East Europe Foundation announces the second wave of the grants competition “Support for CSO Initiatives on the Recovery of Territorial Communities”, implemented within the framework of the “Phoenix: The Power of Communities” project, carried out by East Europe Foundation with financial support from the European Union.

The aim of the competition is to support CSO engagement in the recovery of territorial communities, their adaptation to the conditions of martial law, and participation in European integration processes.

Up to 15 organizations are expected to be supported with grants ranging from UAH 1,100,000 to UAH 1,600,000. The expected project duration is 6–8 months.

The application deadline is 27 February 2026, 18:00.

Within the Competition, CSO projects addressing the following thematic areas may be supported:

• assessment of territorial community needs related to the recovery of social infrastructure and essential public services, development of recovery proposals, and their discussion within the community;
• support to territorial communities in developing new or updating existing regulatory, policy, and strategic documents related to community recovery and development;
• improving the quality and accessibility of public services at the territorial community level;
• strengthening social ties and cohesion within territorial communities, fostering interaction and cooperation among residents of different settlements within the same community to support recovery and development;
• improving access to the labor market, creating conditions for economic self-realisation, stimulating entrepreneurship and self-reliance, particularly for women, veterans, IDPs, youth, older persons, and enhancing workplace inclusiveness;
• support and strengthening of social infrastructure and adult education and retraining programs;
• creation, development, and institutionalisation of safe and inclusive public spaces for civic interaction.

Within grant projects, organisations may plan and budget for the following types of activities:

• activities aimed at restoring disrupted or destroyed public service delivery processes in territorial communities and expanding access to such services;
• creation and support of broad local networks and partnerships, platforms for direct cooperation between CSOs and local self-government bodies, between authorities, business, and civil society, and among residents of different settlements within a territorial community;
• promotion of institutionalisation and application of financial instruments for engaging CSOs and citizens in local governance and recovery processes;
• activities within the framework of social and youth work in territorial communities;
• activities aimed at strengthening social cohesion, dialogue practices, psycho-emotional and psychosocial support for the population;
• activities supporting social integration of veterans, IDPs, and other population groups;
• support for initiative groups of citizens not formally organised as CSOs, and volunteer groups addressing local issues (training, mentoring, etc.);
• educational and awareness-raising activities for various social groups aimed at developing labor market–relevant professional skills;
• introduction or development of existing cluster approaches to preserving and developing the economic potential of territorial communities;
• educational and training activities on recovery and Ukraine’s EU accession for representatives of local self-organisation bodies, local self-government, municipal institutions, and organisations.

Who can apply

Eligible applicants include CSOs such as charitable organisations (non-profit societies, institutions, foundations), public associations (NGOs, unions), and associations of local self-government bodies registered in Ukraine and holding non-profit status (codes 0032, 0034, 0036, 0038, 0039).

Applicant organisations must have at least two years of experience implementing projects in the proposed thematic area at the territorial community level and conduct ongoing activities in one or more territorial communities.

CSOs can represent all Ukraine Government-controlled territorial communities. Project activities must be implemented in one or more territorial communities.

How to apply

Applications may be submitted only via the East Europe Foundation Grant Portal.

An online information session will be held for interested applicants. During the session, the Foundation’s team will provide detailed information about the Competition and the Grant Portal and answer applicants’ questions. To participate, please complete the registration form via the provided link.

Applicants can also send their questions to [email protected]. Please indicate the competition title in the subject line: Support for CSO Initiatives on the Recovery of Territorial Communities.

To apply, please carefully read the full information available at the following link.