After the outset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, most donors focused on rapid response projects and supporting the activities of civil society organisations. This was stated by Oleh Kulinich, an expert on project cycle management at U-LEAD with Europe.

“2023 is a year that opens up new prospects for local self-government bodies in terms of attracting grant funds. We offer a selection of the most relevant opportunities for municipalities at the moment,” he said.

Grants for green energy projects

Priorities of the competition:

• Development and implementation of solutions that contribute to the implementation of energyefficient measures in the municipality;
• Promotion and deployment of RES;
• Participation in national policies aimed at preventing climate change.

Who can participate?

- Local self-government bodies;

- Non-profits (that have the status of a legal entity within the municipality submitting the application);

- Consortia that have legal grounds for operation.

Grant amount: up to EUR 10,000 in hryvnia equivalent.

Application deadline: 15 May 2024.

Project implementation period: Up to 9 calendar months.

Learn more: https://ecoclubrivne.org/grant_oms

KUSANONE — Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects for 2024 projects

Priorities of the competition:

• Medical care; 
• Education:
• Assistance to vulnerable categories of the population;
• Social support;
• Environment.

Who can participate? Grant recipients can be non-profits (e.g., municipal non-profit enterprises (hospitals), kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, municipal rehabilitation centres). The application can be submitted both by the final recipient and by local self-government bodies or a partner organisation (NGO or charity).

Grant amount: approx. USD 90,000 in hryvnia equivalent at the USD-UAH exchange rate on the day of conversion (10 million yen).

Application deadline: 28 February 2023 (inclusive).

Learn more: https://www.ua.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_uk/ua_oda.html

The International Visegrad Fund’s Visegrad+ Grant Programme

Priorities of the competition:

• Culture and Common Identity (projects reflecting common historical and cultural heritage, as well as cultural diversity through joint research and knowledge exchange activities);
• Education and Capacity Building (strengthening professional networks of educational institutions and supporting the mobility of students, researchers and teachers to exchange best practices);
• Innovation, R&D, Entrepreneurship (creation of new business networks and cluster networks for small and mediumsized enterprises, startups and research institutions within and outside the V4, innovation, new technologies and scientific research at the regional and cross-sectoral levels);
• Democratic Values and the Media (increasing media and information literacy, resistance to biased coverage, disinformation and propaganda; better media coverage of relevant topics in the V4 region and expanding access to information);
• Public Policy and Institutional Partnership (lobbying for changes in politics and good governance, connecting stakeholders to decisionmakers);
• Regional Development, Environment and Tourism (new solutions and measures to combat climate change and raise awareness of environmental protection in the V4 region and beyond; development of sustainable tourism at local and regional levels by combining international experience and shared knowhow);
• Social Development (promoting inclusive mindset in society, protecting and expanding the rights and opportunities of minorities; increased awareness of a healthy and active lifestyle and reducing substance abuse.

Who can participate? A consortium of organisations from at least 3 countries of the Visegrad Four and 1 organisation from the Eastern Partnership region or Western Balkan countries.

Eligibility criteria:

• Civil society organisations;
• State educational, cultural, research and scientific institutions;
• Local selfgovernment bodies;
• Innovation and startup companies, if their project is noncommercial.

Grant amount: up to EUR 30,000

Application deadline: 1 February 2023 (until 12:00 a.m.).

Project implementation period: up to 18 months

Learn more: https://www.visegradfund.org/apply/grants/visegrad-plus-grants/

Grants of the Programme Fund for Recovery and Reconstruction

Priorities of the competition:

• Recovery means urgent activities that will support your organisation with its shortterm needs. For example, it can be support for relocating people with disabilities to a temporary shelter/facility or meeting their basic needs;
• Reconstruction means longterm activities that facilitate creating better conditions for vulnerable groups in building social cohesion and integrating them into recovery initiatives at the local level.

For example, support for economic empowerment of women, advocacy efforts with local authorities, opening of youth centres and institutions for people with disabilities, support for creating jobs for people with disabilities, protection and support of national minorities, protection of the rights of the LGBTQI+ community, work with local authorities to meet the needs related to the establishments of new institutions, support of democratic processes on the ground, etc.

Who can participate?

• Civil society organisations (CSOs);
• CSO coalitions;
• Organisations that work with vulnerable groups;
• Organisations that protect women’s rights and provide support to victims of violence.

Grant amount:

For recovery projects: up to £150,000 provided that the project implementation period is at least 3 months;

 For reconstruction projects: £50,000 to £250,000 per project up to 12 months.

