The competition, implemented by the Norwegian-Swedish Askold and Dir Fund, administered by ISAR Ednannia as a part of the Strong Civil Society of Ukraine − a Driver towards Reforms and Democracy project, funded by Norway and Sweden, aims systemic solutions for sustainable recovery as its main priority.
This priority is aimed at supporting strong civil society organizations that operate at the national level and are capable of developing, testing, and implementing solutions that contribute to the systemic recovery of key areas of public life, a return to the path of sustainable development, the restoration of human potential, trust-based relationships, and institutional links between civil society and the state.
An indicative list of systems within which work may be carried out on the development of policies, models, procedures, services, and tools aimed at restoring these systems and returning to the trajectory of sustainable development includes:
- Education: restoring educational processes, developing cooperation models between schools, communities, and the state, integrating children into the school environment, and institutional support for education in wartime conditions.
- Social Sphere: strengthening the system of social service provision, developing mechanisms to support vulnerable population groups, and creating models of multi-level cooperation within communities to address challenges caused by the war.
- Healthcare: ensuring access to quality medical care in communities, adapting the healthcare system to the conditions of long-term recovery, ensuring equal access to services for vulnerable groups, and developing mechanisms for integrating the civil sector into responses to healthcare needs.
- Culture, Memory, and Identity: shaping cultural policy in wartime conditions, preserving and rethinking historical memory, developing cultural infrastructure, supporting the creative potential of communities, and fostering interregional cultural connections.
- Security: restoring a sense of safety, addressing challenges related to mine hazards, violence, military threats, informational isolation, and developing models for community cooperation with security sectors.
- Cross-Cutting Solutions: supporting innovative, cross-cutting, or integrated approaches that contribute to building resilient systems, integrating various recovery areas, and aligning with the key priorities of the donor program. This includes green transformation (resource efficiency, environmental innovations, climate adaptation), inclusion (solutions aimed at engaging vulnerable groups), human rights protection, anti-corruption integrity (openness, accountability, public oversight), gender equality, and digital transformation (use of digital tools, creation of data-driven services).
We invite civil society organizations to participate in the competition if they meet the following criteria:
1. Official registration: Organizations that are officially registered under the Laws of Ukraine on Public Associations, Charitable Activities and Charitable Organizations, or Associations of Local Self-Government Bodies and are included in the Register of Non-Profit Organizations with the corresponding non-profit status (0032, 0036, 0038, 0039).
2. Relevant experience: Organizations with at least 3 years of experience working at the national or regional level in relevant systems (education, healthcare, social sphere, culture, security, etc.), confirmed by at least three implemented projects over the past 3 years.
3. Financial management capacity: Confirmed experience in managing projects with an annual budget totaling no less than 5,000,000 UAH in one of the past three years.
4. Managerial, analytical, or service capacity to develop solutions, models, policies, or mechanisms that can be scaled at the local level. Confirmation: examples of products (analytics, methodologies, models), links to publications, or documents confirming previous analytical or methodological activities.
5. Mentorship or training experience: Proven experience in mentoring, facilitation, or training for other CSOs, or readiness to take on such a role. Confirmation: a brief description of previous mentoring programs, feedback from partner organizations, training programs, or examples of work with a network of organizations.
6. Cooperation with government or municipal structures (national or regional level). Confirmation: letters of support, memoranda, joint documents, or other forms of partnership.
The deadline for concept submissions for this grant competition is August 11, 2025, at 17:00.
Approximately 5–10 organizations will be supported under this competition.
Details about the competition (in Ukrainian).
