipment for such an installation should be agreed with its designer or technology supplier; standard water pumps are not intended for this application, and using them in a brine circuit leads to premature corrosion.
Preparation calendar before the next edition
The dates below are forecasts based on the recurrence of previous editions, not an official schedule. As of the publication date of this text, none of them has been confirmed.
For water companies
- September–November: inspect and inventory ditch sections, update maps with names, lengths, and the numbers of the outermost plots, prepare a gross investor's cost estimate, and check that the articles of association, the document confirming the constitution of the management board, and authorizations are up to date. With only seven days to supplement formal deficiencies, compiling these documents during the application period is difficult.
- December: monitor the Public Information Bulletin – the call for applications for 2026 was published on December 12, 2025.
- January: submit a complete application as early as possible, because grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
- After signing the agreement: expenses may be incurred and work may begin only at this stage. Photographic documentation of the site before the work begins must be prepared before equipment is brought onto the section.
For municipalities and counties
- Autumn: select the project and prepare a preliminary estimate, along with documents confirming the estimated costs; if a retention installation is involved, it is worth establishing the technical parameters at this stage, because the cost estimate should not change later.
- February: monitor the Voivodeship Board's resolution register – the regulations for the 2025 and 2026 editions were adopted on February 24 and February 23, respectively, and the calls for applications were published in the second half of February.
- March: application period, usually lasting two or three weeks. A certified signature and the treasurer's countersignature must be arranged in advance.
- Budget: the municipality must secure 100% of the project costs, because the grant is reimbursed only after settlement.
Frequently asked questions
Are Mazowsze for Land Reclamation and Mazowsze for Climate the same program?
No. These are two separate instruments of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship government, administered by different departments of the Marshal's Office. Mazowsze for Land Reclamation is intended for water companies and is based on a standing resolution of the Regional Assembly adopted under the Water Law. Mazowsze for Climate is intended for municipalities and counties, and its rules are established each year in new regulations adopted by a resolution of the Voivodeship Board.
When will applications open for the next edition?
As of July 28, 2026, the dates for the next edition of either program had not been announced. For the Mazovia for Drainage program, a resolution provides for applications to be accepted from January 2 to 31 of the budget year, and the announcement for 2026 was published on December 12, 2025. For the Mazovia for Climate program, application periods took place in March: from March 3 to 21 in 2025 and from March 2 to 16 in 2026. The dates should be verified in the Public Information Bulletin of the Marshal’s Office.
How much funding is available under each program?
Under the Mazovia for Drainage program, the grant amounts to 80% of the value of the project applied for, up to PLN 100,000. Under the 2026 edition of the Mazovia for Climate program, the grant could cover up to 50% of eligible costs and could not exceed PLN 200,000. Each applicant could submit one application for the full amount or two applications for different projects within the same combined limit.
Can a water association buy a pump with grant funds?
The grant primarily covers labor and fuel costs. Purchasing equipment necessary to carry out the project is permitted, but the value of each individual purchase may not exceed PLN 2,000, and the total amount allocated to such equipment may not exceed 30% of the grant. The expense must be included in the investor’s cost estimate and the list of works in the application, and incurred after the agreement is signed. The Marshal’s Office determines whether a specific expense is eligible, so it is advisable to ask before submitting the application.
Can a municipality finance a rainwater pumping system?
The 2025 regulations for the Mazovia for Climate program, in the blue-green infrastructure area, expressly listed systems for pumping and irrigating green areas with rainwater, above-ground and underground rainwater tanks, filtration systems, and intake points for collecting retained rainwater. Eligible costs included the purchase and installation of an irrigation system. The scope of the next edition must be checked in its own regulations, as the list of areas and costs changes between editions.
Can work begin before the agreement is signed?
Not for costs covered by the funding. Under the Mazovia for Drainage program, grant funds may cover only expenses incurred during the project implementation period, calculated from the date the agreement is signed. Earlier preparatory activities are permitted but are not eligible for funding: design and cost-estimate documentation, formal and legal arrangements, and the procedure for selecting a contractor. An analogous rule applied under the Mazovia for Climate program, where an eligible cost could not be incurred earlier than the date the agreement was signed.
What determines whether a grant is awarded when there are more applicants than available funds?
In the Mazovia for Drainage program, applications are processed in the order in which they are submitted. In the Mazovia for Climate program, applications undergo a substantive assessment that takes into account, among other things, the G/P ratio, the type of project, and grants previously received under the program. If applications receive the same number of points, their position on the list is determined by the order of submission, based on the date and time the application was filed.
Is a grant for a water association considered de minimis aid?
If a water association conducts business activity within the meaning of EU competition law, the grant relating to that activity—provided it can be separated from non-business activity—constitutes de minimis aid granted under the conditions of Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2831. Grants under this procedure may be awarded pursuant to the resolution until December 31, 2030. Certificates of de minimis aid received during the past three years or an appropriate declaration must be attached to the application.
Source basis of the study
All the rules, amounts, and deadlines cited come exclusively from official documents and official publications of the self-government of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship:
- Resolution No. 34/22 of the Assembly of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship of March 22, 2022, on the rules for awarding targeted grants to water associations,
- Resolution No. 175/22 of the Assembly of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship of November 22, 2022 (amending),
- Resolution No. 124/24 of the Assembly of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship of November 19, 2024 (amending), together with its justification,
- application form template and template agreement for awarding grants to water associations applicable in 2026,
- announcement Mazowsze dla melioracji 2026 – call for applications (BIP UMWM),
- announcement Mazowsze dla klimatu 2026 – call for applications (BIP UMWM),
- Regulations of the Mazowieckie Climate Change Adaptation Support Instrument—Mazowsze dla klimatu 2025 (annex to Resolution No. 377/61/25 of the Board of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship),
- Resolution No. 321/157/26 of the Board of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship of February 23, 2026, together with the Regulations for the 2026 edition,
- Resolution No. 70/26 of the Assembly of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship of May 19, 2026, together with its justification and the Beneficiary List for Mazowsze dla klimatu 2026.
\Disclaimer. This text is for informational purposes and presents the situation as of July 28, 2026. The rules for subsequent editions of both programs may differ from those described above—particularly the scope of tasks, funding level, application periods, and catalog of eligible costs. Before preparing an application, consult the current documents published in the Public Information Bulletin of the Marshal's Office of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship and contact the relevant department: for land improvement matters—the Division of Rural Area Modernization and Water Management in the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development; for climate program matters—the Department of Environmental Policy, Geology and Hunting. We do not provide grant advisory services and are not responsible for decisions made on the basis of this study. However, we invite you to contact us regarding the selection of a pump for a specific scope of work—please provide the task parameters.