Application deadline: 6 February 2023 at 05:00 p.m. (Kyiv time).

Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/UASupportCSO/

Competition for Grants for Local Self-Government Bodies to Provide Systemic Support for SMEs

Purpose of the competition. Support of local self-government bodies in the implementation of projects/activities that are part of current local programmes/action plans aimed at the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, namely the development of entrepreneurial knowledge and entrepreneurial culture, including measures aimed at supporting the stability of businesses in wartime, improving the access of SMEs to national and international markets, introducing innovations and attracting funds from labour migrants and the Ukrainian diaspora abroad as investments in the creation/development of SMEs.

Who can participate?

• Local selfgovernment bodies of municipalities with a population ranging from 100,000 to 250,000 inhabitants;
• Informal networks of municipalities with a collective population of at least 100,000.

Grant amount: up to UAH 1.8 million.

Application deadline: 27 January 2023, 12:00 a.m.

Learn more: https://gurt.org.ua/news/grants/83319/

Creative Europe: European Cooperation Projects

Priorities of the competition. The project can fall into multiple directions in the field of culture and creative industries or be interdisciplinary.

Who can participate?

The organisers are open to applications from teams of the following organisations:

• Organisations in the sector of culture and creative industries;
• Legal entities (individual entrepreneurs are also eligible);
• Officially registered in Ukraine, the EU, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, Moldova, Norway, North Macedonia, Serbia, Tunisia or Montenegro for more than two years.

Grant amount:

• If your team consists of three to four organisations from different countries: up to EUR 200,000, which will cover 80% of costs;
• If your team consists of five to nine organisations from different countries: up to EUR 1,000,000, which will cover 70% of costs;
• If your team consists of more than nine organisations from different countries: up to EUR 2,000,000, which will cover 60% of costs;

Application deadline: 23 February 2023 at 06:00 p.m. (Kyiv time).

Project implementation period: up to 4 years.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3kmCNLt

Cultural Heritage Grant Programme of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. LOT 1. Digitalisation

Priorities of the competition:

• Support for the creation of new exhibitions and updating of existing ones using new approaches and new technologies (involving VR technologies, augmented reality, 3D modelling, 360°, multimedia holograms) in archives, libraries and museums of all types and different forms of ownership;
• Digitisation of printed materials, museum exhibits, archival documents, audiovisual materials, architectural and archaeological landmarks;
• Digitisation of artefacts of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, including those damaged due to Russian aggression or those under threat; creation of tools and platforms for their presentation and promotion in Ukraine and abroad;  
• Restoration of archival objects, library items and museum exhibits with their subsequent digitisation and presentation online;  
• Development and implementation of IT tools for remote user access to archives, libraries, museums.

Who can participate? Legal entities of all types of ownership or individual entrepreneurs registered in Ukraine in accordance with the applicable legislation at least one year before the date of the start of the competitive selection that have relevant experience in the field of culture.

Grant amount: UAH 500,000 to UAH 1 million.

Application deadline: 28 February 2023, 06:00 p.m. (Kyiv time)

Project implementation period: until 31 October 2023

Learn more: https://ucf.in.ua/m_programs/63c3dfd7552896132a37c376

Cultural Heritage Grant Programme of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. LOT 2. Cross-sectoral projects for cultural heritage preservation

Priorities of the competition:

• Supporting cultural heritage research projects, including objects that have been damaged, need protection, or are in a location with an increased threat of destruction;
• Supporting projects promoting cultural heritage among a wide audience, including through the creation of digital platforms and products such as new websites (updating existing ones), mobile applications, interactive maps, development of games, online quests, 3D tours, etc.;
• Supporting projects on the study, preservation and promotion of intangible cultural heritage through new formats and approaches;
• Supporting projects with an analytical component, a scientific approach, involving advanced methods and research developments;
• Supporting projects on the creation of library and museum spaces; implementation of archival, library and museum services, including online services; creation of a wide range of offline and online activities, including for low-mobility (inclusive) groups; introduction of immersive technologies.

Who can participate? Legal entities of all types of ownership or individual entrepreneurs registered in Ukraine in accordance with the applicable legislation at least one year before the date of the start of the competitive selection that have relevant experience in the field of culture.

Grant amount: UAH 500,000 to UAH 2 million.

