Competitive Active Labour Market Policy Fund (ALMPF) Pilot Initiative: Jobs for the Future

The program оrganized by Enabel (Belgian Development Agency) under the BE-Relieve Ukraine intervention.

Objective: to prepare the Ukrainian labour market for technological and economic innovations through a frontloading of new skills sets ("Jobs for the Future").

Expected results:

• development of adapted or new training modules based on private sector needs;
• equipping and operationalizing training facilities;
• employment or self-employment of at least 60% of graduates within 6 months after training.

The program focuses on partnerships between the private sector and training providers.

Requirements for the lead applicant

• the lead applicant must be a legal entity, such as a public body, a non-profit organisation (association, foundation), or another legal entity eligible under Ukrainian law to receive grant funding and implement non-profit activities;
• the organisation must be established or represented in Ukraine;
• the lead applicant must be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the project and may not act as an intermediary;
• the organisation must have an active bank account;
• financial statements for at least the last two financial years must be available;
• the applicant must demonstrate relevant experience and expertise, in particular in Active Labour Market Policy (ALMP) activities or business support services;
• neither the applicant nor any co-applicants may be subject to exclusion grounds, including bankruptcy or outstanding tax or social security obligations.

Documentary requirements

• submission of an applicant’s declaration confirming the absence of grounds for exclusion;
• provision of extracts confirming the absence of criminal records for authorised representatives;
• documentation confirming that the organisation is not subject to bankruptcy proceedings and is compliant with tax and social security obligations.

Role of the lead applicant if selected

• if a grant is awarded, the lead applicant becomes the contracting beneficiary, acts as the main contact point for the contracting authority, and coordinates project implementation on behalf of all partners.

Requirements for co-applicants

• co-applicants must be legal entities from the public or non-profit sector;
• they must be established or represented in Ukraine;
• co-applicants must have the technical and operational capacity to carry out the proposed activities;
• they participate in the preparation and implementation of the action under the same conditions as the lead applicant and must sign the required mandate.

Associated partners and contractors

• associated partners may participate in the action but are not grant beneficiaries (with the exception of reimbursement of travel costs);
• contractors may be engaged to provide services or supply goods but cannot simultaneously act as project partners;
• procurement must be carried out in accordance with the applicable public or private procurement rules, depending on the beneficiary’s status.

Funding allocation

The total indicative amount available under the Call for Proposals is EUR 2,000,000. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds. Indicatively, around three proposals per region are expected to be funded, while any remaining balance may be allocated to the highest-ranked proposals. Each grant application must request an amount between EUR 150,000 and EUR 300,000.

If the financial allocation indicated for a specific lot cannot be used due to an insufficient number of proposals or their poor quality, the contracting authority reserves the right to reallocate unused funds to another lot, region, or call. During implementation, the operator reserves the right to adjust the minimum and maximum grant amounts and to award additional funds to beneficiaries already selected within the framework of this Call for Proposals.

Eligible costs

Grants may cover only eligible costs, which also constitute both the estimated budget and the overall ceiling for eligible expenditure. Reimbursement may be based on:

• direct costs (management and operational costs) incurred by the contracting beneficiary, provided they comply with the conditions of the Grant Agreement;
• at least 40% of the grant must be allocated to equipment, tools, and infrastructure directly related to newly developed or adapted training modules or programmes;
• no more than 20% of the grant may be allocated to staff costs directly assigned to project implementation;
• up to 10% of the total grant amount may be dedicated to upgrading and renovation of training premises.

Indirect (structural) costs may amount to a maximum of 7% of the operational costs of the initial grant, regardless of whether the action includes sub-grants. This ceiling applies to the total structural costs of the contracting beneficiary and any sub-beneficiaries combined. Structural costs are fixed indirect costs linked to the existence and overall functioning of the organisation and are calculated at the level of the entire legal entity. The rate proposed by the applicant is subject to verification and validation by the programme operator’s finance team. If sufficient and reliable documentation is not provided, structural costs may not be validated, and the final contracted amount may be adjusted accordingly.

Ineligible costs

The following costs are not eligible for funding, including but not limited to:

• accounting entries that do not result in actual payments;
• provisions for liabilities and charges, losses, debts, or possible future debts;
• debts and debt interest, doubtful debts;
• currency exchange losses;
• loans to third parties, guarantees, and securities;
• costs already financed by another grant;
• invoices issued by other organisations for goods and services already subsidised;
• subcontracting through service or consultancy contracts to staff members, board members, or general assembly members of the subsidised organisation;
• self-subletting;
• purchase of land or buildings;
• compensation for damages under the organisation’s civil liability;
• termination compensation for notice periods not worked;
• purchase of alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and related products;
• grants to sub-beneficiaries;
• salary bonuses.

The programme supports projects aimed at developing skills, increasing employability and improving conditions for participation in the labour market, in particular through cooperation between the education sector and business.

• Online submission.
  The concept note must be submitted exclusively online via the designated electronic submission platform via the following link: https://submit.link/4ym.
• Account registration or login.
  The applicant creates a new user account on the platform or logs in to an existing one.
• Selection of the application form.
  After logging in, the applicant selects the relevant call and initiates the application by clicking the “Apply” button.
• Review of guidelines.
  Before completing the form, the applicant is required to carefully review the applicant guidelines, as they contain essential requirements and recommendations.
• Completion of the online form and document upload.
  The applicant fills in all mandatory fields of the online form and uploads the required documents using the templates provided within the system.
• Form navigation and verification.
  The applicant uses the navigation buttons (“Next” / “Back”) to move through the form and verifies the entered information.
• Saving a draft.
  The system automatically saves the application as a draft, allowing the applicant to return and continue editing at any time before final submission.
• Final submission.
  Once the application is submitted, no further modifications are possible. The applicant receives an automatic confirmation of submission by email.
• Compliance with formal requirements.
  Only complete applications submitted through the official platform and in full compliance with the established rules will be considered. Applications submitted by other means or in violation of the requirements will not be accepted.

