Culture Helps Solidarity - First Call for Proposals for Individual Grants

Overview

The "Culture Helps Solidarity - First Call for Proposals for Individual Grants" is a unique funding opportunity specifically designed for individual Ukrainian artists, cultural managers, and activist volunteers aged 18 and over. This initiative targets individuals who are directly working with displaced Ukrainians or refugees from Ukraine within Ukraine or in Creative Europe countries, with a special emphasis on supporting vulnerable groups such as veterans. The funding is comprised of direct grants, disbursing up to €1,200 as a one-off contribution aimed at personal wellbeing rather than project implementation.

This grant opportunity is open exclusively to individual applicants, distinguishing itself from traditional institutional calls where organizations typically apply. Participants must be engaged in active cultural work, rather than seeking funding for project development. The program promotes mental health and wellbeing through various activities, such as psychotherapy, trauma-informed coaching, cultural event participation, and wellness retreats.

The funding is geographically focused on Ukraine and Creative Europe countries, including EU member states and associated nations. The financial backing supports artists engaged in community-based cultural activities, cultural heritage preservation, and humanitarian aid, reinforcing community resilience and engagement among war-affected populations. The implementing partners for this initiative include the European Cultural Foundation, Insha Osvita, zusa, and the VETERANKA Movement.

An open call format with rolling application rounds is in place, set to continue until 2028. Each round spans three weeks for submissions and another three for assessment, allowing for approximately 10 to 14 cycles throughout this period. Notably, selection is competitive, with an estimated success rate of around 5 to 7% as only 7 to 10 grants are awarded per round from a pool of up to 140 applications. There is no requirement for co-funding, allowing applicants to receive fully funded support without needing to contribute additional funds.

The application process follows a single-stage model, where individuals submit a comprehensive application that undergoes an eligibility check followed by assessment by external advisors familiar with the cultural context in Ukraine. The focus during assessment is on the applicant’s personal motivation, the relevance of the proposed activities to their health and wellbeing, as well as the feasibility of the planned use of funds.

In essence, this grant program represents a significant humanitarian response, providing flexible financial assistance that acknowledges the critical role of cultural professionals in maintaining social cohesion and resilience in post-conflict situations, particularly in response to the ongoing challenges faced by Ukrainian communities due to war and displacement.

Detail

Culture Helps Solidarity Open Call for Individual Grants, First Round, 2-23 February 2026

This open call is the second cascading grant call for proposals offered by the Culture Helps Solidarity project, selected under the call for fostering Ukrainians’ access to culture and cultural heritage. Culture Helps Solidarity supports arts and culture professionals from Ukraine to sustain creativity, resilience, and community connection during and after the war. Running until 2028, it combines three grant schemes: individual grants, thematic project grants, and collaboration grants, along with a program of mentoring, learning, and peer exchange. Culture Helps Solidarity is co-financed by the EU through Creative Europe and implemented by the European Cultural Foundation (Amsterdam) with Insha Osvita (Kyiv), zusa (Berlin), and the VETERANKA Movement (Kyiv).

The Individual Grants provide direct, flexible support to Ukrainian cultural professionals who are working, often voluntarily, with displaced people and refugees, particularly vulnerable communities such as veterans, in Ukraine or in Creative Europe (CE) countries. These grants are designed to offer quick, accessible, and humane assistance, not project implementation support, strengthening the personal wellbeing, resilience, and mental health of those individuals, enabling them to continue their crucial cultural, community-based work in extremely challenging circumstances.

This first call for proposals for individual grants launches a series of rolling application rounds, which will open approximately every six weeks. Across the 2026-2028 project period, 10 to 14 such cycles are anticipated. In each cycle, approximately 7 to 10 grants of up to EUR 1,200 will be disbursed.

Who is it for?

This call seeks to support individuals working in arts, culture, or community-based cultural activities who:

Support displaced Ukrainians, both inside Ukraine and across Creative Europe countries.
Work with vulnerable groups such as veterans.
Are in need of psychological, emotional, or wellbeing support to continue their cultural or community engagement.
Have been personally affected by war, displacement, and/or traumatic working conditions.

What is offered?

Up to €1,200 (including taxes if applicable) per individual, disbursed as a one-off contribution. The grant may be used strictly for personal mental health and wellbeing support and may not be directed to third parties, to project implementation, or organizational costs.

Eligible activities include:

Psychotherapy or psychological counselling.
Trauma-informed coaching or emotional (group) support sessions.
Restorative care or rehabilitation stays (e.g., sanatorium treatment, wellness programs, retreats).
Visits to cultural institutions and events (tickets to museums, theatres, cinemas, concerts, etc.).
Participation in master classes or workshops (art therapy) and materials for participation in them, if necessary.
Other justified wellbeing-oriented services that directly support the applicant’s resilience.

The grant may not be used for:

Purchase of medication or medical devices (even if prescribed by a doctor).
Purchase of material assets (tools, household items, equipment, etc., consumables for work, etc.).
Payment of rent for premises (residential or commercial, non-residential).
Tuition fees, other training costs (formal or informal).
Invasive interventions (surgical operations, cosmetic procedures, dental interventions, etc.).
Streaming platform subscriptions.
Consultations with doctors of alternative medical practice.
Strictly humanitarian needs or cost-of-living support.

