Grants on Initiatives to Strengthen Integrity & Transparency

The competition is administered by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ukraine as part of the project “Accelerating Recovery to Ensure Human Security in Ukraine through Rapid Response to Escalating Attacks via ‘Co-Creation’-Based Collaboration” which is being implemented under the UNDP Program “Democratic Governance and Inclusive Society”. The goal of the competition is to support civil society organizations in promoting transparency, accountability, anti-corruption practices, information integrity, and a culture of integrity as prerequisites for Ukraine’s recovery, reconstruction, and democratic development. The competition consists of four thematic lots:

• promoting anti-corruption initiatives;
• strengthening institutional integrity in government agencies;
• a communication campaign to promote a culture of integrity;
• analysis of disinformation narratives and training for media outlets and fact-checkers.

The competition is open to non-profit organisations, including charitable organisations, public associations, civil society organisations, unions, and associations of NGOs that are officially registered in Ukraine and have relevant experience in implementing projects within the respective thematic area. Commercial entities, political parties, public authorities, religious organisations, individuals, and sole proprietors are not eligible to apply.

To qualify for funding, applicants must:

• hold non-profit status and be included in the Register of Non-Profit Organisations;
• be officially registered in Ukraine;
• demonstrate sufficient organisational, financial, administrative, and technical capacity;
• agree to undergo an institutional capacity assessment and financial integrity verification;
• comply with UNDP policies and requirements, including measures to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse.

Additional eligibility requirements depend on the selected lot:

• for Lots 1–2, organisations must have been registered for at least 3 years or demonstrate proven experience in implementing similar projects funded by international donors or international technical assistance;
• for Lots 3–4, organisations must have been registered for at least 5 years or have equivalent relevant project experience.

Applications are accepted from organisations registered or operating throughout the territories of Ukraine under the control of the Government of Ukraine.

The grant programme provides funding through four funding lots, with the maximum grant amount ranging from USD 40,000 to USD 80,000 per project, depending on the lot. UNDP plans to award two grants under Lot 1 and one grant under each of Lots 2–4. All projects must be completed by 20 February 2027.

Grant funding may be used for:

• staff salaries and expert fees;
• consultancy services;
• consumable materials;
• printing and copying;
• utility costs;
• rent, catering, and other project-related services;
• business travel in accordance with UNDP internal regulations.

No more than 10% of the grant budget may be allocated to equipment purchases, provided that their necessity is properly justified. Financial or in-kind co-financing from the applicant is considered an additional advantage during the evaluation process.

Grant funds are disbursed in advance instalments. The final 10% of the grant budget is reimbursed after the submission and approval of the final financial and programme reports. Ineligible expenditures include, among others, debt repayment, international travel, political activities, construction works, vehicle purchases, and other costs specified in the competition conditions.

The grant programme supports projects aimed at strengthening integrity, transparency, accountability, and information resilience in Ukraine. The competition is organised into four thematic lots, each focusing on a specific area of intervention and practical project outcomes.

Supported activities may include:

• Lot 1 – development and improvement of anti-corruption policies, tools and practices, corruption risk assessments, preparation of analytical materials, recommendations and methodological resources, as well as consultations, expert discussions and public oversight initiatives.
• Lot 2 – strengthening the institutional capacity of public institutions through training programmes, knowledge exchange, awareness-raising activities, and the implementation of integrity, accountability and whistleblower protection mechanisms.
• Lot 3 – implementation of communication campaigns, production of information and multimedia materials, organisation of public engagement activities, cooperation with the media, and promotion of a culture of integrity and responsible civic participation.
• Lot 4 – research on disinformation narratives, media monitoring, preparation of analytical reports, training materials, workshops, webinars and practical guidance for journalists, fact-checkers and civil society organisations.

The programme also supports the development of analytical products, recommendations, communication materials, research activities, training events, public discussions and practical tools that align with the objectives of the respective thematic lot.

• 26 June 2026 — call announced.
• 10 July 2026, 23:59 — deadline for submitting project proposals for all lots.

After the deadline, UNDP reviews applications for eligibility.

The Grant Selection Committee evaluates eligible proposals and recommends projects for funding.

