Grant for improving the energy efficiency of hospital buildings – Modernisation Fund 2026

Programme status as of: 3 September 2026.

• Programme: approved by Poland’s NFOŚiGW; financed by the Modernisation Fund.
• Call: the call is planned. The NFOŚiGW schedule as of 21 August 2026 indicates Q3 2026, but gives no exact opening date or call reference.
• Budget: up to PLN 1 billion, including up to PLN 900 million for non-repayable support and up to PLN 100 million for repayable finance.
• Maximum grant intensity: up to 85% of eligible costs if the programme conditions are met. For ESCO/EPC investments and investments that do not score at least 7 points, the grant is up to 49%.

The “Improving the energy efficiency of hospital buildings” programme is one of the new Modernisation Fund pathways in Poland aimed at local government units linked to healthcare entities providing inpatient hospital services. The key point today is simple: the programme has been approved, but the call has not yet opened.

This distinction matters in practice. The basic financing terms, cost limits and eligible applicant groups are already known, but NFOŚiGW has not yet published the complete call documentation. This means that the investment, technical data and modernisation options can already be prepared, but previously drafted forms, cost catalogues or consultation documents should not be treated as the binding rules of the 2026 call.

Has the NFOŚiGW call for hospitals already opened?

No. As of 3 September 2026, the call is planned. The current NFOŚiGW schedule, as of 21 August 2026, indicates a planned start in Q3 2026. However, the programme still has no exact opening date, closing date or call reference.

On the programme page, NFOŚiGW clearly states that the approved priority programme has already been published, while the remaining documentation required to launch the call will be published in a subsequent announcement.

In practice, this means that project preparation can start earlier, but the budget should not yet be finalised using assumptions taken from the Polish KPO, FEnIKS or earlier consultation versions of this programme.

In consultation materials published on 15 January 2026, NFOŚiGW provided a Framework Catalogue of Eligible Costs/Expenditure (RKKK). However, this document related to the programme draft under consultation. As of 3 September 2026, it should not be treated as the final catalogue of eligible costs for the future call; the eligibility of individual expenditure items must be checked again once the documentation launching the call is published.

Who is the “Improving the energy efficiency of hospital buildings” programme for?

The beneficiaries are not simply “hospitals”. The current programme identifies Polish local government units or their associations that meet one of the specified conditions.

The programme covers local government units (LGUs) or their associations that are:

1. founding bodies of independent public healthcare institutions,
2. shareholders in healthcare entities providing inpatient hospital services in which an LGU holds at least 51% of the shares,
3. founding bodies of a hospital operating as a local-government budgetary unit.

Therefore, the first step in preparing the investment should be to establish who the applicant will be and what its formal relationship is with the entity operating the hospital. The fact that a building has a medical function or that a hospital is a public entity is not sufficient for automatic eligibility under the programme.

This also applies to hospitals operating under other organisational structures. If a potential applicant does not fall within the current list of eligible beneficiaries, it should not assume that it can participate solely because it provides hospital services.

Which buildings can receive support?

The programme applies to a building or buildings in which a healthcare entity provides inpatient hospital services on at least 80% of the floor area with controlled air temperature.

This is an important criterion for multi-use facilities. Before defining the scope, it is therefore worth establishing separately for each building:

• the floor area with controlled air temperature,
• how the individual parts of the building are used,
• the proportion of floor area on which hospital services are actually provided,
• whether the building is subject to heritage protection or has protected historic status,
• whether the planned modernisation covers one building or an entire complex.

The programme also requires a minimum reduction in primary and final energy consumption. The public programme information confirms this condition; however, when preparing the investment, the current programme documentation and the future call documentation should be used rather than automatically transferring threshold values from other Polish programmes for public buildings.

What modernisation measures can be covered by funding for hospital energy renovation?

The currently published programme describes support as a comprehensive improvement in the energy efficiency of hospital buildings, with the option to use renewable energy sources. The aim is to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions. The programme also provides for measures that increase the building’s energy self-sufficiency and climate-change resilience.

The currently published programme identifies four main areas of support:

• comprehensive energy modernisation of a building or group of buildings,
• use of renewable energy sources as part of the project,
• measures that increase the facility’s energy self-sufficiency,
• investments implemented under the ESCO/EPC model.

At this stage there is no basis for presenting a closed list of specific works as the programme’s final catalogue of eligible costs. NFOŚiGW has announced that the remaining documentation related to launching the call will only be published in a subsequent communication. This also applies to practical use of the RKKK from the January 2026 consultation: it is a historical source concerning the programme draft, not a basis for declaring the final eligibility of expenditure. Only the documentation launching the call will allow individual budget items to be verified conclusively.

