UAH 7 million for community: start of a new season of “Time to Act, Ukraine!”

The 4^th May market the start of a new season of our “Time to Act, Ukraine!” competition providing grants local initiatives in communities across the country . The total budget for the competition is UAH 7 millionwith up to UAH 100,000 available for each project and applicants are allowed to submit multiple applications for different projects.

“During a full-scale war, local issues do not suddenly disappear. Indeed conflicts spark additional problems to arise. These include the challenge of caring for and integrating Internally Displaced People (IDP) (which, according to our research, is not systemic everywhere), and the additional pressure that the psychological and physical rehabilitation of IDPs and local residents caught up in the conflict places on community healthcare facilities. . To support communities and activists in their desire to create a better, more efficient, healthier space around them, MHP have resolved to continue our annual grant competition “Time to Act, Ukraine!”, noted Tetiana Volochai, Director of the “MHP-Gromadi” Charitable Foundation, which organizes the “Time to Act, Ukraine!” competition.

The geographical scope of the competition ranges across  12 regions of Ukraine: from Volyn to Dnipro oblasts. Grants are available for a broad spectrum of initiatives ranging from educational, medical, and infrastructure projects to programs that seek to to rehabilitate veterans and protect  Ukraine’s cultural identity.

The main requirement is for applicants to clearly demonstrate and justify why their project will help solve specific problems faced by the local community/region. The projects should respond to public demand, and deliver lasting results whether that is for a particular institution (school/kindergarten), a small settlement, or the wider community. Only by satisfying these will there be a synergy of efforts and we will see a good result,” explains Volodymyr Panchenko, Head of National Projects at the «MHP-Gromadi» Foundation.
An example of such a successful project is the creative hub in the village of Potaptsi, Cherkasy region. There, the organizers of the competition presented the current new season of «Time to Act, Ukraine!». A year ago, thanks to grant funds, local activists renovated the village library, bought new furniture, and created a dedicated creative space. Through this they have helped  a) socialize IDPs, b) boost the creative spirit of local residents, and c) facilitating volunteer initiatives. To this day the hub has been used for a variety of purposes including the weaving of camoflage nets, the hosting of choral classes for local choirs and providing a safe space for children and adults to craft jewelry which can be sold to as a way of raising charitable funds.

Thanks to this single  project, hundreds of people in a small village have found a place to come together to support one another and help the community survive the awful consequences of this conflict. Local governments, utilities, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and non-governmental organizations are all welcome to participate in the competition

Project proposals can be submitted between the 4 May and the 1 June 2023 via the competition website:  https:https://timetoact.com.ua/. If you have any questions about filling out the documents, please don’t hesitate to contact the organizers at timetoact@mhp.com.ua.

The preliminary results of the competition will be announced on the 20^th June 2023.