Technical administration of a grant pool to support media organizations in implementing coordinated activities on narratives about occupation experience

The Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU), implemented by Chemonics, is a multi-year donor program funded by the governments of Canada, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.

The activity aims to strengthen Ukraine’s resilience by supporting communities, media, and government. The RFA is part of the Reclaim strategic project focused on ethical, human-centered narratives about life under occupation and reintegration. 

The plan is to establish a media ecosystem with a grant administrator who will coordinate subgrants, training, communications, and content quality.

Key eligibility criteria:

• The organization must be a registered NGO in Ukraine with non-profit status.
• Experience in administering at least 4 subgrants.
• Proven experience in initiatives related to temporarily occupied territories or similar contexts.
• Completion of due diligence and screening via Visual Compliance.
• Presence of qualified staff with experience in project management and financial reporting.
• Established management systems (financial, administrative, technical policies, internal controls).
• Compliance with policies on human rights, safety, and staff well-being.
• Adherence to ethical standards and code of conduct.

Restrictions (not eligible):

• Organizations registered in temporarily occupied territories without re-registration.
• Entities not registered under Ukrainian law.
• Organizations with a history of misuse of donor funds.
• Entities under sanctions or compliance restrictions.
• Political parties, religious organizations, and entities linked to Russia/Belarus or sanctioned by Ukrainian authorities.

Applicant and activity requirements:

• Submission of a clearly structured project implementation model.
• Demonstration of institutional capacity and subgrant management experience.
• Consistency across all project components (logic, planning, execution).

Implementation obligations:

• Coordination of partners and subgrantees.
• Development of shared strategies, approaches, and narratives.
• Conducting monitoring, evaluation, and training activities.
• Ensuring quality outputs and adherence to journalistic standards.

• Supporting sustainability and continued impact after project completion.

Key funding parameters:

• Expected number of grants: 1.

• Duration: 12 months.

• Total grant amount: approximately UAH 17,400,000.

• Total call budget: at least UAH 11,600,000.

• Up to UAH 5,800,000 allocated for program activities and capacity development (including administrative costs).

• Administrative costs — up to 31% of the grant amount.

Cost requirements:

• Expenses must be directly related to project implementation and necessary for its execution.

• Compliance with Ukrainian legislation (taxation, labor, etc.).

• Costs must be justified, reasonable, and aligned with sound financial management principles.

• Expenses must be properly documented and reflected in accounting records.

Restrictions:

• Costs must comply with Eligible Cost Guidance (for commercial contracts and grant agreements).

• Procurement from sanctioned or restricted companies (by UK/US governments) is prohibited.

• Specifically restricted companies include Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua.

Типи проєктів та активностей:

• Субгранти для відібраних ГО: підтримка подання заявок, відбір, управління субгрантами, моніторинг і звітність.
• Програмна координація субгрантерів: регулярні координаційні сесії, обмін досвідом, спільні підходи та збір даних.
• Реалізація діяльності провідного партнера: створення власних медіапродуктів і посилення синергії між проєктами.

Розвиток спроможності:

• Проведення тренінгів і навчальних заходів для субгрантерів.
• Залучення експертів і обмін практиками між учасниками.
• Підвищення якості контенту та дотримання журналістських стандартів.

Навчання та адаптація:

• Впровадження механізмів навчання на основі досвіду (learning & adaptation).
• Аналіз даних, моніторинг і використання результатів для вдосконалення діяльності.

Змістовний фокус:

• Робота з наративами щодо досвіду життя в окупації.
• Створення журналістських матеріалів, досліджень, мультимедійного контенту.
• Підтримка узгоджених підходів між локальними та національними медіа.

Додаткові вимоги до діяльності:

• Забезпечення інклюзивності та доступності контенту.
• Дотримання принципів етики, безпеки та чутливості до травматичного досвіду.
• Координація між партнерами та підтримка сталості результатів після завершення проєкту.

• Announcement date: March 11, 2026.
• Online workshop for applicants: March 19, 2026 at 14:00.
• Deadline for submitting questions: April 3, 2026, 23:59 (Kyiv time).
• Application submission deadline: April 7, 2026, 23:59 (Kyiv time).

Key steps:

• Complete the online application form via the provided link.
• Prepare a project proposal (Annex A), including:

• • organization description;

  • confirmation of the authorized representative;

  • detailed implementation strategy;

  • explanation of activity logic and roles distribution.

• Prepare the budget (Annex B).

Submission requirements:

• Documents must follow the provided instructions and required formats.
• The application should demonstrate a clear understanding of program needs.

Additional note:

• The final payment (5–10% of the budget) is made after submission of full reporting.

The evaluation of applications within the grant program is conducted in two stages: eligibility screening and substantive assessment.

1. Eligibility screening:

• Application submitted within the deadline.
• Applicant is a registered organization (NGO).
• Activities align with geographic priorities.
• Verification completed (including systems such as YouControl).
• Inclusion of all supporting documents.

Applications meeting these criteria proceed to the конкурсної комісії for further review.

2. Evaluation criteria (100 points):

• Project methodology and design — 40 points: quality, relevance, integration of approaches (including GEDSI), alignment with objectives.
• Expertise and experience — 30 points: relevant track record, examples of previous work, team qualifications.
• Budget and cost-effectiveness — 20 points: level of detail, justification, and realism of costs.
• Risk management — 10 points: presence of a risk matrix and mitigation measures.

Additional notes:

• Alignment with program priorities is also assessed.
• A score of over 70 points is required to advance to the next stage.

• Оnline form.
• Annex A (proposal).
• Annex B (budget).
• Annex C (self-assessment).
• Annex D (risk matrix).

The project will host an online workshop prior to the application deadline on March 19 at 2:00 p.m. Kyiv time on Microsoft Teams.

Link to the meeting:

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZDhlNTE5NDktNzgxMS00NjllLWIyNGYtOTZkZGY3NjlhYjli%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%227c1f24a6-7d39-452c-8237-0726e3b19a73%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%223895fcb8-2908-4669-8cc7-f33e231882f1%22%7d

Within the grant program, requirements for reporting and compliance are established for applicants and grantees.

Compliance and verification:

• Applicants must undergo due diligence procedures and complete the required form.
• Screening is conducted via Visual Compliance (international sanctions lists).
• Both the organization and its staff are checked through Visual Compliance and YouControl systems.
• Organizations with an active “exclusion status” in compliance systems are not eligible.

Team requirements:

• Staff must consist of qualified professionals with experience in project management and financial reporting.

Cost and reporting requirements:

• Expenses must comply with international standards, including Eligible Cost Guidance.
• Full financial reporting and proper documentation of expenses are required.

Financial obligations:

• The final payment (5–10% of the budget) is made only after submission of 100% reporting and verification of all financial operations.

Cost requirements:

• Expenses must comply with international standards, including Eligible Cost Guidance for contracts and grant agreements.
• Mandatory compliance with FCDO Eligible Cost Guidance for Accountable Grant Agreements.

Compliance and checks:

• All organizations undergo a pre-award risk assessment (financial, managerial, and technical).
• The assessment includes compliance with the FCDO Supplier Code of Conduct.

Ethical requirements:

• Adherence to ethical and business conduct principles throughout project implementation.
• Compliance with the Chemonics Supplier Code of Conduct, based on the UK FCDO standards.