Small Grants Competition under the “Empowering Civil Society for Ukraine’s Resilience and Recovery” Project

The International Renaissance Foundation, together with the East Europe Foundation, with the support of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and in partnership with Sweden (Sida), launched a three-year project, “Empowering Civil Society for Ukraine’s Resilience and Recovery” (the Project).

The Project aims to strengthen the ability of Ukrainian civil society organisations (CSOs) to set and achieve development goals that contribute to early recovery and democratic governance reforms in Ukraine. Its activities address key challenges facing CSOs, including limited resources and skills, as well as gaps in engagement, visibility and networking. The Project will strengthen civil society and improve its ability to contribute to Ukraine’s development as a resilient and inclusive European democracy and support the country’s recovery from the enormous damage caused by Russia’s war.

Small Grants Competition

The Small Grants Competition supports local and regional civic initiatives that contribute to recovery, inclusion, gender equality and environmental sustainability in communities across the regions most affected by the war.

The competition is open to organisations working in the following regions:

Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson and Chernihiv regions.

Organisations registered in Kyiv are also eligible to apply, provided that they work in communities in Kyiv region or in one of the other regions listed above.

Support for Grant Recipients

Grant recipients will take part in a mandatory capacity-building programme that includes:

• training sessions and consultations to strengthen CSOs’ management, financial and communications skills;
• seminars on gender mainstreaming, environmental standards, sustainable development and transparency in civil society organisations;
• internships with leading civil society organisations to help develop a new generation of civil society professionals;
• free access to the educational online platform Zrozumilo! and other learning opportunities.

Grant recipients will also be involved in regional centre networks that support local initiatives, facilitate learning and cooperation between communities and local authorities, as well as resilience forums and other development activities.

Objectives of the Competition

The competition has two closely interconnected objectives.

A. To engage civil society organisations from the regions most affected by the war in Ukraine’s recovery planning processes, taking into account their multidimensional nature, and in advocating for the principles of sustainable development, human rights, non-discrimination and gender equality, as well as transparent governance in recovery strategies and local community development plans.

B. To provide opportunities for organisational development by supporting teams through the implementation of small grants, participation in the capacity-building programme and the development of partnerships.

Who Can Apply?

The competition is open to local and regional NGOs, civil society unions, charitable foundations and bodies of self-organisation of residents that actively contribute to recovery processes in their communities or regions.

Applicants should work directly with target groups including:

• veterans;
• internally displaced people (IDPs);
• people with disabilities;
• other vulnerable groups.

Applicant organisations must be registered in one of the following regions: Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson or Chernihiv.

Organisations registered in territories of these regions that were under the control of the Government of Ukraine as of 24 February 2022 are eligible to apply. Organisations established during the full-scale war may also apply, provided that at least six months have passed since their initial registration.

An organisation does not have to be physically located at its registered address. Organisations that have relocated because of intense hostilities or occupation may apply after re-registering in government-controlled territory. However, a relocated applicant must have experience participating in civic initiatives related to the region where it was originally registered — for example, contributing to post-occupation recovery planning or remotely monitoring conditions in its home community.

Members of the applicant organisation’s team must be physically located in Ukraine and ready to participate in person in the organisational development programme.

The applicant organisation must also have at least one year of operational experience from the date of its registration.

Eligible Project Activities

The following activities may be included in a project implementation plan. This list is not exhaustive:

• Raising awareness among community residents and increasing demand for inclusive, nature-based and people-centred solutions in Ukraine’s recovery planning, particularly at the local community level.
• Meaningfully engaging local residents in recovery planning and advocacy, ensuring representation of different stakeholders and vulnerable groups, including internally displaced people, veterans, people with disabilities and others.
• Developing local and regional civil society networks and participating in civic networking initiatives and campaigns.
• Analysing critical issues facing communities, developing conclusions and recommendations, and conducting related advocacy activities.
• Communication activities accompanying the project and based on the organisation’s own work, including research, monitoring and analysis.
• Activities aimed at strengthening the institutional capacity of the applicant CSO, including strategic planning that incorporates the principles of sustainable development, non-discrimination and gender equality.

Where appropriate, applicants are encouraged to involve other civil society organisations or individual experts working in the civic, academic or educational sectors as project partners.

Project Duration

The total project duration may be up to 12 months.

Project Evaluation Criteria

Project proposals will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• compliance with the objectives of the competition and a clear link to recovery plans in specific communities;
• a clearly focused project objective and consistency between all sections of the proposal;
• feasibility of implementation, a clear work plan and clearly defined expected results;
• the projected impact of the project on positive change within the applicant organisation and the communities it works with;
• a structured communications component;
• integration of the principles of sustainable development, inclusion, non-discrimination and gender equality into planned project activities;
• a well-balanced budget with clear links between expenditure items and planned activities;
• involvement of other partners in project activities, including representatives of the local community, which will be considered an advantage.

Grant Size

The recommended budget for one project is UAH 1,000,000–1,500,000.

Application Deadlines

Project proposals must be submitted by 3:00 p.m. Kyiv time on the following dates:

• 2 April 2025
• 26 August 2025
• 25 November 2025
• 3 April 2026
• 27 August 2026

Announcement of Results

The results of each competition round will be announced approximately one and a half months after the relevant application deadline.

Projects supported in each round are expected to begin approximately two months after the corresponding application deadline.

Important Information for Applicants

• Project proposals and all attachments must be submitted through the International Renaissance Foundation website using the Electronic Competition system. Documents must be submitted in .doc, .docs, .xls, .xlsx or .pdf format. The maximum size of each attachment is 8 MB.
• Proposals registered after 3:00 p.m. Kyiv time on the specified deadlines — except the final deadline — will be considered in the following application round. Proposals registered after 3:00 p.m. Kyiv time on 27 August 2026 will not be considered.
• In case of technical difficulties, applicants should immediately contact technical support at contests@irf.ua.
• The International Renaissance Foundation does not provide grants to political parties, religious organisations, territorial communities, private individuals or for-profit entities.
• Proposals submitted through any other means will not be considered.
• Materials submitted as part of the competition will not be returned or reviewed individually.
• All applicants will be notified of the competition results by email.
• The final decision regarding a project proposal is not subject to appeal.
• Reasons for rejecting a project proposal will not be disclosed.

Eligible Costs

Project budget expenses are considered eligible if they:

• are necessary for implementing the project activities;
• are actually incurred during the project implementation period;
• comply with the principles of reasonableness and cost-effectiveness, including the principle of achieving the highest quality at the lowest possible cost;
• can be properly documented, justified and clearly explained, and supported by appropriate financial and accounting documentation.

Ineligible Costs

The following costs are not eligible:

• preparation of a project proposal for the competition;
• establishment and registration of an organisation;
• activities focused exclusively on the institutional development of the applicant or other organisations;
• activities focused exclusively on psychological support;
• debt repayment;
• costs related to fluctuations in exchange rates;
• direct fiscal support to government authorities;
• political activities or religious propaganda;
• activities that directly or indirectly discriminate against any social group;
• projects aimed at generating profit;
• construction or repair works;
• purchase of equipment accounting for more than 15% of the project budget;
• purchase of humanitarian aid and/or military equipment;
• purchase of vehicles, luxury goods or related services;
• provision of financial assistance to third-party organisations (re-granting).

Additional Information

Please note that consultations on preparing project proposals are not provided by telephone.

If you have additional questions, please contact kukharenko@irf.ua in writing.

Contact

Democracy and Good Governance Programme

Tetiana Kukharenko, Programme and Project Manager,
“Empowering Civil Society for Ukraine’s Resilience and Recovery”

kukharenko@irf.ua