Experts of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme continue to compile current grant opportunities in various fields for local self-government during the war.

We offer municipalities a list of grants in culture, education, security and healthcare. For convenience of use, we have grouped the information about grants by direction.

U-LEAD reminds that the Programme offers municipalities assistance in preparing and submitting a project application in order to attract international funds for the implementation of projects.

 

 Opportunities for culture 

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

 

Grant programme “Culture. Regions. LOT 1. Local culture

Priorities of the competition:

• improving the capabilities of municipalities to generate competitive cultural products aimed at local development in the context of armed aggression by the Russian Federation;
• support for new local cultural products that promote the cultural heritage of the region and boost its tourist potential, including those aimed at preserving, developing and presenting products of folk crafts;
• use of new approaches and new technologies in regional initiatives combined with elements of local cultural heritage;
• promotion of local culture, cultural diversity and values of national minorities and ethnic groups, their harmonious coexistence;
• support for the cultural capacity of regions, in particular those affected by Russia’s aggression.

Who can participate? Local self-government bodies of a locality other than a regional capital or the city of Kyiv, which are registered in Ukraine in accordance with the current legislation without restrictions on the terms of registration and have relevant experience in the field of culture, as well as legal entities of all forms of ownership and individual entrepreneurs, each registered in Ukraine in a locality other than a regional capital or the city of Kyiv at least one year before the start of competitive selection and have relevant experience in the field of culture.

Grant amount: UAH 300,000 to UAH 1 million.

Application deadline: 6 March 2023, 06:00 p.m. (Kyiv time)

Project implementation period: until 31 October 2023.

Learn more: http://bit.ly/3YFC9aL

 

Grant programme “Culture. Regions. LOT 2. Indigenous culture and unique ethnic cultures of the Azov Sea and the Black Sea regions

Priorities of the competition:

• comprehensive retrospective understanding of the Crimean culture through art and forming a vision of the future cultural landscape of Crimea with an emphasis on the continuity of cultural ties between Crimea and mainland Ukraine;
• preservation, development and representation of the cultural diversity of the Crimea, the Azov Sea and the Black Sea region, in particular the intangible heritage of the indigenous peoples of the Crimea (Crimean Tatars, Krymchaks, Karaites) and unique ethnic cultures of the Azov Sea and the Black Sea regions, which are endangered, in particular the North Azovian Greeks, Meskhetian Turks, Urums, Roumeans: folk arts, language, cuisine, religious life, etc.
• attracting a wide audience, including outside of Ukraine.
• a wide range of involved partnerships, including organisations preserving and promoting the culture of the Crimea, the Azov Sea region and the Black Sea region as well as those engaged in human rights activities, including human rights advocacy;
• support for projects that promote the art of the indigenous peoples of Crimea and unique ethnic cultures of the Azov Sea and the Black Sea regions, diversify the artists and artistic concepts and engage with socially important issues;
• support of measures to preserve and digitise the unique cultural heritage of the peoples of Crimea, the Azov Sea region and the Black Sea region of Ukraine, digitisation and evacuation of artefacts located in regions close to hostilities.

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

Grant amount: From UAH 700,000 to UAH 3 million.

Application deadline: 6 March 2023, 06:00 p.m. (Kyiv time)

Project implementation period: until 31 October 2023

Learn more: http://bit.ly/3jDi0TX

 

Competition of applications for libraries “Working for Victory”

Priorities of the competition:

• financing of projects to restore and preserve Ukrainian libraries that suffered as a result of hostilities or actions of the occupation forces and administrations (including repair work, purchase of equipment, replenishment of book collections and other resources);
• strengthening the resource base of libraries that provide services to internally displaced persons, war veterans, those who study online, etc.;
• support for librarians who find themselves in difficult life circumstances as a result of hostilities.

Grant amount: UAH 50,000

Application deadline: 15 February 2023

Learn more: http://bit.ly/40KBpTi

 

 Opportunities for education 

Competition of the Finnish Fund for Local Cooperation

Priorities of the competition:

• Education and studying (including, but not limited to):

- catch-up education and training for children and youth based on their needs (offline if possible);

- improving the well-being of teachers and/or students.

• Environmental safety and energy efficiency (including, but not limited to):

- promoting energy saving/energy efficiency;

- involving local residents in mapping and documenting environmental degradation and environmental risks caused by war; identifying environmental recovery needs.

