New Opportunities for Cultural Projects in Ukraine
In the Odesa and Sumy regions, new representatives of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation will soon be established to assist local cultural communities in preparing grant applications and finding partners. This is stated in a press release provided by Suspilne Kultura.
The Ukrainian Cultural Foundation has announced the launch of an initiative aimed at enhancing cooperation between the foundation and local cultural communities. The pilot phase of the project will be implemented in two regions — Odesa and Sumy.
The Executive Director of the UCF, Anastasia Obraztsova, noted that the team relied on statistical data when selecting regions: applicants from these areas show high activity and submit many ideas and applications, but only 1 to 5 projects are implemented. She emphasized that the goal of the initiative is to help local communities enhance their capacity and increase the number of successfully implemented projects.
"We strive for each region to have its successful cultural case that inspires others and shows that significant changes begin locally".
UCF representatives will assist cultural communities in better understanding grant program requirements, preparing higher-quality applications, finding partners, and implementing their ideas.
What is UCF
The Ukrainian Cultural Foundation (UCF) is a state investor in the development of culture and creative industries. The institution was established in 2017 based on the Law of Ukraine "On the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation".
Project support is provided on a competitive basis within seven sectors:
- audio art;
- visual art;
- audiovisual art;
- cultural heritage;
- literary affairs;
- performative and stage art;
- cultural and creative industries.
Over eight years of operation, the foundation has financed 2,951 projects. The total amount of investments exceeds 2 billion hryvnias, reaching an audience of 56 million people. According to the draft state budget for 2026, 410.9 million UAH is planned for the UCF (in 2025 — 250.7 million). Next year, in the ninth grant season, separate grants for audiovisual creators will be established, which will operate separately from UCF's collaboration with the State Film Agency and the Ministry of Culture.
