1. BACKGROUND

The present call for proposals is organized by UNDP The project “Civil Society and Youth Support” funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a nation-scale 4-year initiative which runs from 1st January 2023 until 31st December 2026. The Civil Society and Youth Support Project (CSYP) builds on many years of joint programming by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DMFA) and UNDP supporting civil society and youth empowerment. CSYP contributes to the following long-term result: “Ukraine's civil society and youth are impactful players in strengthening the country's resilience and recovery, democracy and human rights agenda, including issues of respect to diversity and women's rights and social cohesion“. The project has a three-dimensional approach. Firstly, it intends to strengthen civil society organizations: focusing first and foremost at the subnational level) to enable active civil society­ participation in strengthening Ukraine’s resilience, sustainable recovery and development processes, link established CSOs with youth groups especially newly emerged initiatives after February 2022 to ensure cross-fertilization in skills. Secondly, the project will work at the central level to create a more enabling policy environment for CSOs and support the national "youth machinery". CSYP will support CSOs to monitor the implementation of national-level policies to determine progress made and areas needing additional efforts. Thirdly and finally, CSYP is designed to support Ukrainian youth in to actively participate in Ukraine’s recovery by honing their skills for good citizenship and leadership. The project will support youth-driven projects and expose young women and men to how local governments operate to implement locally relevant l initiatives.

Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022, the country has been facing significant economic, social, and political challenges. This war has led to the displacement of millions of people, extensive damage to infrastructure and the environment, and a significant impact on the country's economic stability and social cohesion. Recent humanitarian assessments indicate that over 12 million people have been displaced internally or crossing borders into neighboring countries as refugees or protection seekers, that 18 million individuals have been directly affected by the conflict, with 12 million people in direct need of assistance. 

Civil society organizations were the first responders to the crisis caused by the war, providing vital assistance to affected communities and advocating for their needs. They are at the forefront of promoting resilience and sustainable recovery in the face of ongoing war. Through their advocacy efforts, they have raised awareness about the impacts of the war on communities, mobilized resources to support those affected, and worked to ensure that the voices of those most impacted are heard in decision-making processes. Civil society organizations have demonstrated their ability to be agile, innovative, and responsive to emerging challenges, and are well-positioned to contribute to the planning of long-term recovery efforts.

As Ukraine moves towards long-term recovery, it is critical to ensure that civil society organizations are engaged in the planning process to build forward better. In this context, it is essential to promote the participation of civil society organizations in the development of recovery plans, ensuring that their expertise and knowledge are leveraged to inform the planning process.

2. OBJECTIVES OF THE COMPETITION: 

The primary focus of this CfP is to support civil society organizations and youth-led initiatives in Ukraine that are working to promote resilience and sustainable recovery in the context of ongoing war, while also protecting the civic space and the rights and freedoms of civil society actors. Specifically, the competition aims at:

• Strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations and youth-led initiatives to engage in evidence-based policy development and decision-making processes, while also safeguarding the rights and freedoms of civil society actors during martial law.
• Fostering innovation and creativity in approaches to sustainable recovery, with a focus on community-based solutions that are responsive to the needs of those most impacted by the war.
• Promoting transparency, accountability, and good governance at all levels, with a particular emphasis on IDPs and vulnerable groups.
• Enhancing the participation of young people in decision-making processes and civic engagement, with a focus on building skills, fostering leadership, and promoting active citizenship.
• Supporting citizens’ participation in developing oblast recovery plans, with a particular emphasis on ensuring that the needs and perspectives of vulnerable groups are taken into account, and that civil society organizations are actively involved in the planning process.
• Strengthening social cohesion by promoting the active participation of IDPs and host communities in the life of their communities. Projects should aim at mending the torn social fabric and promote social inclusion, while also addressing the specific needs of IDPs and vulnerable groups.

Proposals should be designed to address one or more of these objectives and should clearly articulate how the proposed project will contribute to sustainable recovery and resilience in the context of ongoing war in Ukraine, while also ensuring meaningful citizen and youth participation in those processes. Successful proposals will be innovative, evidence-based, and grounded in a clear understanding of the needs and aspirations of communities impacted by the war. 