The embassy seeks proposals that demonstrate innovative forms of engaging volunteers and self-help groups to implement the proposed projects and strengthen municipal resilience.

Who can participate? Civil society organisations with proven experience in implementing projects with a budget of at least EUR 100,000.

In some cases, other organisations can also submit their applications, such as scientific and research institutes, independent media and cultural institutions.

Cooperation with local authorities as partners is encouraged.

Grant amount: the total budget of the Fund for this year is EUR 500,000. No more than 3 or 4 projects will be selected for funding from the Fund in 2023. The amount of funding for each project will be considered individually.

Application deadline: 28 February 2023, 5 p.m.

Project implementation period: up to 24 months

Learn more: http://bit.ly/3K0hPwJ

 

 Other project opportunities 

Project “Support for healthcare reform”

Priorities of the competition:

• Strengthening the healthcare system and addressing critical gaps. This can be achieved by ensuring the availability of medical devices and equipment to restore and support the provision of basic services;
• Recovery of the operation of institutions by eliminating non-structural damage caused by the war (grant funds CANNOT be used for construction works).

Who can participate? Municipal institutions of primary health care (PHC), including PHC centres or other health care facilities that provide PHC services in one of the target areas, have an official contract with the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU) and serve all age groups and categories of the population.

The target areas of the project are Kyiv, Chernihiv and Zhytomyr oblasts.

Support can be extended to other oblasts (for example, Kharkiv or Dnipropetrovsk) after

de-occupation and provided that other partners have safe access to them.

Application deadline: on a permanent basis until 30 September 2023

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3xaYTnd

 

Competition “Strengthening the ability of CSOs to take the lead in the processes of recovery and development of de-occupied territories”

Priorities of the competition:

• quick necessary support for municipalities and territories in the processes of recovery of administrative services, social services, etc.;
• strengthening security in the liberated territories;
• support or deployment of formal and non-formal education systems;
• creating favourable conditions for local businesses, including social ones;
• support of social movements, volunteer initiatives, public and charitable organisations;
• monitoring the situation in the de-occupied territories;
• access to verified information on de-occupied theories;
• completion of cooperation between local authorities, businesses and CSOs for rapid restoration of the territories;
• conflict management on the de-occupied territories and municipalities.

Purchase and further distribution of humanitarian aid (food, water, medicine, etc.) IS NOT A PRIORITY OF THIS COMPETITION and will not be supported.

Who can participate? Civil society organisations. Cooperation with local authorities as partners is encouraged.

Grant amount: maximum and minimum grant amounts are not set. Its scope is determined by the CSO applicant, taking into account planned activities, events, the duration of support provided, the number/duration of work of experts/researchers involved, etc.

Application deadline: 28 February 2023, 5 p.m.

Project duration: up to 24 months.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3jN2tRo

 

Grant programme of the USAID Project “HOVERLA”

Priorities of the competition:

• Support for improving the legislative field and introducing new legislation to improve local self-government in accordance with European standards;
• Protection of the interests of local self-government bodies, in particular in the budget process and sectoral decentralisation;
• Use of public engagement tools for the development of local democracy.

Who can participate? Any interested and qualified applicants legally registered in Ukraine.

Target areas: Lviv, Poltava, Volyn, Zhytomyr, Odesa, Zakarpattia and Rivne oblasts.

Application deadline: on a permanent basis until 30 September 2023

Project duration: 6 to 12 months.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3JQ7Ytc

 

Municipal Digital Transformation Programme “Hromada 4.0”

Programme goal: Hromada 4.0 is a programme that will help current and future leaders of digital transformation form concepts and launch digital projects based on the current needs of residents of their municipalities.

Who can participate? Municipalities with a population of up to 50,000 inhabitants. Team: local authorities representative office, activists, analysts and citizens who are ready to work together.

What will the municipality get?

• expertise of Ukrainian professionals necessary for the construction and development of projects;
• mentoring support from mentors who will give professional advice, inspire development and provide support for work;
• a community of activists and those driving digital change who will be able to exchange experience, share practices and knowledge;
• communication support for teams and their initiatives in the country’s leading media;
• public presentation of projects at an open event for representatives of municipalities, national and public organisations and the media.

Application deadline: 20 February 2023.

Duration of the programme: March-July 2023.

Learn more: https://www.hromada4.org