Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Pooled Fund in Ukraine
Supporting Ukrainian solutions that help people and communities recover, maintain resilience, and build a system of care in the context of war and recovery.
The Circle of Life. Circle of Mind Pooled Fund is a joint funding mechanism established by international donor organisations to support Ukrainian solutions in the field of mental health and psychosocial support.
The Fund is aimed at developing a sustainable, community-rooted system of care in Ukraine. It combines funding with organisational capacity development, strengthening of a professional community, knowledge exchange, and support for long-term systemic change.
The Fund is administered by ISAR Ednannia.
Why It Matters
The war has changed the lives of millions of people in Ukraine. People and communities are facing loss, forced displacement, chronic stress, exhaustion, and uncertainty. The need for quality psychological and psychosocial support remains high both for people directly affected by the war and for communities continuing to live through prolonged crises.
At the same time, support in the field of mental health often remains fragmented, short-term, and insufficiently connected to the development of a sustainable support system. Ukraine needs to move from separate interventions to integrated, long-term, and locally led approaches.
This is why the Fund supports not only projects, but also the people, organisations, knowledge, and connections that make quality support for people and communities possible during the war and future recovery.
What the Fund Does
The Fund supports Ukrainian civil society and charitable organisations working in the field of mental health and psychosocial support.
The Fund aims to help Ukrainian organisations to:
- provide quality support to people and communities;
- develop sustainable models of psychosocial support at the local level;
- strengthen the capacity of professionals, organisations, and communities;
- create new knowledge, tools, and methodologies for the sector;
- strengthen cooperation between organisations, specialists, and service providers;
- build a long-term system of care that remains accessible to people after individual projects come to an end.
The Fund works at the intersection of direct support to people and the systemic development of the mental health and psychosocial support sector in Ukraine.
What Makes the Fund Different
Ukrainian Leadership
The Fund is grounded in Ukrainian expertise, the experience of communities, and the knowledge of practitioners. It supports locally developed solutions that respond to the real needs of people and communities.
Joint Donor Action
International donors have pooled their resources to simplify access to support for Ukrainian organisations and to increase the collective impact of investments in mental health and psychosocial support.
More Than Grants
The Fund combines funding with mentoring, expert and training support, the development of a community of practice, and knowledge exchange.
Systemic Orientation
The Fund invests not only in services, but also in the development of professionals, professional standards, referral mechanisms, coordination, knowledge, tools, and long-term support models.
Flexibility and Accountability
The Fund maintains the ability to respond to emerging challenges while adhering to the principles of good governance, transparency, independent selection, and accountability.
What the Fund Supports
The Fund supports initiatives in the field of mental health and psychosocial support that contribute to long-term positive change in the lives of people and communities.
Main Areas of Support
Psychoeducation and Resilience-Building
Initiatives that help people, families, and communities better understand mental health, seek help in a timely manner, use healthy coping mechanisms, and support one another.
Professionalisation of the Sector
Training, supervision, intervision, professional support for specialists, the development of internal organisational policies and procedures, the introduction of quality standards, and the prevention of professional burnout.
Social Connections and Community Cohesion
Initiatives that contribute to restoring trust, mutual support, social ties, and people’s inclusion in community life.
Knowledge Generation and Tools for Practice
Research, needs assessments, methodologies, training programmes, practical tools, recommendations, knowledge bases, and resources for organisations and professionals.
Platforms, Safe Spaces, and Local Care Hubs
Support for physical, digital, and social spaces that provide people with access to support, facilitate interaction among sector actors, and strengthen local ecosystems of care.
Cross-Cutting Priority: Continuity and Depth of Support
The Fund gives preference to initiatives that go beyond one-off activities and create conditions for long-term positive change in the lives of people and communities.
In the field of mental health and psychosocial support, sustainable results often require time, consistency, and trust. Therefore, the Fund encourages approaches that provide support to people at different stages of recovery, allow people to seek help repeatedly, combine different types of support, and contribute to the development of local systems of care.
Preference will be given to projects that:
- create long-term support mechanisms;
- ensure continuity of assistance and accompaniment;
- combine direct support to people with strengthening the capacity of communities and organisations;
- contribute to the development of referral pathways and cooperation between different service providers;
- integrate psychosocial support into broader community recovery and development processes;
- have the potential to continue activities after grant funding ends.
What the Fund Does Not Support
The Fund does not support infrastructure or construction projects, construction works, capital repairs, or the purchase of premises.
The Fund does not provide funding directly to state institutions, local self-government bodies, healthcare institutions, commercial organisations, political parties, or profit-oriented activities.