3. PARTICIPANTS OF THE COMPETITION: 

Non-profit organizations, in particular charitable organizations, public associations (including civil society organizations and unions) that are officially registered in Ukraine for no less than two years. The applying organization should have proven experience in conducting targeted capacity building for civil society and volunteer groups. The contest does not provide grants to profit organizations, political parties, state authorities, local governments, religious communities and private (physical) individuals and entrepreneurs.

3.1. Eligible organizations

The parameters that will determine whether an NGO is eligible to be considered for funding by UNDP will be based on the Capacity Assessment Checklist CACHE (Annex 5). 

3.2. Geographic location:

UNDP will accept applications from all regions of Ukraine. The applying CSO has to prove its capacity to operate in the proposed area of the intervention which will be assessed by the Grant Selection Committee.

4. BUDGET AND ALLOWED EXPENSES:

Eligible costs must:

• be necessary for caring out project activities;
• comply with the principles of sound financial management, in particular value for and cost-effectiveness;
• be properly recorded, identifiable and verifiable, and backed by original supporting documents.

UNDP grant may only be used to cover the following costs:

• Staff salaries and expert fees;
• Purchase of consultative services provided that these are essential for project goals and objectives;
• Consumables and supplies, including minor personal protective equipment;
• Printing and copying;
• Utility services;
• Renting, catering and other services envisaged by the project activities;
• Travel costs (provided that travel complies with internal UNDP regulations).

The following costs are ineligible:

• Costs of project proposal preparation;
• Debts reconciliation;
• International travel;
• Reimbursement of expenses related to exchange rate fluctuations;
• Creation and registration of the organization;
• Direct fiscal support to state authorities;
• Political activity;
• Religious propaganda;
• Activities leading to direct or indirect discrimination of any social strata;
• Projects aimed at gaining profit from activities;
• Construction or repair work;
• Purchase of vehicles and / or luxury goods and related services.

6. FINANCIAL CONDITIONS AND TERMS OF IMPLEMENTATION:

It is envisioned that the budget within project proposal should be within the following range USD 20,000-30,000.  In exceptional cases and subject to approval by the Grants Selection Committee, the budget of the supported project may reach up to 60,000 USD, subject to sound justification proposed by the applying CSO.

The maximum timeframe for the project implementation is 12 months.

The contribution from the implementing organization or from other sources will be considered and will be regarded as an advantage for the applicant. This contribution could be made both financially and in non-financial form (for example, remuneration of the personnel of the organization, provision of its office or equipment for project tasks, etc.).

7. PROJECT PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PROCEDURE:

Project proposals are submitted in Ukrainian and sent by e-mail to the addresses:  grants.ua@undp.org  and oksana.kosenko@undp.org specifying in the subject line, the title of the competition “Supporting Ukraine’s resilience through civil society and youth participation in sustainable recovery". The deadline for submission is April 30, 2023. All projects submitted after the initial deadline will be reviewed on a monthly basis.

Contact persons:

• Oksana Kosenko, Civil Society Project Coordinator “Civil society and youth support ”, UNDP: oksana.kosenko@undp.org 

8. SELECTION PROCESS

8.1. Assessment procedures

UNDP specialists will review the submitted project proposals against the criteria for the assessment of proposals. At this stage, the Programme can request additional information from the applicants at its own discretion.

To ensure full transparency and equity of the process, UNDP forms a Grant Selection Committee (GSC) that will appraise the proposals that have made it through the first stage. GSC is a temporary authorized body that is responsible for considering, selecting and recommending proposals for funding. The Grant Selection Committee may decide to request additional independent expert opinion during the selection process.

8.2. Criteria for the assessment of proposals 

The proposals shall be assessed by the GSC in accordance to the following criteria:

9. REPORTING, MONITORING AND EVALUATION

9.1. Monitoring and evaluation, frameworks for project implementation

The Grantee is responsible for monitoring project implementation and evaluating its results. UNDP will monitor the project through Grantee reports, online consultations, site visits, meetings with project personnel and stakeholders, and participation in project events.

9.2. Reporting

The Grantee shall submit the following reports according to UNDP format:

• Brief reports on demand occasionally requested by UNDP CSDR in cases when information on Programme implementation is required in between reporting periods;

• A Completion report, including a summary of activities and results as well as financial report for total duration of an agreement.

  Download project proposal here.

  Download annexes here.