ZMINA 2.0: Subgrants for culture projects second wave

Answers to frequently asked questions about applying by the link. View the presentation from the first wave of subgrants for cultural projects.

Who can apply:

• NGOs working in the field of culture,
• Cultural institutions,
• Local self-government bodies responsible for culture,
• Artists and cultural actors (recommended to apply via partner NGO or institution),
• Activists working in the field of culture (recommended to apply via partner NGO or institution)

Mandatory: Experience in the cultural sector or conducting educational events or training – at least two years on the date of application.

Which projects can be submitted:

Projects should aim at the continuation of cultural life and to support the spirit of the Ukrainian fight for freedom and independence with a component of civic, social, or economic development:

• Civic development projects that help citizens engage with societal issues

Such projects could, for example, support the development of critical thinking skills, raise citizens’ awareness of their rights and responsibilities, of their right to culture, and engage citizens in a reflection on the kind of society they would like (their children) to live in, to develop a shared sense of purpose for the future of their communities.

• Social development projects that allow citizens to learn new methods of engagement

This includes artistic or creative expression, group discussions, negotiation, and learning to mediate differences and to accept – and move forward with – different points of view. These projects aim to develop respect for oneself, each other, our communities, and anyone trying to effect positive change.

• Economic development projects that develop local economic or employment prospects

This includes skills acquisition, especially for young people and the unemployed, entrepreneurship skills, NGO management skills, audience development, exploration of new artistic skills, etc. These projects should aim to make it economically possible for citizens to remain in their peripheral community and contribute to its future development.

The examples given among civic, social, or economic development projects are not exhaustive.

 Projects must be implemented only in Ukraine.

The Applicant guarantees that, as it regards to implementation of the art project and in respect thereof, as at the moment of the application submission it has already been met and he or she will have been further meeting all the requirements of Ukrainian laws and regulations (as well as, where applicable, all the requirement of any other country’s laws and regulations in particular and such of normative or legislative nature and public order on the whole, the requirements of international treaties et cetera), the nationally and internationally related best and business practices being well established in the culture and art spheres, ones of charity and philanthropical character, grants and financial support, international organisations and institutions related interactions or cooperation, business activity and conducting business; where ambiguities or multiple understandings and interpretations of the requirements mentioned appear to be possible, it is the Izolyatsia, ICF’s requirements that are to be met.

Total budget and sub-grant amount:

• The maximum amount of subgrant: 4000 Euro
• Total budget for all subgrants: 160 943,25  Euro.

Subgrant payment procedure for the selected projects:

• 80% of the project budget is paid after participating in the training for subgrant recipients on requirements and recommendations for project visibility, financial management, evaluation, and reporting, that meet EU standards,
• 20% of the project budget is paid after receiving the financial and narrative report, which describes all the actual spent costs and contains information about the project and its results.

IMPORTANT: If the applicant is a natural person or a natural person-entrepreneur (PE), the subgrant provider acts as a tax agent for such applicants, and when paying (providing) the subgrant withholds on behalf of the applicant, the personal income tax of 18% and military duty of 1.5%.

The subgrant paid in UAH equivalent at the exchange rate on the date of sale of part of the relevant tranche from The European Union.

Deadlines for submitting the application and receiving the result:

• Applications must be submitted no later than 24.12.2022 at 23:59 Kyiv time.
• Results: no later than 31.01.2023, applicants will be informed of the selection process results by e-mail.
• Selected applicants will be contacted to conclude a subgrant agreement. Applicants whose projects will not be selected for funding will receive a rejection letter by e-mail.

Due to the amount of applications, the ZMINA 2.0 project team will not be able to provide justifications of its the decision, and it will be final.

Implementation of projects, including reporting:

• Start of project implementation: from the date of signing the Subgrant Agreement, but not earlier than 01.02.2023.
• The deadline for completing the project, including the submission of descriptive and financial statements is 30.06.2023

How to apply?

• Via the electronic application platform (https://platform.izolyatsia.org)

While applying, you need:

• Choose one of the three strands of the project (social, civic, economic development);
• Describe the project, its relevance to the community where the project will be implemented, and how it will be implemented, what will be achieved as a result of the project;
• Submit the budget;
• Download the supporting documents (for legal entities: extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Individuals – Entrepreneurs and Public Associations), Charter, letter of guarantee, etc.).

The form of the letter of guarantee and the form of the budget can be found on the application platform.

IMPORTANT! The button Submit my application will be visible only after you fill in all sections of the application form and download the necessary documents. If you do not see this button, see the entire application and fill in the missing parts. You will receive an e-mail confirming the successful submission of your application.

Selection criteria: how your application will be evaluated

The ZMINA 2.0 project team will check the projects to comply with the requirements in this description of the provision of subgrants for art projects and select a preliminary short-list. The jury will evaluate the short-list of projects.

The jury will evaluate the following aspects of the application:

• Relevance: How much this project’s funding will help the applicant continue the cultural life in the implementing community? To what extent does the project contribute to maintaining the spirit of the Ukrainian fight for freedom and independence? Which groups of participants will be involved in the project? (10 points).
• Preparation: how carefully is the project prepared for implementation, how realistic is the project for performance, and how the risks of non-implementation of the project are calculated and minimised (15 points).
• Results: What will be achieved due to successful project implementation (10 points).
• Team: how experienced the project team is in project implementation, including descriptive and financial reporting (10 points).
• Budget: how reasonable is the budget and within the allowable costs (5 points).

Each member of the jury will evaluate your application. The final score will result from the arithmetic mean of all scores.

Priority will be given to applicants working in Donetsk region or IDP communities in Donetsk region and to projects involving the most vulnerable groups (IDPs, youth, unemployed, and people with disabilities).

Eligible costs and restrictions:

Eligible costs are those that meet all of the following criteria:

• Costs estimated in the project budget, namely:
  • services for artistic/cultural work (including taxes) – according to the needs of the project;
  • travel expenses for artists and cultural actors involved in the project (including taxes) – according to the needs of the project;
  • accommodation and per diem – according to the needs of the project;
  • delivery/transportation (materials, equipment, etc.) – according to the needs of the project;
  • materials, equipment, etc. – according to the needs of the project;
  • services required for project implementation (production, rental of equipment, tools, etc. – except for services related to project administration) – according to the needs of the project;
• Costs for communication, marketing, and documentation.

• Costs that are necessary for the project implementation;
• Costs that meet the principles of efficient, targeted, and rational use of subgrant funds;
• Costs that are actually incurred during the project implementation period (project implementation period is the period from the date of signing the Subgrant Agreement by both parties to the date of submission of the final financial report (but not later than the last date of the project specified in the Subgrant Agreement) ;
• Expenses that will be reflected in the accounting of the subgrant recipient (except for applicants who are physical persons) and must be confirmed by the actual payment following the bank statements

Not eligible costs are:

• For administrative work and services related to project administration;
• Fixed assets;
• Expenses beside the budget lines of the project estimate.

Monitoring:

After the project selection, the ZMINA 2.0 project team will conduct training for subgrant recipients on requirements and recommendations for project visibility, financial management, evaluation, and reporting that meet EU standards (further – the requirements). Subgrant recipients who participate in this training will receive 80% of the project budget. The Subgrant Manager will monitor the work of subgrant recipients and provide support and information to help them meet the requirements for project implementation and reporting. After receiving the financial and narrative report, which entirely takes into account the costs of the project and contains information about the project implementation and its results – the recipient of subgrants receives the balance (20% of the budget).

The project page on this website was created and is being maintained with the financial support of the European Union. Its content is the sole responsibility of the IZOLYATSIA Foundation; it does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.