Together We – Shelter Program is implemented by East Europe Foundation with the support of the Humanitarian Fund for Ukraine. The Program’s aim is to increase viability of Ukrainian nongovernmental organizations that provide vital services to the war-affected population.

Program Geography: Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv and Kherson regions.

The Program will focus on providing humanitarian non-food assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other war-affected populations by mobilizing and strengthening the capacity of local CSOs.

The projects involve purchasing and distributing to IDPs kits of essential non-food items that can be used in shelters, in particular,  bed linen and towels, kitchen utensils, water tanks, lights and phone chargers.

It is assumed that the kit composition will be at least 80% consistent with the standard kits approved by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):

• For shelters (recommended composition of the kit – follow the link);
• For households of IDPs or the local population (recommended composition of the set – follow the link);
• For families from the local population (recommended composition of the set – follow the link).

20% of the kits represents a variable component and may include goods from the following categories: bed linen and towels, kitchenware, housewares, lights and phone chargers.

In addition to procurement, it is planned to inform the public about the progress of the project and the needs of the beneficiaries.

Projects are expected to last between two to three months.

Number of projects to be supported: 15.

The maximum budget for one project is UAH 950,000. The minimum project budget is UAH 850,000.

Funds within projects can be used to:

• Purchase non-food items in accordance with the recommended composition of the kits. The items in the kits may differ from the recommended list by no more than 20%. If possible, preference should be given to Ukrainian manufacturers;
• Pay for transport and logistics;
• Pay for storage space rent;
• Set up a mechanism to collect and process feedback from beneficiaries on the quality of services provided;
• Finance administrative expenses, including salaries of the applicant organization’s employees involved in the project.

When planning projects, applicants should consider the following:

• In the application, it is necessary to clearly state what type / types of kits are planned to be purchased, provide their composition and indicate the number of kits of each type;
• Activities within the project can be carried out exclusively in the target areas of the Program;
• Applicant must ensure that feedback is collected from beneficiaries;
• The applicant must adhere to the principle of zero tolerance for violence and be ready, together with EEF experts, to develop and implement policies for accountability to the affected population and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (AAP / PSEA) in the work of their organization;
• The applicant must obtain a letter of support from the local authority of the community where the project is planned to be implemented, as well as a letter of support from the management of the shelter if the kits are to be distributed in shelters.

In addition, the Foundation, with the help of involved experts, will support the winning organizations in developing internal policies to ensure accountability to the affected population and protect from sexual exploitation and abuse (AAP / PSEA). Organizations will also be supported through training and mentoring.

The competition is open to civil society organizations (CSOs), in particular, charities (non-entrepreneurial associations, institutions, foundations, etc.), public associations (public organizations, public unions), which are registered as legal entities in Ukraine and have a non-for-profit status. Applications from business entities, including corporations and individual entrepreneurs, state authorities, local governments, political parties, and religious organizations shall not be considered. Applicant organizations must not be in a state of bankruptcy or dissolution at the time of application.

All applications submitted to the competition will be reviewed and evaluated by an independent board of experts, based on the following evaluation criteria:

• Alignment of proposed activities with the Program priorities;
• Ability to reach a significant number of beneficiaries;
• Previous experience in providing humanitarian aid (proven logistics, team capacity, etc.);
• Ability to implement the project in certain geographic areas under current conditions and have the appropriate expertise and specialists to implement the project (project manager, financial specialist/accountant (at least two years of experience in accounting).

To participate in the Program, applicants must complete and submit:

• Application form;
• Project budget;
• Letter of support from local authorities (in free form); and
• A letter of support from the shelter management or the balance holder indicating their readiness to take the goods on the balance sheet in the event if the kits are purchased for the shelter.

The deadline for application submission is June 21, 2023, 23:59. Completed applications, along with the budget, shall be sent to [email protected]. Please indicate in the subject of the letter “Application for the grant competition for procurement of non-food items for IDPs.”

Documents submitted by applicants shall not be reviewed. The final decision on the application shall not be subject to revision. The reasons for the decision to refuse or support the project shall not be disclosed.

Participants will be notified in writing about the results of the application consideration by the competition commission.

Selected organizations may be interviewed online to assess their organizational capacity.

The projects are expected to start around August 15, 2023.

Questions regarding the technical conditions of the grant competition can be sent to: [email protected]