This is also important from a design perspective. A solution may be technically justified and supported by the energy analysis while still requiring additional verification against the expenditure-eligibility rules of the specific call.

Grant or loan? How the programme is financed

The programme provides two forms of support: a grant and a loan. The total budget is up to PLN 1 billion, of which up to PLN 900 million is allocated to non-repayable support and up to PLN 100 million to repayable finance.

A grant of up to 85% is not automatic

Grant funding may amount to up to 85% of eligible costs if the programme conditions are met simultaneously, including those concerning:

• the eligible unit cost per 1 m² of floor area with controlled air temperature,
• achieving at least 7 points under the quality criteria.

If the investment does not achieve at least 7 points, the maximum grant intensity is up to 49% of eligible costs.

For investments implemented under the ESCO/EPC model, the maximum grant is also up to 49% of eligible costs, while the eligible unit cost limit per 1 m² does not apply.

Loan financing

A loan may provide supplementary financing up to 85% of eligible costs. For ESCO/EPC projects, supplementary loan financing of up to 100% of eligible costs is possible.

There is no requirement to combine a grant with a loan. NFOŚiGW specifies preferential loan terms, including a fixed interest rate of 1%, a financing period of up to 15 years and the possibility of a grace period for principal repayments.

The programme is planned for implementation in 2026–2030. Commitments, meaning the signing of agreements, are to be made by 31 December 2029, and funds are to be disbursed by 31 December 2030.

What do the PLN 2,500/m² and PLN 3,000/m² limits mean?

One of the key conditions linked to obtaining a grant of up to 85% is the eligible unit cost. NFOŚiGW defines this as eligible costs divided by the floor area with controlled air temperature.

The limit is:

• PLN 2,500/m² for other buildings,
• PLN 3,000/m² for protected historic buildings.

Example

If a hospital has 10,000 m² of floor area with controlled air temperature, then:

• for a non-historic building: 10,000 m² × PLN 2,500/m² = PLN 25 million,
• for a protected historic building: 10,000 m² × PLN 3,000/m² = PLN 30 million.

This does not mean that the project will automatically receive PLN 25 million or PLN 30 million in eligible costs, respectively, or that the grant will be awarded at the maximum rate. The limit is used to assess the relationship between eligible costs and floor area. The remaining programme conditions must also be met, and the final eligibility of expenditure will be determined by the call documentation.

If, in the example non-historic building, accepted eligible costs amounted to PLN 25 million and the project met all conditions for the maximum intensity, 85% would mathematically correspond to PLN 21.25 million. This is not a guaranteed grant amount, but only an illustration of how the percentage limit works.

What role does a hospital energy audit play in project preparation?

As of the publication date, NFOŚiGW had not yet published the complete list of attachments required for the call. It is therefore not currently possible to determine whether an energy audit will be a formally required attachment to the application.

From the perspective of investment preparation, however, an audit performs a key technical function. The programme requires a minimum reduction in primary and final energy consumption, which means that the existing condition and the effect of the planned changes must be determined reliably.

A well-prepared building energy audit can, among other things:

• organise data on current energy consumption,
• identify areas with the greatest improvement potential,
• compare modernisation options,
• estimate the energy effect of the selected scope,
• link the technical scope to the investment budget.

If the project concerns a healthcare facility, a broader discussion of the specifics of such an assessment is available in our material on hospital energy audits. In this article, the audit is treated solely as an element of preparing the project for the programme, not as a separate SEO topic.

Why should the audit come before detailed design?

The greatest risk is to start with a fixed scope of works and only later check what energy effect that package of measures delivers.

In practice, it may then turn out that:

• some expensive works have little impact on the required energy effect,
• a measure offering greater energy savings has been omitted,
• the scope results in an unfavourable eligible-cost-per-m² ratio,
• the budget was prepared for a floor area that does not correspond to the floor area with controlled air temperature,
• the project is difficult to redesign after the final call criteria are published.

A safer sequence for preparing the investment is as follows:

1. verify the beneficiary and the buildings,
2. collect energy-consumption data and technical documentation,
3. carry out an analysis/audit and compare options,
4. select an option and perform a preliminary check of the cost-per-m² limit,
5. develop the design documentation further after the call requirements have been verified.

This is not an official NFOŚiGW procedure, but a practical sequence that reduces the risk of designing an investment that later requires major reworking.

What technical data should be prepared before the call?

Because the list of formal attachments has not yet been published, the list below should be treated as a preparatory checklist, not as an official list of documents required by NFOŚiGW.

In hospitals, consistency between floor-area, energy and functional data is particularly important. If different floor areas appear in the audit, design documentation and administrative records, it is better to resolve the discrepancy before the call opens than during application assessment.

