Sharing experiences, inspiring communication, and a hub for new ideas – the presentation of ROOTS grant program that our team held in Lviv in partnership with our partners, GIZ Ukraine. There were 55 participants from the Lviv and Volyn regions, including representatives of local self-government bodies, utility companies, regional development agencies, and non-governmental organizations. 

 “The communities should learn to use grant resources to make a reserve of energy resilience with a focus on critical infrastructure and the population. Donor support is a key factor, as these needs cannot be covered by budget funds alone,” noted Valentyna Moskalenko, Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine, in her welcoming speech.  

The first phase of the program has already been launched, covering communities in the Lviv and Volyn regions. Based on the outcomes, we will support up to nine projects lasting 6–10 months. The grant support ranges from UAH 3,000,000 to UAH 5,000,000. 

“Just transition is a comprehensive process that requires cooperation at all levels, from the national scale to local communities. It is essential for everyone to collaborate to effectively utilize resources, attract investments, and promote sustainable development in areas that need it,” emphasized Vitalii Protsenko, Director of the Department of Regional Policy and Reintegration of Territories, the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine.   

For his part, Vadym Tabakera, Deputy Director of the Economic Policy Department of Lviv Regional Military (State) Administration, stated that the regional leadership team had set the task of transforming into a practical plan and added:   

“We put our hopes on ROOTS program as it is the first grant competition aimed at implementing the aforementioned plans.”

The participants also learned about the terms of the grant competition as part of ROOTS program and the strategic framework of just transition. Oksana Medvedenko, Grants and Contracts Manager at the Foundation, explained how to use the Foundation’s Grant Portal and submit an application. Valentyna Khyzhniak, Finance Specialist of the Power4Justice Project, focused on financial instruments for just transition. Additionally, Volodymyr Kuprii, Senior Manager for Monitoring and Evaluation at the Foundation, shared recommendations on how to design a logical project model.   

“We appreciate that, within the Power4Just Transition Program, we have the opportunity and the mandate from the German government to support the implementation of pilot projects that are aligned with the State Target Program for the Just Transition developed by the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine and compliant with the Territorial Just Transition Plans approved at the regional level. We believe that the requirements of the grant competition should be synchronized with the priorities of these plans so that projects not only deliver targeted results but also create synergy for achieving the goals of just transition,” noted Halyna Lytvyn, Head of the Power4Just Transition component, GIZ Ukraine. 

The focus is on projects intended to develop renewable energy and energy efficiency, promote occupational education and retraining, support environmental protection and sustainable land use, encourage local economic development, modernize heating, water supply and sanitation systems, and enhance local communities’ potential for just transition. A board of independent experts will evaluate project applications.  

“The key prerequisite for an application to be accepted into the course is its inclusion in the Territorial Just Transition Plans. Then, experts will evaluate the application content: the project justification, expected outcomes and impact, and feasibility and relevance of the budget. We strive to support initiatives with the best ratio of invested funds to positive impact on the community,” said Vira Nedzvedska, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, East Europe Foundation. 

The final part of the event included a discussion with community representatives about how to get from project ideas to realizing the goals set out in the Territorial Just Transition Plans and regional development priorities. Roman Romaniuk, Acting Head of the Volyn Regional Military (State) Administrations, added that the grant competition offers an opportunity for active communities in the Volyn and Lviv regions to drive change and enhance the investment attractiveness of each community through various project activities:  

“Project thinking of community leaders should become the standard of effective management in the age of global challenges.” 

The Grant Call to support coal communities in the Lviv and Volyn regions will run until March 9, 2026. Applications can be submitted via the Grant Portal of East Europe Foundation.