Contest "Institutional Impulse for Young Civil Society Organizations from the Most Affected Regions".

The project "Empowering Civil Society for Resilience and Recovery in Ukraine" ("Impulse") is implemented by the International Renaissance Foundation in cooperation with the East Europe Foundation supported by Norway (Norad) and Sweden (Sida).

The purpose is institutional development of motivated young CSOs with 1–1.5 years of experience through a training program, small institutional grants, and partnership development.

Winners will undergo a mandatory training program (operational management, strategic planning, finance, communications) and free courses on the Online Educational Platform "Zrozumilo!".

Local or regional NGOs, public unions, charitable foundations, self-organization bodies registered from January 2024 to June 2025.

Activities must relate to early recovery. The team must be physically present in Ukraine.

The Foundation does not provide grants to political parties, religious organisations, territorial communities, private individuals, or business entities that aim to generate profit.

The optimal budget for one project is UAH 400,000.

Project budget costs are considered eligible if they:

• are necessary for the implementation of project activities;
• are actually incurred during the project implementation period;
• comply with the principles of appropriateness and cost-effectiveness, including the principles of “highest quality at the lowest price” and value for money;
• can be properly documented, justified, and clearly understood, and are supported by relevant financial and accounting documentation.

Ineligible project budget costs include those related to:

• preparing the project proposal for participation in the call;
• establishing and registering an organisation;
• repayment of debts;
• reimbursement of costs related to exchange rate fluctuations;
• providing direct fiscal support to public authorities;
• political activities or religious propaganda;
• activities that lead to direct or indirect discrimination against any social group;
• projects aimed at generating profit from activities;
• construction or renovation works;
• procurement of equipment exceeding 20% of the project budget;
• procurement of humanitarian aid and/or military equipment;
• procurement of vehicles and/or luxury goods and related services;
• providing financial support to third organisations (re-granting).

Types of activities that may be included in the project implementation plan (the list is not exhaustive and must correspond to the institutional needs of the applicant organisation):

• strategic planning activities;
• development or improvement of CSO internal documents, such as policies and procedures for operational and financial management, conflict of interest, and a code of ethics including the principles of non-discrimination and gender equality, as well as a communication policy, etc.;
• legal services aimed at improving the organisation’s statute;
• activities to improve communication tools;
• activities to strengthen advocacy and analytical skills.

Participation in the programme requires submitting a project proposal by 19 February 2026, 15:00 Kyiv time. The results are expected to be announced by 10 April 2026.

The start of project implementation should be planned for approximately May 2026. The call is expected to select around 20–25 winning organisations.

• Project proposals with annexes must be registered on the IRF website using the “Electronic конкурс” service. All documents attached to the project proposal must be uploaded in .doc, .docs, .xls, .xlsx, or .pdf format. The maximum size of each annex must not exceed 8 MB.
• Project proposals registered on the IRF website on 19 February 2026 after 15:00 Kyiv time will not be considered.
• In case of technical issues, applicants should immediately contact technical support at contests@irf.ua.
• Project proposals submitted in any way other than the one described above will not be considered.
• Submitted competition materials will not be returned or reviewed.

• A correctly completed application form for this call;
• availability of published information about the applicant organisation’s activities (relevant links are provided in the application form);
• compliance of the submitted project proposal with the purpose and conditions of the call, and a clear link to the applicant organisation’s institutional development needs;
• a well-focused project objective and consistency across all sections of the project proposal;
• realistic project implementation, a clear implementation plan, and clearly defined expected results;
• the projected impact of the project on achieving positive changes within the applicant organisation and in the community(ies) the applicant works with;
• a well-balanced project budget and a clear alignment of budget line items with the planned activities.

All participants will be informed of the конкурс results by email.

The final decision on the project proposal is not subject to review.

Reasons for rejecting a project proposal will not be disclosed.

• Application form.
• Project budget.
• Organisational structure (organigram).
• Copy of the organisation’s Statute.
• Copy of the extract from the Unified State Register.

Announcement of contest results: until April 10, 2026.

Costs must be correctly documented, justified, and supported by relevant financial and accounting reporting documentation.