Project Grants Competition in Support of Reforms, European Integration and Recovery (within the “Unity4Community” project)

The project grants competition is implemented within the three-year “Unity4Community” project (EU Unity4Community), carried out by ISAR Ednannia with the support of the European Union.

The aim of the competition is to support civil society initiatives that:
- contribute to systemic change and democratic transformation in Ukraine;
- accelerate Ukraine’s integration into the European Union;
- support the recovery of societal processes damaged by the full-scale war at national and local level.

The grant programme is intended to strengthen the role of civil society organisations in reform and recovery processes, to stimulate public dialogue on European integration, to promote the practical implementation of European approaches and standards, and to raise public awareness of the EU integration process.

Eligible to participate are organisations that:
- are registered as public associations or charitable organisations in accordance with Ukrainian legislation;
- have non-profit status with codes 0032 or 0036;
- have proven experience in implementing development projects at national and/or local level.
Applications from organisations that do not meet these requirements are not considered.

Eligible costs (examples):
- salaries and fees for project team members and engaged experts/consultants;
- costs of organising events (venue rent, equipment rent, etc.);
- administrative costs (telephone, banking services, postal services, internet, office rent – within acceptable limits);
- research and analytical services (studies, analytical reports, recommendations, strategic documents, etc.);
- purchase of goods necessary for project implementation (equipment, materials and other resources directly contributing to project objectives);
- other justified costs necessary for successful project implementation that are not included in the list of ineligible costs.

Ineligible costs (examples):
- payment for commercial placement of materials in the media;
- provision of charitable assistance or endowment payments;
- purchase of vehicles and premises;
- capital repair of premises;
- debt repayment;
- support for initiatives related to religious or terrorist activities;
- salaries and fees for civil servants, employees of local self-government bodies, law-enforcement agencies, prosecution bodies and courts;
- purchase of luxury items and goods/services exceeding a reasonable and justified level of expenditure.

Projects must correspond to one or more thematic areas: Recovery, Reforms, European Integration.

Examples of supported activities:
- development of analytical papers and studies needed for policy and reform implementation (with confirmed partnership of the relevant state body);
- activities and solutions aimed at restoring disrupted or destroyed processes in education, healthcare, social protection, culture, the economy and local self-government;
- advocacy campaigns aimed at developing and implementing policies at local and national level;
- communication campaigns to inform and engage citizens in decision-making and policy processes;
- establishing cooperation between CSOs, local self-government bodies and local media through joint projects;
- educational programmes and trainings for target audiences (civil society activists, journalists, civil servants, youth);
- media support for reforms, recovery and European integration;
- other well-justified project solutions related to reforms, recovery and European integration that strengthen the role of CSOs in these processes.

- Applications are accepted until 6:00 p.m. on 15 February 2026.
- Approximately 30 organisations are expected to be supported within this round.
- Project duration is from 6 to 12 months.
- The indicative start date for project implementation is not earlier than one month after the application deadline.

- Project proposals are submitted electronically on the website http://ednannia.ua by 15 February (6:00 p.m.).
- The organisation must first be registered at http://ednannia.ua/reestratsiya and wait for the administrator’s confirmation that the account has been activated.
- After activation, log into the “workspace”, complete all required fields in the application form and budget in the prescribed format.
- The application must be submitted exclusively via the online form, in accordance with all requirements of the Call for Proposals.

Assessment takes place in several stages:

• technical screening by ISAR Ednannia’s grant committee;
• evaluation by an independent Selection Committee;
• interviews with applicant organisations.

Proposal assessment criteria include, inter alia:
- implementation of European approaches and standards of the European Union;
- uniqueness, innovativeness and overall coherence of the idea;
- clarity and realism of planned activities (logic “problem – objectives – results – activities”);
- realism of timeframes and work plan;
- contribution to systemic change, democratic transformation and recovery;
- strengthening the role of CSOs in reforms, recovery and European integration;
- involvement of stakeholders (authorities, public, media, business, etc.);
- capacity of the applicant organisation to successfully implement the project on time;
- justification and balance of the budget and its alignment with project objectives.

The Call for Proposals specifies requirements for the application and budget but does not provide a separate exhaustive list of mandatory file attachments. The presence of certain documents follows from the requirements:
- a duly completed Application Form with budget (in the prescribed format);
- in the case of declared partnerships – letters of support confirming partners’ readiness to participate in the initiative;
- a complete set of documents required by the Call for Proposals and the NGO verification (due diligence) procedure (the exact list will be detailed at the verification stage and in the grant agreement).

Until 15 February 2026 the project team organises information and thematic sessions aimed at helping organisations prepare high-quality applications; during these meetings participants can ask questions about the competition conditions and how to complete the application.

- Compliance with the donor’s and ISAR Ednannia’s policies and procedures is a mandatory condition for grant implementation; detailed requirements will be set out in the grant agreement and its annexes.
- Procurement of goods and services (other than project team members) must be carried out on a tender basis through a transparent and competitive process.
- Applicants must be ready to undergo an NGO verification (due diligence) process to confirm their capacity to implement the project properly.

- Compliance with the requirements of this Call for Proposals and ISAR Ednannia’s Grant Manual.
- Compliance with the donor’s and ISAR Ednannia’s policies and procedures, which will be included in the grant agreement.
- Absence of conflict of interest among members of the Selection Committee (each member must confirm this before starting work).
- Employees of ISAR Ednannia, its governing bodies, permanent experts and representatives of the European Commission may not serve on the Selection Committee.