What can be prepared before the call opens?

The absence of call rules does not mean that all project preparation should be put on hold. The following can already be done:

• confirm whether the planned applicant falls within the list of eligible beneficiaries,
• identify buildings that meet the criterion of hospital services being provided on at least 80% of the floor area with controlled air temperature,
• organise floor-area and energy data,
• prepare or update the energy analysis,
• compare modernisation options before finalising the design scope,
• estimate the investment cost and the PLN/m² indicator,
• verify the building’s heritage status,
• determine whether the investment is to be implemented conventionally or whether the ESCO/EPC model is being considered,
• prepare a schedule for decisions, design work and procurement,
• identify the documents that will need to be completed immediately after the call rules are published.

This preparation shortens the time between publication of the documentation and the decision to submit an application. At the same time, it does not require guessing which attachments or expenditure items NFOŚiGW will ultimately require.

ESCO/EPC in the hospital buildings programme

The programme provides for a separate continuous call for investments implemented under the ESCO/EPC model.

For this pathway, the currently published conditions state that:

• the grant may amount to up to 49% of eligible costs,
• the eligible unit cost limit per 1 m² of floor area with controlled air temperature does not apply,
• loan financing may supplement funding up to 100% of eligible costs.

These rules are separate from the pathway allowing a grant of up to 85%. ESCO/EPC should therefore not be treated as a way to obtain an 85% grant without the unit-cost limit.

We discuss the investment delivery model in more detail on our page about ESCO financing. For the hospital programme, the delivery model should be chosen only after comparing the technical, financial and organisational options.

What must be checked on the day the call opens?

Before submitting an application, the official NFOŚiGW website should be checked again. In particular, verify:

1. the exact opening and closing dates of the call,
2. the call reference,
3. the call rules and assessment procedure,
4. the full quality criteria and scoring method,
5. the required forms and attachments,
6. the catalogue of eligible costs,
7. the rules for documenting floor area and the energy effect,
8. the eligibility periods for expenditure and implementation,
9. the rules for submitting the application and supplementing the documentation,
10. all attachments published together with the announcement launching the call.

It is particularly important to compare the final call rules with the assumptions used in the audit and budget. If the call documentation clarifies how costs, floor area or points are calculated, the project should be adjusted before the application is submitted.

Key conclusions for hospitals and Polish local government units

The Modernisation Fund programme offers the possibility of a high level of support, but an 85% grant is not guaranteed. The project must fall within the current categories of eligible beneficiaries and buildings, meet the technical and financial conditions and, for the maximum grant intensity, also meet the scoring requirement and the unit-cost limit.

Before the call opens, three actions make the most sense:

• confirm the eligibility of the applicant and the buildings,
• prepare data and modernisation options based on the energy analysis,
• build a budget while checking the cost-per-m² limit, without finalising the eligibility of individual expenditure items before the call documentation is published.

If you are preparing a hospital project, it is worth planning financing for energy-efficiency investments in parallel. This makes it possible to identify discrepancies between the modernisation scope, expected energy effect and financing conditions at an earlier stage.

FAQ

Has the call for improving the energy efficiency of hospital buildings already opened?

No. As of 3 September 2026, the call is planned. The NFOŚiGW schedule indicates Q3 2026, but it still does not provide the exact opening date or call reference.

Can every hospital receive a grant?

No. The beneficiaries are specified Polish local government units or their associations linked to healthcare entities in the manner defined by the programme. In addition, the building must meet the condition concerning the proportion of floor area used for hospital services.

Is the 85% grant guaranteed?

No. It is the maximum intensity. The programme makes access to this level conditional, among other things, on the eligible unit cost and achieving at least 7 points under the quality criteria.

How is the PLN 2,500/m² limit calculated?

The eligible unit cost is the eligible costs divided by the floor area with controlled air temperature. For a non-historic building, the indicator may not exceed PLN 2,500/m² for the condition linked to a grant of up to 85%; for a protected historic building, the limit is PLN 3,000/m².

Can ESCO/EPC receive an 85% grant?

Under the currently published conditions, the grant for ESCO/EPC investments is up to 49% of eligible costs. At the same time, the unit-cost-per-m² limit does not apply, and a loan may provide supplementary financing up to 100% of eligible costs.

Official sources

• NFOŚiGW – Improving the energy efficiency of hospital buildings
• NFOŚiGW – Call schedule, status as of 21 Aug 2026
• Modernisation Fund – Programmes financed from the Modernisation Fund
• Modernisation Fund / NFOŚiGW – programme consultation of 15 Jan 2026

Information status: 3 September 2026. Before submitting an application, recheck the call documentation published by NFOŚiGW.