The Fund also does not support religious, party-political, or terrorist activities; the provision of subgrants or charitable assistance; endowment payments; repayment of debts, fines, and penalties; or the purchase of luxury items, goods, or services that exceed a reasonable and justified level of expenditure.
Who the Fund Is For
The Fund works with Ukrainian civil society and charitable organisations that provide services or develop solutions in the field of mental health and psychosocial support.
The following organisations may apply to the Fund’s calls for proposals:
- civil society and charitable organisations;
- local and regional CSOs providing psychosocial services;
- national CSOs, research CSOs, and consortia working in the field of mental health and psychosocial support.
The Fund supports organisations that are connected to the local context, understand community needs, work ethically and inclusively, have the potential for sustainable impact, and are ready to become part of a broader community of practice.
How the Fund Works
The Fund operates through open grant competitions for Ukrainian organisations.
Support may include:
- small, medium, and strategic grants;
- individual mentoring support, where needed;
- expert support;
- access to the MHPSS community of practice;
- platforms for experience exchange and learning;
- support in organisational capacity development, monitoring, learning, and adaptation.
Projects are selected based on transparent criteria. All applications are assessed according to the same procedures, and decisions on support must be fair, strategic, evidence-based, and aligned with the mission and values of the Fund.
Selection Principles
The Fund is guided by the following principles:
Alignment with Strategic Priorities
Supported projects should contribute to strengthening the MHPSS ecosystem in Ukraine.
Ukrainian Leadership and Local Ownership
Priority is given to Ukrainian expertise, locally developed solutions, and meaningful community engagement.
Equality, Inclusion, and Accessibility
Selection processes should ensure fair access to funding opportunities, with particular attention to underserved communities, vulnerable groups, and underrepresented groups.
Quality and Relevance of the Intervention
Projects should respond to identified needs, have clear objectives, a realistic implementation logic, and an ethical and trauma-informed approach.
Potential for Sustainable Impact
The Fund gives preference to initiatives that create long-term benefits for communities, strengthen local systems, and develop sustainable practices, tools, or partnerships.
Organisational Capacity and Accountability
Applicants should demonstrate sufficient operational and financial capacity, the ability to manage risks, and readiness for learning, monitoring, and mentoring support.
Learning, Adaptation, and Cooperation
The Fund supports projects that contribute to shared learning, knowledge generation, cooperation, referral, and the strengthening of the broader MHPSS ecosystem.
For Donors
The Fund offers a coordinated, effective, and locally rooted mechanism for investing in mental health and psychosocial support in Ukraine.
Pooling resources allows international donors to:
- increase the collective impact of their investments;
- support Ukrainian solutions based on the real needs of communities;
- avoid duplication of efforts;
- combine rapid response with long-term systemic change;
- invest not only in services, but also in the development of professionals, knowledge, coordination, and sustainable infrastructure of care.
The Fund creates space for trust-based partnership between donors, Ukrainian organisations, experts, and communities.
For Organisations and Professionals
The Fund supports the work of Ukrainian organisations not only financially. It creates opportunities for long-term partnership, mentoring, learning, and engagement in a national community of practice.
For organisations, this is an opportunity to:
- receive funding to develop solutions in the field of MHPSS;
- strengthen their organisational and professional capacity;
- take part in experience and knowledge exchange;
- develop partnerships with other organisations and professionals;
- contribute to building a sustainable system of support for people and communities in Ukraine.
Our Approach
The Fund is based on the understanding that mental health cannot be viewed in isolation. It is connected to social services, human rights, community resilience, access to support, trust within communities, and people’s ability to participate in the life of their communities.
Therefore, the Fund supports approaches that:
- are based on the needs of people and communities;
- take into account the consequences of war, trauma, loss, and displacement;
- are ethical, inclusive, and trauma-informed;
- strengthen local support systems;
- promote coordination between different service providers;
- help Ukrainian organisations work with quality, sustainability, and accountability.
From Response to Systemic Change
The Circle of Life. Circle of Mind Fund supports what helps people today while also investing in what will remain important tomorrow: professional communities, knowledge, partnerships, local support systems, and the long-term infrastructure of care.
We are looking not only for individual projects. We are looking for organisations that are ready to work with us to build a system of care, support, and resilience in Ukraine.
Join Us
Follow the Fund’s open calls and opportunities for Ukrainian organisations working in the field of mental health and psychosocial support.
For questions regarding grant competitions, please contact:
Or call the ISAR Ednannia grant competitions hotline:
0 800 50 77 45
