Briefly
Program description
The grant program is aimed at strengthening accountability for crimes against Ukrainian children committed during the war, as well as supporting children and their guardians returning from temporarily occupied territories or deportation.
The program particularly focuses on:
- documenting violations of international humanitarian law and human rights;
- supporting mechanisms for victim identification, investigation, and accountability;
- expanding children’s access to education, healthcare, and psychosocial support;
- ensuring a victim-centered approach and the availability of emergency assistance.
The program notes that millions of children have been forced to leave their homes, remain under occupation, or experience deportation due to the war. Particular risks affect children deprived of parental care, children with disabilities, and those living near the frontline.
Project proposals are submitted under the “Children First. Protection of Ukraine's Future” programme, financed by the Fund for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid.
Main Information
Eligibility
Project proposals may be submitted by:
- non-governmental organisations;
- research or academic institutions registered in Ukraine and/or EU Member States;
- organisations with at least 1 year of experience working with vulnerable social groups.
Applicants may submit only one project proposal under the Call. Applications must be submitted individually and without partners.
Applicants are required to:
- comply with environmental legislation and core International Labour Organization labour standards;
- respect fundamental EU values, including human rights, democracy, equality, and the rule of law;
- ensure the protection of children’s rights and follow the principle of the best interests of the child in all activities.
The program applies a zero-tolerance policy regarding:
- sexual exploitation;
- abuse and harassment;
- physical or psychological violence;
- intimidation or coercion.
Applicants must also comply with anti-corruption and anti-bribery legislation. Funding may be suspended or terminated if corrupt practices are identified.
When conducting procurement procedures, applicants must ensure that suppliers and subcontractors are not subject to EU sanctions related to actions against Ukraine.
The Central Project Management Agency (CPMA) reserves the right to suspend cooperation or refuse to conclude a contract in cases of fraud, violations, or non-compliance with the Call requirements.
Financing
The grant program provides a total funding envelope of EUR 600,000 for project proposals.
Key funding conditions include:
- minimum grant amount — EUR 30,000;
- maximum grant amount — EUR 100,000;
- applicants are not required to provide co-financing or own contribution.
For project proposals focused on facilitating the return of children from deportation or temporarily occupied territories, a lump-sum financing mechanism may be applied.
Under this mechanism:
- the fixed amount is determined during the application assessment and included in the contract;
- payment is made after confirmation of the agreed project result;
- proof of actual expenditures and payment documents is not required;
- applicants must indicate the need for lump-sum financing at the application stage.
Eligible costs may include:
- procurement of goods and services necessary for project implementation;
- salaries and related social insurance contributions;
- business travel expenses;
- expert and consultancy fees;
- event organization and communication activities;
- project management and administrative costs;
- project visibility and publicity expenses;
- indirect costs related to project implementation.
Ineligible costs include:
- costs already financed from other funding sources;
- interest and financial liabilities;
- weapons, military equipment, or luxury goods;
- expenses unrelated to project activities;
- expenses paid by entities other than the project implementer;
- recoverable VAT.
To justify the proposed budget, applicants must provide commercial offers, screenshots of prices, contracts, or other supporting documents confirming the reasonableness of planned expenditures. In certain procurement categories, at least three commercial offers are required.
Supported Activities
The grant program supports projects focused on the protection of Ukrainian children, documentation of war-related crimes, and assistance related to the return of children from deportation or temporarily occupied territories.
Supported activities include:
- documentation of crimes against Ukrainian children;
- submission and systematization of data for Ukrainian and international institutions;
- verification and processing of information related to violations of children’s rights;
- strengthening the capacities of law enforcement institutions to investigate crimes;
- identification and tracing of affected children;
- support for accountability and sanction mechanisms.
A separate priority area supports projects aimed at facilitating the return of children and assisting families or guardians. These activities may include:
- psychosocial support;
- temporary accommodation;
- emergency medical assistance;
- psychological support services;
- assistance with documentation;
- transportation support;
- case supervision and coordination.
Applicants may implement either a full package of activities or only selected eligible activities from the list.
Projects facilitating the return of children from deportation or temporarily occupied territories may use the lump-sum financing mechanism, which provides fixed-amount payments based on achieved project results.
Roadmap
- Question submission period: until 04 June 2026.
- Application deadline: 04 June 2026 at 17:00.
- Announcement of evaluation results: by 03 July 2026 at 17:00.
How to Apply
- Applications and annexes must be submitted exclusively through the CPVA Submittable application system.
- Questions may be submitted in Lithuanian or English.
- The project application must be submitted together with all required annexes.
Evaluation Criteria
Project applications are assessed in two stages: administrative compliance review and technical evaluation.
During the first stage, evaluators verify:
- submission of all mandatory documents;
- compliance with the technical and formal requirements of the Call;
- eligibility of the budget and project duration.
If some annexes or documents are missing, applicants may be given 2 to 5 working days to correct deficiencies. Applications with substantial non-compliance are rejected from further evaluation.
The maximum possible score is 100 points. Applications must receive at least 40 points to pass the evaluation stage.
Applications are evaluated under the following categories:
- applicant’s capacities — up to 15 points;
- project relevance — up to 30 points;
- project logic — up to 20 points;
- budget and cost-efficiency — up to 20 points;
- risk management — up to 5 points;
- sustainability of activities — up to 10 points.
Experts assess:
- previous project implementation experience;
- alignment with the Call objectives and thematic priorities;
- quality and consistency of the project logic;
- justification and efficiency of the budget;
- identified risks and mitigation measures;
- sustainability and multiplier effect of the project results.
The scoring scale ranges from 1 to 5:
- 1 — very poor;
- 2 — poor;
- 3 — satisfactory;
- 4 — good;
- 5 — very good.
Applications that successfully pass the evaluation are ranked from the highest to the lowest score. Funding is allocated to the highest-scoring projects until the available budget is exhausted.
Required Documents
Applicants participating in the grant program must submit a complete package of required annexes and supporting documents.
The mandatory application package includes:
- Annex 1 — Applicant Declaration Form;
- Annex 2 — Logical Framework;
- Annex 3 — Budget;
- Annex 4 — Declaration on VAT Eligibility;
- Annex 5 — Project Implementation Plan.
All annexes form an integral part of the application package and are required for the application to be considered during the evaluation process.
Updates / Announcements
As part of the grant program, applicants are invited to participate in an online information event where the call conditions and application requirements will be presented.
Key event details:
- Event date: 20 May 2026;
- format — online event via Microsoft Teams;
- sessions will be held:
- 10:00–12:00 — in Lithuanian;
- 14:00–16:00 — in English.
The organizers stated that registration details will be announced shortly. The participation link will be sent to the email address provided during registration.
Reporting and Compliance
The program предусматриes staged project financing and mandatory interim and final reporting.
The payment procedure includes:
- a 45% advance payment after signing the project funding agreement;
- up to 50% interim payment after approval of the interim report;
- a final payment after approval of the final report.
To receive the interim payment, the applicant must demonstrate that more than 70% of the previously received funds have already been used for eligible project expenditures.
The final payment is calculated as the difference between:
- eligible project costs approved for financing;
- and the amount already paid within the project.
Projects with a duration of up to 6 months may use an individual payment schedule.