General principles of evaluation

All submitted applications are assessed in accordance with the established stages and criteria. If at any stage an application is found not to comply with the admissibility requirements, it will be rejected without further evaluation.

Stage One: Concept Notes

Submission check

• compliance with the submission deadline (applications submitted after the deadline are automatically rejected).

Administrative and admissibility checks

• compliance of the concept note with the criteria set out in points 1–11 of the evaluation grid;
• completeness and correctness of the information provided.
  If any information is missing or incorrect, the application may be rejected without further evaluation.

Quality evaluation

Concept notes that pass the administrative and admissibility checks are assessed for the relevance and design of the proposed action.
The maximum score at this stage is 50 points, with each sub-criterion scored on a scale from 1 to 5:

• 1 — very poor;
• 2 — poor;
• 3 — average;
• 4 — good;
• 5 — very good.

Only concept notes that:

• achieve an overall score of at least 30 points, and
• obtain a minimum of 10 out of 15 points for Criterion No. 12
  will be shortlisted.

The number of shortlisted concept notes may be further limited so that the total amount of contributions requested represents between 175% and 250% of the budget available under this Call for Proposals. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a full application.

Stage Two: Full Proposals

Submission check

• compliance with the submission deadline (failure to meet the deadline results in automatic rejection).

Administrative and admissibility checks

• compliance of the proposal with the criteria set out in points 1–10 of the evaluation grid;
• completeness of the information provided.

Evaluation

Proposals that pass the checks are evaluated on the basis of quality, budget, and the applicant’s operational capacity.
The maximum score at this stage is 100 points, in line with the criteria set out in points 11–23 of the evaluation grid. The criteria are divided into:

• selection criteria;
• award criteria.

The evaluation verifies whether the applicant:

• has stable and sufficient sources of financing to maintain activities throughout the project duration;
• has the management capacity, professional skills, and qualifications required to successfully implement the action.

Only proposals that:

• score at least 3 out of 5 points for Criterion No. 18, and
• achieve an overall score of at least 60 out of 100 points
  will be shortlisted.

Additional selection steps

Provisional allocation of funds

The highest-scoring proposals are included in a provisional allocation table within the limits of the available budget. Other shortlisted proposals are placed on a reserve list.

Verification of supporting documents

Applicants included in the provisional allocation table are required to submit documents proving the absence of grounds for exclusion. If these documents are not provided within 15 days, the corresponding proposal will be rejected.

Organisational capacity assessment

The programme operator conducts an in-depth organisational assessment of applicants included in the provisional allocation table to confirm their capacity to implement the action and manage the grant. If significant risks are identified that could prevent proper implementation, the proposal may be rejected and the next proposal from the reserve list will be considered.

To submit a concept note under the programme, applicants are required to prepare and attach the following documents through the official submission platform:

Mandatory for all applicants

• a signed application form (Part A – concept note);
• a legal entity identification form, duly completed and signed by the applicant and any co-applicants;
• official registration documents proving the legal status of the applicant (e.g. extract from the national register or equivalent founding document);
• the statutes or articles of association of the applicant (and co-applicants, if applicable);
• licenses or permits required for the organisation’s activities (if relevant);
• proof of tax registration, including non-profit status and VAT documentation, where applicable.

Additional documents required for the lead applicant

• confirmation of an active bank account (official bank statement or confirmation);
• financial statements for the last two closed financial years (income statement and balance sheet);
• an external audit report, if required under the programme rules (e.g. for higher grant amounts);
• evidence of relevant experience and expertise, such as:

1. reference or support letters from partners or donors;
2. certificates of completed training programmes or implemented projects;
3. recommendation letters from previous donors or contracting authorities;
4. memoranda of understanding or cooperation agreements;
5. awards, certificates of good performance, or other documents confirming relevant experience.

Additional notes

• the concept note must be submitted as a single PDF file, including all required declarations;
• incomplete or improperly documented applications may be rejected without further evaluation;
• co-applicants are subject to documentation requirements relevant to their role but are not required to submit full financial statements unless specified.

• Information session online (Microsoft Teams): January 22, 2026 at 11:00 (Kyiv time).
• Meeting ID: 393 189 609 718 79,
• Passcode: Tg9en6fp

After receiving funding under the programme, beneficiaries are required to comply with reporting, compliance, financial management, and transparency obligations as set out in the grant agreement.

Where procurement is required, beneficiaries must conclude contracts in accordance with the applicable public procurement legislation or the internal rules relevant to private or public sector beneficiaries. Subcontracting the entire action is not permitted, and expenditures covered by individual contracts may only represent a limited share of the total grant amount.

Following the award of a grant, beneficiaries are required to open a separate bank account or sub-account dedicated exclusively to the management of grant funds. This account must allow clear identification of the funds received, tracking of transactions with third parties, and distinction between grant-related operations and other financial activities. The account must be closed once all reimbursements have been completed and the final balance has been settled.

As part of grant administration, personal data of applicants and contact persons are processed in compliance with applicable data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Such data are collected and used solely for the purposes of grant management, monitoring, and implementation.

In addition, beneficiaries must adhere to transparency requirements. The programme operator may publish general information on contracting beneficiaries, including the title, nature and purpose of the grant, the name and location of the beneficiary organisation, and the amount of funding awarded.

Entities must not be in situations of bankruptcy, liquidation, or have criminal records