CSOs grant сompetition "Towards life: Communities in аction"

The grant competition is designed to support civil society organisations implementing practical local initiatives aimed at helping communities recover from the impacts of the full-scale war against Ukraine. The programme focuses not only on physical reconstruction but also on restoring social processes, systems, human potential, and sustainable community development.

The competition is implemented by the Norwegian-Swedish Askold and Dir Fund, administered by ISAR Ednannia within the project “Strong Civil Society of Ukraine – Driver of Reforms and Democracy”, funded by Norway and Sweden.

The programme’s primary objective is to restore processes, connections, and institutional structures that ensure the resilience and viability of communities. By supporting local solutions, the initiative contributes to the normalization of everyday life, stronger cooperation with local authorities, and increased public trust.

The “Towards Life: Communities in Action” grant competition for civil society organisations includes six thematic lots.

The competition is open to organisations that meet the requirements of the call and have demonstrated experience in implementing local-level initiatives.

Key eligibility requirements include:

• being officially registered under Ukrainian law as a public association, charitable organisation, or association of local self-government bodies and included in the Register of Non-Profit Organisations;
• having at least 2 years of experience in the field related to the proposed project;
• having implemented at least two grant-funded projects with annual funding of UAH 2,000,000 or more;
• being registered in, or having documented experience of working within, the community targeted by the project.

Applicants may submit up to two project proposals under different lots; however, only one proposal per organisation may receive support.

Organisations that pass the preliminary selection stage must undergo a due diligence verification process to confirm their organisational capacity.

Geographic Requirements

The competition covers most regions of Ukraine. Projects may target either a single community or a group of communities.

Projects are not eligible if they are implemented in:

• temporarily occupied territories;
• areas of active hostilities;
• territories directly bordering combat zones or with restricted security access, where such areas are already covered by other humanitarian or emergency programmes.

Applicants must identify the community or group of communities that will benefit from the project and justify the territorial focus. Preference will be given to organisations that are registered in or maintain continuous activities within the target communities.

Within the grant programme, projects may receive funding with a maximum budget of up to UAH 2,500,000. The final amount of support may be determined by the Selection Committee based on the expected duration of support and the planned project activities.

Projects must have a duration of between 6 and 12 months. Budgets must be prepared in Ukrainian hryvnias and include detailed justification of all planned expenditures in line with the project’s objectives, tasks, and activities.

The budget should specify the level of involvement of project staff and experts. Costs related to project activities must be clearly itemised, and all calculations should be based on the market value of goods and services in Ukraine.

Administrative costs are recommended not to exceed 10% of the requested grant amount.

Eligible costs are those that:

• are justified and cost-effective;
• are properly documented and supported by relevant financial and accounting records.

Ineligible costs include expenses related to:

• sub-granting;
• charitable donations or endowment funding;
• the purchase of vehicles and premises;
• capital renovation works;
• debt repayment;
• activities related to religious or terrorist purposes;
• salaries and honoraria for civil servants and employees of local government, law enforcement bodies, or prosecution authorities;
• luxury goods or purchases that exceed a reasonable and justified level of expenditure.

The programme supports projects aimed at community recovery, resilience building, and the strengthening of local systems and services. Applications may be submitted under seven thematic lots.

Lot 1. Restoration of Educational Processes

Supported activities include:

• alternative learning formats;
• psychosocial support for students;
• integration of vulnerable groups of children and youth;
• development of educational infrastructure and digital solutions;
• adult education and reskilling programmes.

Lot 2. Restoration of Social Services

Priority is given to initiatives focused on:

• restoring or developing social services;
• introducing new social support models;
• improving access to social services;
• strengthening the capacity of social service providers.

Lot 3. Restoring Access to Healthcare

Supported projects may include:

• improving access to basic healthcare services;
• mobile and innovative healthcare solutions;
• prevention and awareness-raising campaigns;
• rehabilitation and counselling services.

Lot 4. Culture Recovery, Memory and Identity

Projects may focus on:

• revitalising cultural life in communities;
• preserving cultural heritage;
• developing cultural spaces;
• creating local archives and documenting wartime experiences;
• promoting dialogue on memory, identity, and community cohesion.

Lot 5. Community Safety Recovery

Supported initiatives include:

• strengthening community safety;
• developing local safety systems;
• preparing communities for emergencies;
• improving crisis response mechanisms and cooperation with relevant institutions.

Lot 6. Energy Autonomy and Resilience

Projects may support:

• local energy resilience planning;
• energy efficiency measures;
• alternative energy solutions;
• development of local energy coordination mechanisms and infrastructure.

Lot 7. Cross-Cutting Solutions for Sustainable Recovery

The programme supports integrated and innovative projects that combine several recovery sectors and contribute to sustainable development, local integrity, environmental responsibility, and cross-sector cooperation.

The grant competition accepts applications in two submission rounds, providing applicants with flexibility in choosing when to submit their project proposals.

Key milestones:

• 1 April 2026, 17:00 — deadline for the first application round;
• 1 July 2026, 17:00 — deadline for the second application round.

Following the selection process, supported projects may start no earlier than 1.5 months after the application deadline.

The indicative project implementation period is from 6 to 12 months.

The evaluation of project proposals is carried out in two main stages. During the first stage, the ISAR Ednannia Grant Committee conducts a technical review to verify compliance with the competition requirements.

The preliminary assessment includes:

• compliance with the required application format and completeness of responses;
• alignment with the competition priorities and the selected lot;
• compliance with applicant eligibility requirements;
• relevant previous experience in the proposed field of activity;
• availability of the required supporting documents;
• compliance with established budget limits.

Applications that successfully pass the technical review proceed to the second stage, where they are assessed by an independent Selection Committee. The committee includes representatives of donor institutions, sector experts, and civil society development specialists. If necessary, interviews may be conducted with project teams to clarify submitted information.

The main evaluation criteria include:

• relevance of the project to the identified needs and challenges of the target groups;
• clarity and feasibility of the proposed activities;
• consistency between objectives, activities, and expected results;
• experience and capacity of the project team to deliver the proposed actions within the planned timeframe;
• justification and balance of the proposed budget.

The provided materials do not specify a detailed numerical scoring system or points scale.

• Completed application form.
• Project budget.
• Documents required by the application form.
• For certain lots, letters of support from partners or government agencies are preferred.

Reporting Requirements and Compliance Obligations After Receiving Funding

After receiving a grant, project implementation must comply with the donor’s policies and procedures, as well as the requirements of ISAR Ednannia, which are specified in the grant agreement and its annexes.

Reporting Requirements

Grant recipients are required to submit project and financial reports on the implementation of project activities.

Reporting must include:

• a project report accompanied, where applicable, by copies of developed documents or supporting materials;
• a financial report with copies of supporting documents, including primary accounting records and other documentation required under the grant agreement.

Procurement and Use of Funds

All procurement activities must be conducted transparently, reasonably, and at fair market prices.

• For purchases from a single supplier below UAH 350,000 (excluding VAT), direct procurement is permitted while adhering to integrity principles.
• For purchases of UAH 350,000 (excluding VAT) or more, at least three commercial offers from different suppliers must be obtained and reviewed.
• Organisational development services must be procured through the relevant tender procedures.

Grant funds may not be used for:

• payment of direct taxes and VAT;
• any expenditures not included in the approved project budget.

Monitoring and Compliance

ISAR Ednannia conducts project monitoring and evaluation either directly or with the involvement of external experts. Monitoring may take place during project implementation and after project completion.

The monitoring process includes:

• assessment of project implementation progress;
• verification of planned results and achievements;
• evaluation of the performance indicators defined in the application.