Purpose

The capacity building and networking program for local cultural actors will assist communities in identifying and/or reimagining local cultural resources (museum collections, memorial and cultural sites, existing or potential tourist attractions, heritage objects, etc.). The program will also provide selected participants with grant and mentorship support to create cultural products, educational programs, heritage interpretation projects, and initiatives focused on community engagement and diverse audiences, addressing the challenges of war. The project is implemented by: Mystetskyi Arsenal, IZOLYATSIA Foundation, Kharkiv Literary Museum, Odesa National Art Museum, and Dnipro Center for Contemporary Culture, in collaboration with the Partnership for a Strong Ukraine Program.

Target Audience

Up to 30 organizations working on culture and identity—local museums, libraries, cultural centers, community centers, and NGOs from regions where the Partnership for a Strong Ukraine operates: Chernihiv, Kyiv (northern de-occupied areas), Sumy, Kharkiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions, including organizations displaced from these regions, regardless of their current location in Ukraine.

What We Offer

Program participants will engage in a series of lectures and discussions analyzing wartime challenges and practical solutions for cultural actors, develop their project ideas, and receive expert recommendations from lecturers and trainers. Following a project pitch, a team of experts from partner institutions will select up to 12 projects to receive funding ranging from UAH 1 million to UAH 1.5 million (funds will be provided in material or monetary form, depending on the organization’s capacity and legal status).

Focus Areas

• Local identity: local narratives and their interaction with broader Ukrainian identity, decolonization processes, and the identification and development of local cultural resources.
• Culture as a factor of social cohesion: community development, new approaches to engaging dynamic audiences during wartime—participatory practices, working with vulnerable groups, addressing traumatic and controversial topics, conflict sensitivity, and trauma-informed approaches.
• Reflecting on Ukraine’s experiences of war and conflict: memorialization practices, approaches to museification and exhibition creation, and innovative curatorial practices.

Program Duration

July 2025 – August 2026.

Following an open call, up to 30 participants will be selected to participate in the training and networking program. With mentors, they will gain theoretical knowledge and practical skills, work on identifying or reimagining local cultural resources, and develop joint solutions for war-related challenges. Meetings will be held in a hybrid format (online and offline in Kyiv) from August to October 2025. After the main training phase, participants will present their project ideas at an offline pitch in Kyiv, competing for mentorship and funding for implementation. Supported projects will be implemented from November 2025 to June 2026.

The Capacity Building and Networking Program for Local Cultural Actors “Heritage: Space for Work” is supported by the Partnership for a Strong Ukraine Fund, funded by the governments of the United Kingdom, Estonia, Canada, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, and Sweden.

About the Partners

• Mystetskyi Arsenal: a flagship Ukrainian cultural institution integrating various art forms, from contemporary art to literature and museum practices. Its mission is to promote the modernization of Ukrainian society and Ukraine’s integration into the global context through the value of culture.
• Kharkiv Literary Museum: a space for social interaction and dialogue on current issues, fostering local communities. Founded in 1988, its collection focuses on the Executed Renaissance (1920s–1930s), the Sixtiers and Ukrainian resistance movement (1960s–1980s), the early 1990s, and contemporary Ukrainian literature.
• Odesa National Art Museum: a state art museum opened in 1899, housing an extensive collection of artworks in the historic Naryshkin Palace. It continues exhibition, research, and educational activities during the full-scale war, offering programs for cultural professionals.
• IZOLYATSIA: a non-profit, non-governmental platform for cultural initiatives, founded in 2010 in Donetsk on the site of a former insulation materials factory. Its mission is to drive systemic change in Ukrainian society through cultural projects, addressing socio-political issues at local and global levels through research, exhibitions, cultural decentralization, and residencies.
• Dnipro Center for Contemporary Culture (DCCC): a Ukrainian cultural institution operating since 2019 in contemporary art, media, urbanism, and informal education. It fosters international cooperation, research, and community engagement, using art and culture to address societal issues and amplify Ukrainian voices globally.