Before signing the grant agreement, UNDP may agree with selected applicants on the budget, implementation schedule, expected outputs, and reporting requirements.

The applicant prepares the project proposal in Ukrainian using the required application templates and compiles the document package according to the requirements of the selected lot.

To submit an application, the applicant should:

• complete the application form;
• attach copies of the organisation's statute, state registration document and bank details (PDF);
• provide CVs of the proposed project experts;
• include a mandatory letter of support from the relevant public authority, partner organisation or beneficiary;
• where applicable, attach additional supporting documents, such as recommendation letters or sample reports.

After preparation, the document package must be compressed into a .zip or .rar archive without a password (maximum 35 MB) and submitted by email to the address specified for the relevant lot:

• Lots 1–2: grants.ua@undp.org and daryna.yakymchuk@undp.org
• Lots 3–4: grants.ua@undp.org and valentyna.aksonova@undp.org

In the subject line of the email, please include the name of the competition: “Strengthening Integrity, Transparency, and Information Resilience for the Recovery and Development of Ukraine” and the number of the relevant lot. Applications submitted by any other method will not be considered.

The application deadline for all lots is 10 July 2026.

Project proposals are assessed by the Grant Selection Committee, which reviews applications for compliance with eligibility requirements and technical selection criteria. Where necessary, the Committee may request additional information from applicants or seek an independent expert assessment. UNDP also reserves the right to agree with selected applicants on the scope of activities, budget, implementation schedule, expected outputs, and reporting requirements before signing the grant agreement.

Applications are evaluated using a 100-point scoring system based on the following criteria:

• 25 points — quality of the project proposal and its alignment with the objectives and thematic focus of the selected lot;
• 25 points — clarity, feasibility, relevance, and effectiveness of the proposed activities;
• 25 points — demonstrated capacity of the proposed team and organisation to implement the project;
• 15 points — justification and cost-effectiveness of the planned budget and required resources;
• 10 points — quality of partnerships, cooperation networks, stakeholder engagement, and the potential to reach target audiences.

To participate in the competition, the applicant must prepare a complete application package in Ukrainian using the required templates. The list of mandatory documents is the same for Lots 1–4.

The application package must include:

• a completed application form (Microsoft Word);
• a copy of the applicant organisation's statute (PDF);
• a copy of the state registration document (PDF);
• the organisation's bank details (PDF);
• CVs of the proposed project experts (Microsoft Word or PDF);
• a mandatory letter of support from the relevant public authority, partner organisation, or beneficiary;
• where applicable, other supporting documents, such as recommendation letters, sample reports, or other relevant materials (Microsoft Word or PDF).

After receiving funding, the grantee is responsible for monitoring, evaluating, and properly documenting project implementation. The organisation must collect and retain reliable data on project results, participants, audience reach, and engagement, and submit reports in the formats required by UNDP.

Reporting includes:

• brief progress updates upon UNDP's request;
• interim programme and financial reports, where required under the grant agreement;
• a final programme and financial report with supporting documentation, a summary of achieved results, lessons learned, and project visibility materials.

The grantee is also required to ensure appropriate visibility of UNDP and the donor, coordinate specified public communication materials with UNDP, and follow the approved communication approach. Public communication products must include appropriate references to UNDP and the donor, subject to prior approval.

During project implementation, the grantee must comply with the "Do No Harm" principle, uphold human rights, gender equality, inclusion, and non-discrimination, and ensure appropriate management of ethical, security, reputational, confidentiality, and personal data protection risks. For Lot 4 projects, applicants must also apply a responsible approach to analysing disinformation narratives and avoid their unintended dissemination.

The grant programme is implemented by UNDP in Ukraine as part of a project supporting the country's recovery, democratic governance and the strengthening of integrity. All projects are expected to align with the programme objectives and contribute to transparency, accountability and public trust.

Applicants are expected to ensure that proposed initiatives:

• comply with the principles of transparency, integrity and accountability;
• contribute to democratic governance, civic participation and public trust;
• support the responsible use of resources for Ukraine's recovery;
• take into account risks related to corruption, disinformation and manipulative information influence.

Projects should promote innovative and practical solutions that strengthen anti-corruption mechanisms, public oversight, information integrity, and transparent and inclusive recovery processes.