“Get Ready!” Grant Competition for CSOs

The Askold and Dir Foundation is a Norwegian-Swedish fund administered by ICAP Ednannia. It is dedicated to strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs), supporting inclusive and sustainable recovery in Ukraine, and promoting democratic reforms.

Within the framework of the project Strong Civil Society of Ukraine – A Driver of Reform and Democracy, the Foundation provides grant support and promotes organisational development, advocacy, research, media campaigns, educational initiatives, training, and professional networking for CSOs.

The "Get Ready!" grant competition was launched in response to the ongoing risks posed by attacks on energy and heating infrastructure, which may lead to prolonged disruptions in electricity, heating, and water supply. The competition aims to enhance the capacity of CSOs to contribute to inclusive and sustainable recovery.

The programme focuses on strengthening the ability of civil society organisations to support communities, organise coordinated responses, and maintain their own operational continuity during emergency situations.

Within the grant competition, applications may be submitted by civil society organisations (CSOs) that prepare proposals in accordance with the requirements of the call for proposals.

Eligible applicants include:

• public associations and charitable organisations registered under the legislation of Ukraine;
• organisations included in the Register of Non-Profit Institutions and Organisations with the relevant non-profit status codes (002, 003, 0038, or 0039).

Organisations that successfully pass the preliminary selection stage are required to undergo a CSO due diligence verification process to confirm their capacity to implement the proposed project effectively.

Under the grant competition, the maximum grant amount is UAH 1,000,000. It is expected that most supported projects will have budgets ranging from UAH 400,000 to UAH 600,000. Project budgets must be prepared in Ukrainian hryvnias.

Key budget requirements include:

• All budget items must be clearly justified and aligned with the project's objectives, tasks, and activities.
• The budget should specify the percentage of involvement for each project staff member together with the required personal information.
• Event-related costs must be itemised in detail, while equipment purchases must be justified as supporting the project's capacity development.
• Administrative costs must be clearly detailed, and the recommended total administrative costs should not exceed 10% of the grant amount.

Only costs that are justified, reasonable, and properly supported by financial documentation are considered eligible.

Ineligible expenditures include costs related to charitable assistance, endowments, purchasing or major renovation of premises, debt repayment, support for initiatives connected with religious or terrorist activities, salaries or fees for public officials and law enforcement personnel, and the purchase of goods or services at unreasonably excessive prices.

The grant competition supports projects aimed at strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations to operate effectively during emergencies and ensure the continuity of services for target groups.

Priority areas of support include:

• Delivery of essential services during emergency situations, including needs monitoring, service adaptation, referral mechanisms, transportation, and support for vulnerable groups.
• Information, mobilisation, and coordination activities, including partnership development, volunteer engagement, coordination among organisations, local authorities and other response actors, as well as efforts to counter disinformation.
• Strengthening the institutional preparedness of CSOs through risk assessments, crisis planning, business continuity planning, staff training, information protection, and enhancing organisational, technical, digital, and energy resilience.

• Open rolling application period.
• Applications are reviewed and assessed as they are received, at least once a month.
• Applications remain open until the grant pool is exhausted.
• After submission, ISAR Ednannia grant managers review the application.
• If revisions are required, the application receives the status “Requires revision”, after which the applicant can edit it.
• A fully completed application receives the status “Under consideration by the ISAR Ednannia Grant Committee”.
• After technical screening, proposals are assessed by an independent Selection Committee.
• During the selection stage, the ISAR Ednannia team conducts interviews with applicant organisations.

Project proposals must be submitted electronically through the ICAP Ednannia website.

Application process:

1. Register the organisation on the ICAP Ednannia website and activate the account via the confirmation email.
2. After activation, log in to the user account using the registered username and password.
3. In the "Applications" section, select the relevant grant competition and complete the application form.
4. Once the application is completed, click "Submit Application". The application can be edited until it is submitted.
5. After successful submission, the application status changes to "Under Review by the ICAP Ednannia Grant Committee."

Applications that do not comply with the competition requirements or are submitted after the established deadlines will not be considered.

Applications are evaluated in two stages: a technical eligibility review followed by an assessment conducted by an independent Selection Committee.

During the first stage, ICAP Ednannia verifies whether applications comply with the requirements of the call. The review includes:

• completeness and correctness of the application form;
• compliance of the project with the competition requirements;
• applicant eligibility;
• relevant organisational experience;
• submission of all required documents;
• compliance with the established budget limits.

Only applications that successfully pass the technical review proceed to the second stage. An independent Selection Committee, composed of representatives of recognised institutions and experts in civil society development, carries out the substantive evaluation. Committee members confirm the absence of conflicts of interest before participating in the assessment.

The main evaluation criteria include:

• relevance of the project to the emergency context and the actual needs of the community;
• feasibility, timeliness, and practicality of the proposed solutions;
• the organisation's operational capacity and the justified use of resources.

As part of the assessment process, the project team participates in an interview with ICAP Ednannia to clarify project information. Applications are not peer-reviewed, and if funding is declined, the organiser reserves the right not to provide explanations for the decision.

The required application materials include:

• A completed application form for the relevant grant competition.
• The application form including the project budget, provided as part of the call documentation.

Following the award of funding, grant recipients are required to comply with the donor's policies and procedures, as well as the terms and conditions of the Grant Agreement and its annexes.

Key requirements include:

• Procurement must be conducted transparently, fairly, and with proper justification in accordance with the applicable procedures.
• For procurements below UAH 350,000 (excluding VAT), purchases may be made from a single supplier while respecting integrity principles or the organisation's procurement procedures.
• Where procurement equals or exceeds UAH 350,000 (excluding VAT), at least three commercial quotations from different suppliers must be obtained and reviewed.
• Organisational development services must be procured exclusively through an open tender conducted under the donor's procedures.

Grant funds may not be used to cover VAT or any expenditure not included in the approved project budget.

ICAP Ednannia carries out project monitoring and evaluation, including oversight of implementation, regular monitoring of project activities, and assessment of achieved results against the approved indicators.

At the end of the project, recipients are required to submit:

• a project report, including copies of project outputs and printed materials;
• a financial report accompanied by supporting documentation, including primary accounting records and other documents required under the Grant Agreement and its annexes.