Grants are not about money. They are about the opportunity to support those who need it most.
That is why it is not enough to know how to submit an application simply. What truly matters is understanding the change you want to create and who you are creating it for.
On February 25–27, 2026, the School of Organizational Development for the second cohortof the “First Successful Grant” program took place in Kyiv. The program runs within the Askold and Dir Fund, administered by ISAR Ednannia with the support of the Governments of Norway and Sweden.
Fourteen newly established civil society organizations worked on:
▪ clarifying their role
▪ articulating their mission
▪ building a realistic development plan
We discussed how the civic sector operates, where to find resources, how to build partnerships, and how to remain resilient in challenging environments.
Special thanks to our lecturers and colleagues from ISAR Ednannia — Volodymyr Sheyhus, Nataliia Klymova, Valentyna Diomkina, Olha Nikolska, and Anna Ostrikova — who shared practical experience gained through years of supporting civil society organizations across Ukraine. This transfer of expertise is what makes the program more than training. It becomes a growth point.
The most valuable moment is when a team begins to clearly see where it is going and why. At that point, a grant stops being a goal. It becomes a tool.
Ahead lie first applications, new solutions, and first results.
