EU Unity4Community project is a comprehensive initiative aimed at strengthening civil society, supporting communities, and fostering active citizen participation in Ukraine's processes of recovery, reform, and European integration.
The project creates opportunities for civil society organisations (CSOs), initiative groups, and active citizens through grant competitions, training programs, analytical tools, professional networking, and support for local initiatives.
Among key components of the project is supporting the operations of the Civil Society Home — an open space for learning, work, events, and CSO development — as well as hosting the annual Civil Society Forum, one of Ukraine’s largest platforms for dialogue, experience-sharing, and collaboration across the civic sector.
The project is built around three key pillars: grants, training, and analytics.
GRANTS
One of the project’s core areas is supporting CSOs through a system of grant competitions at different scales — from strategic partnerships to local community initiatives.
Strategic Partner Grants
Each year, three organisations receive the status of strategic project partners and an annual grant of UAH 5,000,000.
Within the competition, strategic partners implement programs and comprehensive solutions aimed at strengthening civil society, supporting communities, and driving local change across three key areas:
- Community recovery
- Reform support
- European integration
The competition is designed to support organisations with expertise who are ready to work systematically with communities, develop local CSOs, strengthen citizen participation, and build partnerships between civil society and local authorities.
Under these grants, strategic partners may implement:
- Training and mentorship programs for CSOs
- Analytical and research initiatives
- Advocacy campaigns
- Community development and civic engagement events
- Networking and partnership initiatives
- Information and communication campaigns
- Activities aimed at building CSO capacity and supporting local initiatives
Grants also include the option to cover organisational development and administrative support for partner organisations, enabling them to operate more systematically and sustainably.
Supported organisations and projects — 2025 competition
Supported organisations and projects — 2026 competition
The next competition round will be announced in November 2026.
Project Grants for CSOs
The project provides 70 project grants for national and local civil society organisations. Each grant is worth up to UAH 1,500,000, with implementation periods ranging from 6 to 12 months.
The competition supports projects aimed at strengthening the role of civil society in Ukraine’s recovery, reform, and European integration, as well as fostering collaboration among communities, government bodies, media, and other partners.
Eligible areas of support include:
- Development of analytical documents and research to support reforms and public policy
- Advocacy campaigns and initiatives aimed at driving change at local and national levels
- Communication campaigns to inform and engage citizens in decision-making processes
- Events aimed at rebuilding and strengthening cooperation in education, healthcare, social protection, culture, economic development, and local governance
- Partnership development between CSOs, local self-governance bodies, media, businesses, and international partners
- Educational programs, trainings, and learning events for civic activists, youth, journalists, government representatives, and other target audiences
- Media support for reform, recovery, and European integration processes, including developing CSO media engagement skills
- Other initiatives that help communities drive change, strengthen civic participation, and build lasting local partnerships
Special attention is given to projects that create long-term solutions for communities, increase resident participation in development processes, and promote European approaches to cooperation between government and civil society.
Supported organisations and projects — 2025 competition
Supported organisations and projects — 2026 competition
The next competition round will be announced in September 2026.
Local Initiative Grants
A dedicated component of the EU Unity4Community project supports local initiatives, civil society development at the community level, and resident participation in recovery and development processes.
This component is co-financed with the Australian Minderoo Foundation and includes two key areas of community support.
The first is the "GROW" grant competition, aimed at supporting local initiatives in communities, particularly in frontline and war-affected regions. The competition supports educational, social, youth, cultural, and civic projects that help residents come together, create new opportunities, and strengthen community resilience.
The second is a competition to establish "Unity Points" — local community spaces for interaction, learning, civic initiative development, and collaborative community work. These spaces are intended to serve as venues for educational events, community activities, meetings, and local community development.
The local initiatives component focuses not only on supporting individual projects, but on creating an environment where people can unite around shared solutions, build trust, and develop their communities even amid war and recovery.
Organisations and projects supported through the ‘’GROW’’ grant competition
The grant competition to establish "Unity Points" spaces will be announced in September 2026.
TRAINING
The "Recovery and Development Consultants" program is a key element of the training component of the EU Unity4Community project. Its goal is to build a community of specialists who will work with communities through the processes of recovery and development, and to drive local change.
The program provides annual training waves for 300 participants — representatives of civil society organisations and local self-governance bodies.
Training includes:
- Basic level
- Advanced level
- Training of Trainers (ToT)
Program participants gain practical knowledge and tools for:
- Community engagement
- Facilitating dialogue and partnerships
- Strategic planning
- Project management
- Implementing recovery and community development initiatives
The program format brings together representatives from the civic sector and local authorities, helping to strengthen cooperation and foster a partnership-based approach to community development.
Upon completion, graduates will have the opportunity to apply for the project’s grant competitions to implement their own community initiatives.
The next training wave for the "Recovery and Development Consultants" program will be announced in November 2026.
The training component also includes the online program "Through the EU Labyrinth: Regulation, Practice, and Civil Society Participation," implemented in cooperation with GIZ under the "Promoting Ukraine's Approximation to the EU in the Field of Rule of Law" project (3E4U). The program aims to strengthen the capacity of civil society representatives to engage with European integration processes, better understand EU policies and mechanisms, and more effectively participate in reforms, advocacy, and decision-making at national and local levels. The next training wave will take place on July 6–8, 2026.
ANALYTICS
The "Community Development Success Index" is a key element of the analytical component of the EU Unity for Community project and one of the tools for a deeper understanding of development, recovery, and social cohesion processes in Ukrainian communities.
The Index is developed by ISAR Ednannia in partnership with the MHP-Gromadi Foundation and the research agency Info Sapiens.
The Index combines official statistics, sociological research, and assessments of community residents’ own experiences to help better understand:
- How communities navigate recovery and development processes
- What influences the level of trust and social cohesion
- How engaged residents are in community life
- Why residents stay in their communities or plan to leave
- The role of active civil society in territorial development
A central idea of the Index is exploring the relationship between civil society development and overall community success. The Index methodology starts from the hypothesis that strong local CSOs, interpersonal trust, and resident participation directly influence community resilience and recovery capacity.
The Index was piloted in four Ukrainian communities, with plans to scale it for broader use by communities, CSOs, and the expert community.
The Index is designed to be not only a research product, but a practical tool for:
- Making informed decisions
- Strategic community development planning
- Shaping local policies
- Strengthening resident participation
- Building partnerships between government, civil society, and business
The analytical component of the EU Unity4Community project also includes research and analytical materials that help communities and CSOs to more effectively address the challenges of recovery, reform, and European integration.
UPCOMING PROJECT OPPORTUNITIES
- "Through the EU Labyrinth" online training program — July 6–8, 2026 (registration opens June 1)
- EU Unity4Community Project Grants Competition — Third Wave — September 2026
- Grant competition to establish "Unity Points" spaces — September 2026
- Strategic Partner Grants Competition for EU Unity4Community — November 2026
- Competition to join the "Recovery and Development Consultants" program for 2027 — November 2026
- Competition to join the Training of Trainers program for "Recovery and Development Consultants" — November 2026
- Civil Society Forum 2026 — November 2026
For additional questions about project opportunities, please contact: community@ednannia.ua
