Slovakia's Arts Support Fund Director Leaves Post Amid Accusations of Institutional Chaos

František Kornaj has stepped down as acting director of the Slovak Arts Support Fund (FPU, Fond na podporu umenia), ending a one-year tenure that critics say left the cultural institution in disarray. The FPU is a state body responsible for distributing public grants to artists, cultural organizations, and creative projects across Slovakia. Kornaj served in an acting capacity rather than as a fully appointed director, a status that itself reflected ongoing instability at the institution's leadership level. The advocacy initiative FPU Slobodne, which monitors the fund's operations, issued a statement accusing Kornaj of leaving the organization in a state of severe personnel breakdown and significant administrative delays, describing the situation as "complete devastation." The group's criticism points to unresolved staffing problems and a backlog in grant processing that threatens to disrupt funding for Slovakia's arts sector. The departure raises fresh concerns about the management of one of the country's key cultural funding bodies, and it remains unclear when a permanent director will be appointed or how quickly the institution can address the operational problems left behind.