Creative economy development grants - grant programme

The grant competition is open to officially registered organisations for which the development of cultural and creative industries in Ukraine is a strategic focus of the organisation's activities.

One organisation may apply for several projects within the competition. You can submit partnership projects under condition that a grant is received and reported by the lead organisation in the partnership.

• Expenses related to the implementation of a project in the timeframe from April to December 2025

• Service contracts with service contractors or physical persons for a fixed period of time for project implementation

• Fees for experts and speakers

• Translation costs and translator fees

• Marketing and promotion costs

• Project monitoring and evaluation

• Travel costs, including per diem and insurance

• Expenses to provide accessibility ensuring the inclusivity of the project or the organisation's space (up to £1000 in addition to the total project amount)

• Additional costs such as new online subscriptions, software or additional rental for project needs (up to 15% of the budget value)

• Technical equipment to ensure an organisation can function during power shortages, such as power generators; improvement of shelter conditions, purchase of safety equipment, such as first aid kits, fire extinguishers; solutions that strengthen the climate sustainability of the organisation (up to 20% of the budget value)

• Taxes and banking costs associated with the project.

Here are the examples of projects from the last edition of the grant programme. 

• ‘Ye Rozmova’ (There is a conversation) is a comprehensive initiative that included a series of five meetings and a large-scale study of the creative sector in Vinnytsia. The project was implemented by the NGO Plai with the following goals: to emphasise the importance of creative industries for the development of the city, to identify resources for the growth of the creative sector, to create a platform for dialogue and networking, and to conduct an in-depth analysis of the state of the creative industries in Vinnytsia.

• ‘The Ugoda’ (The Agreement) project is an initiative to support Ukrainian designers and illustrators. The Design4Ukraine association together with the Ukrainian National Office of Intellectual Property and Innovation (IP Office) created standardised contracts and practical recommendations for the creative community. This was the first attempt in Ukraine to systematise the legal side of the work of designers and illustrators.

When developing your project, we recommend using the following resources:

1. Creative hub leaders’ toolkit

2. Ukrainecreatives.education

3. Resources about the creative economy

Grant applications are submitted in Ukrainian. Grant recipients will be asked to sign a bilingual grant contract with the British Council.  

Please note that the narrative and financial reporting for the project is in English. You can use the project budget to hire experts to help you with administration and/or translation.

We invite applicants to submit project proposals that reflect the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion, and that take into account climate sustainability in their design. This will be one of the project evaluation criteria.

You can add accessibility costs to your total budget (up to £1000) to ensure that your project or space is inclusive. Project accessibility costs include the removal of barriers for people with hearing impairments, people with disabilities, and neurodivergent artists or audiences. This can include, for example, sign language interpreters, subtitlers, or personal assistants for artists or producers with disabilities.

Projects can be implemented offline, online, or in a hybrid format. Please note that if you are planning an offline event, you are responsible for ensuring an adequate level of safety for project participants and other stakeholders. 

The applicant must demonstrate an appropriate approach to risk management during activities and the project implementation in general. In the case of offline activities, security measures and the choice of a venue with access to a shelter should be part of the planning.

As the security situation in Ukraine may change, applicants should be prepared to adapt project activities and travel arrangements, including cancelling, postponing or changing planned formats. We will assess whether appropriate safety and security measures have been taken.

On 27-28 February 2025, we plan to organise an offline strategy session for the winners of the grant competition, to which we will invite two team members from each winning organisation. Together with the Lanka.pro collective we will offer a number of exercises that will help to update the organisations' strategy and better prepare them for project implementation.

• One organisation can submit several applications, but only one of them can be funded under this grant programme.

• The recipient of the grant is responsible for paying any taxes and bank charges associated with the grant. These costs should be included in the project budget at the time of application.  

• Grants will be paid in UAH at the British Council's exchange rate to the pound sterling after due diligence and signing of the relevant contract.

• Payments will be made within 30 days of signing the grant contract by both parties. 

• Please note that only after the grant payment is completed, the applicant can start contractual relations with suppliers and project activities.

• We expect that all documents confirming financial expenditures (receipts, invoices, payment confirmations, contracts, etc.) will be provided electronically as part of the reporting. This is required by the UK National Audit Office.

• The grant recipient will be required to complete the British Council's mandatory training on safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion.