Grant competition for strategic partners of the “Unity for Community” project (second wave)

The “Unity for Community”/EU Unity4Community grant competition is implemented by ISAR Ednannia with the support of the European Union. The overall aim of the project is to expand the capacities of civil society organisations and communities on the path to reforms, European integration and recovery.

It is aimed at strengthening CSOs as drivers of change in communities, enhancing their role in development initiatives, in shaping local and national policies, and in building partnerships between authorities and civil society.

The purpose of the competition is to establish strategic partnerships with leading expert CSOs capable of designing and implementing practical solutions to strengthen the capacity of local CSOs. 

Each year three organisations are selected as strategic partners to implement solutions under one of three lots: “Recovery”, “Reforms”, “European integration”.

CSOs may submit several project proposals under any of the lots.

Eligible to participate are CSOs registered in Ukraine as public associations or charitable organisations, included in the Register of non-profit organisations (codes 0032, 0036), and having experience in strengthening the capacity of local CSOs, networking, exchange of experience or development of the civic sector at local level.

Organisations shortlisted after proposal review must undergo CSO verification (due diligence) to confirm their capacity to implement the project.

What the grant may cover:

• administrative costs (project management, utilities, office rent);
• experts’ fees (analytical, consulting, training support);
• events (round tables, seminars, conferences, public discussions);
• capacity-building and training for local CSOs (skills upgrading, trainings, exchange of experience);
• preparation of analytical materials (research, reports, policy papers, development strategies);
• study visits and learning trips (international events, internships in European institutions, exchange with international partners);
• organisational development services for the applicant organisation (internal processes, strategic planning, financial management, communications strategy, etc.)

Eligible costs: reasonable, cost-effective and properly documented.

Ineligible costs:

• commercial placement of materials in the media;
• charitable aid and endowments;
• purchase of vehicles and premises;
• capital repairs of premises;
• debt repayment; support of initiatives related to religious or terrorist activities;
• salaries and fees for civil servants, local self-government staff, law-enforcement, prosecution and courts; purchase of luxury items or goods and services exceeding a reasonable level of expenditure.

Lot 1 “Recovery”:

• strengthening local CSOs in the field of recovery of social processes;
• building their capacity in restoring infrastructure and services;
• engaging citizens in decision-making on recovery and development;
• involving CSOs in local planning and recovery policy;
• creating partnerships between CSOs, authorities and international donors. 

Lot 2 “Reforms”:

• strengthening the role of local CSOs in public oversight of authorities;
• training and upskilling in advocacy, strategic planning and work with public institutions;
• developing sustainable mechanisms and platforms for dialogue between civil society, public bodies and international organisations. 

Lot 3 “European integration”:

• increasing CSOs’ awareness of European standards;
• trainings, educational programmes and internships on implementing European practices;
• networking between Ukrainian CSOs and European partners;
• supporting CSOs’ participation in EU programmes and initiatives.

• Applications are accepted until 18:00 on 1 February 2026.
• Three organisations will be supported in each wave.
• Project duration is from 6 to 10 months.
• The indicative start date for project implementation is not earlier than one month after the application deadline

1) Register the organisation on http://ednannia.ua/reestratsiya and wait for the administrator’s reply by e-mail.

2) After activation of the account, log into the “working cabinet” (e-mail and password).

3) Fill in the online form in the section “Applications/Submit application” for the open competition “Grant competition for strategic partners of the ‘Unity for Community’ project” and click “Submit application”. After submission the application can no longer be edited.

4) Grant managers review the application; if revision is needed, its status is changed to “Needs revision” and editing is reopened.

5) If the application is complete, its status is changed to “Under review by ISAR Ednannia’s grant committee”.

Applications that do not meet the requirements or are submitted after the deadline are not considered.

Proposal assessment includes a technical screening by ISAR Ednannia’s grant committee, interviews with shortlisted project teams, and final selection by an independent Selection Committee.

Evaluation criteria:

• relevance of the proposed solution to the objective of the chosen lot;
• uniqueness, innovativeness and overall coherence of the idea;
• clarity and realism of planned activities (logic: objective → tasks → implementation strategy → work plan → expected results → expected impact);
• experience and professionalism of the project team and the organisation’s ability to implement the project on time;
• justification and balance of the budget and its consistency with project objectives.

Completed online application using the standard form with budget (Application Form with budget).

CVs of all persons involved in project implementation listed in the project team (uploaded as separate files).

To confirm partnerships – letters of support, memoranda, etc. (where available) confirming partners’ readiness to participate in the initiative.

Until 15 February 2026 the project team will hold information and thematic sessions to help organisations prepare applications, providing clarifications on the competition conditions, proposal requirements, evaluation criteria and thematic priorities, and allowing participants to ask questions to the project team. Current information on the dates of these sessions will be published on ISAR Ednannia’s website and social media pages.

Grantees must comply with the donor’s and ISAR Ednannia’s policies and procedures as set out in the grant agreement and its annexes.

ISAR Ednannia will conduct project monitoring and evaluation (itself or with external experts).

Grantees must track performance indicators and carry out internal monitoring and evaluation. 

Reporting: submission of a narrative report (with copies of all documents and materials produced) and a financial report with copies of primary accounting documents.

Implementation of the grant requires mandatory compliance with the donor’s and ISAR Ednannia’s policies and procedures as set out in the grant agreement and its annexes.

All suppliers of services and goods must be selected through tender procedures ensuring a transparent and competitive procurement process. For organisational-development services, an open search for a provider via the Marketplace is obligatory and the provider must be registered/verified on the home.ednannia.ua platform.

Members of the Selection Committee must declare absence of conflict of interest and commit to fair and impartial assessment of applications.