Application deadline: 28 February 2023, 06:00 p.m. (Kyiv time)

Project implementation period: until 31 October 2023

Learn more: https://ucf.in.ua/m_lots/63c3ed52552896132a37c379

Cultural Heritage Grant Programme of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. LOT 3. Research of the historical and cultural heritage of Ukraine

Priorities of the competition:

• Supporting new research, development of updated concepts and approaches regarding important historical and cultural matters with controversial perspectives in the Ukrainian cultural space, which are used by anti-Ukrainian forces in manipulations to justify Russian aggression against Ukraine;
• Supporting cultural projects and products aimed at forming social immunity against the narratives of Russian propaganda; projects and products that contribute to the establishment of Ukrainian identity, the consolidation of the Ukrainian nation and the establishment of public dialogue around complex issues of the past through research and promotion of Ukrainian cultural and historical heritage;
• Supporting the development of the latest conceptual proposals for the generalisation and streamlining of scientific and historical knowledge regarding the historical and cultural heritage of Ukraine and the national memory of the Ukrainian people, its integration into information and multimedia technologies and resources, including through the creation of digital media platforms and products with continuous systematic updating for promotion of the results among a wide range of Ukrainians, including young people (schoolchildren, students);
• Supporting projects aimed at strengthening Ukrainian cultural identity and countering Russian aggression in the cultural sphere, debunking cultural stereotypes and phenomena of the everyday consciousness of Ukrainians through reducing contact with Russian culture, moving away from victimisation to the role of a full-fledged rightful participant in the world cultural context;
• Research projects in the field of commemoration as a reconstruction of the interaction between the past and present, studying the problems of Ukrainian identity and the formation of collective memory as important elements of national self-awareness and development prospects;
• Supporting research that integrates and summarises source material, factual information, conceptual proposals, instrumental innovations regarding cultural heritage objects in the context of leading trends in modern historical knowledge with a focus on the practices of new cultural and social histories.

Who can participate? Legal entities of all types of ownership or individual entrepreneurs registered in Ukraine in accordance with the applicable legislation at least one year before the date of the start of the competitive selection that have relevant experience in the field of culture.

Grant amount: UAH 400,000 to UAH 800,000.

Application deadline: 28 February 2023, 06:00 p.m. (Kyiv time)

Project implementation period: until 31 October 2023

Learn more: https://ucf.in.ua/m_lots/63c3ef08de862f7847376ad2

Culture and Arts Recovery Programme of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. LOT 1. Culture and Art Projects

Priorities of the competition:

• Supporting culture and art projects aimed at a creation of cultural and art products;
• Supporting culture and art projects focused on the theme of the war that Russia unleashed against Ukraine, including the problematic issues of war-affected Ukrainians, including children, internally displaced persons, the volunteer movement dedicated to the memorialisation of the heroic struggle of the Ukrainian people, the prospects of post-war understanding and reformatting cultural narratives and meanings of Ukrainian society;
• Supporting culture and art projects that contribute to strengthening the morale of Ukrainians and unifying the world community against Russian military and cultural expansion;
• Supporting projects that promote the values of a democratic, civilized world (tolerance, mutual respect, inclusiveness, opposing discrimination and segregation in all their manifestations, etc.).

Who can participate? Legal entities of all types of ownership or individual entrepreneurs registered in Ukraine in accordance with the applicable legislation at least one year before the date of the announcement of the competition that have relevant experience in the field of culture.

Grant amount: UAH 400,000 to UAH 1 million.

Application deadline: 31 January 2023, 06:00 p.m. (Kyiv time)

Project implementation period: until 31 October 2023

Learn more: https://ucf.in.ua/m_programs/639079e56781d904187f36a2

Culture and Arts Recovery Programme of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. LOT 2. Scholarship for culture and arts recovery

Priorities of the competition:

• Supporting individual cultural and art activities of artists throughout the territory of Ukraine;
• Supporting artists who create cultural and art products with a broad cultural and educational component on the modern theme of the war with Russia and the commemoration of the heroic struggle of the Ukrainian people;
• Supporting cultural figures and artists who contribute to strengthening the morale of Ukrainians and uniting the global community against the Russian aggressor.

Who can participate? Individuals aged at least 18 who are citizens of Ukraine and professionals in the relevant sectors of culture and creative industries, working in Ukraine.

Grant amount: UAH 50,000 to UAH 200,000.

Application deadline: 23 January 2023, 06:00 p.m. (Kyiv time)

Project implementation period: until 31 October 2023

Learn more: https://ucf.in.ua/m_lots/6391a347b483a42c855d88d2