Eligibility criteria:

Individual grants are strictly dedicated to individuals who:

Are aged 18 and above.
Reside in Ukraine or have fled from Ukraine to one of the Creative Europe countries.
Are artists, cultural managers, or activists volunteers working with displaced persons in Ukraine, or with refugees from Ukraine in one of the Creative Europe countries, particularly veterans.
Submit a complete application form in either Ukrainian or English language.

Selection criteria and process:

Personal motivation and clarity: Is the need well explained? Is the request coherent and sincere?
Relevance to the call focus: Does the application clearly focus on the applicant’s mental health and wellbeing?
Effectiveness: Does the applicant demonstrate a convincing professional profile and an active cultural role that benefits displaced persons?
Impact: Will the support meaningfully improve the applicant’s resilience and ability to continue their work (beyond the recovery period financed through the grant)?
Coherence and feasibility of the planned use of funds: Are the requested activities realistic and eligible?

Following an eligibility check, applications will be assessed by external advisors who are familiar with the cultural sector and the current context in Ukraine. Final decisions will be made by the consortium partners, who review the recommendations to ensure consistency and budgetary balance. 7 to 10 applications will be awarded per round.

Timeline:

2 February 2026: First call for proposals open
9 February 2026: Info session
23 February 2026: Call closed
End of March 2026: Proposals assessed and selected
16 March 2026: Second call for proposals open

How to apply?

The submission deadline for proposals is Monday, 23rd February 2026, 13:00 Amsterdam time/ 14:00 Kyiv time.

More information, including the budget template, and the application submission link is: https://culture-of-solidarity-fund.grantplatform.com/.

An online info session will be held on the 9th February at 14:00 Amsterdam time / 15:00 Kyiv time. Participants can enter into a Q&A session with the partners regarding the application process and criteria. Registration is available via this link: https://form.jotform.com/260285799401363.

Important information:

Each call remains open for three weeks, followed by three weeks of assessment, with new rounds launched roughly every six weeks. To ensure an optimal allocation of resources, up to 140 applications can be processed per round. Once this limit is reached, the round will close, and any additional applications will be automatically placed on the waiting list for the next round.

Demand is high and competition is strong. Applicants are encouraged to take the time to prepare a high-quality application that stands out in a highly competitive selection process.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to develop their proposals through human expertise, critical thinking, and artistic or professional judgment. Proposals that rely primarily on AI-generated content or concepts are discouraged and may be given lower priority in the assessment process.

For further questions, contact chs@culturalfoundation.eu.

The “Culture Helps Solidarity / Культура допомагає: Солідарність” is a project co-funded by the EU Creative Europe Programme and implemented by the European Cultural Foundation (NL), Insha Osvita (UA), zusa (DE) and VETERANKA Movement (UA).

General Information:

Opening date: 03 February 2026
Deadline model: single-stage
Deadline date: 23 February 2026 13:00 (Brussels time)
Total funding available: 9,000.00 €
Project acronym: Culture Helps S
Full name of the EU funded project: Culture Helps Solidarity
Grant agreement number: 101237762
Topic: CREA-CULT-2025-COOP-UA-2 - Fostering Ukrainians’ access to culture and cultural heritage

In summary, the Culture Helps Solidarity program is offering individual grants to Ukrainian artists, cultural managers, activists, and volunteers who are working with displaced persons and refugees, including veterans, either in Ukraine or in Creative Europe countries. The goal is to provide support for their mental health and wellbeing, enabling them to continue their cultural and community work. The grants are up to 1,200 EUR and can be used for activities like therapy, coaching, restorative care, attending cultural events, and participating in relevant workshops. The application process involves demonstrating a clear need, relevance to the call's focus, effectiveness in their cultural role, and the potential impact of the grant on their resilience. The program is funded by the EU Creative Europe Programme and implemented by a consortium of organizations. There will be multiple rounds of applications, with each round awarding approximately 7 to 10 grants. The program aims to provide flexible and accessible assistance to those who are supporting Ukrainian communities during and after the war.

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Breakdown

Eligible Applicant Types: Individual artists, cultural managers, activists, or volunteers working with displaced persons in Ukraine or refugees from Ukraine in Creative Europe countries, particularly veterans, who are aged 18 and above and reside in Ukraine or have fled from Ukraine to one of the Creative Europe countries.

Funding Type: Grant. Specifically, cascading grant.

Consortium Requirement: Single. The grant is for individuals, not consortia.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Ukraine and Creative Europe (CE) countries.

Target Sector: Culture, arts, community-based cultural activities, mental health, and wellbeing.

Mentioned Countries: Ukraine, Netherlands, Germany.

Project Stage: The grant supports individuals already engaged in cultural or community activities, focusing on maintaining their wellbeing and resilience to continue their work. It is not specifically tied to a particular project stage but rather supports ongoing efforts.

Funding Amount: Up to €1,200 per individual.

Application Type: Open call with rolling application rounds.

Nature of Support: Money. The grant is disbursed as a one-off contribution to the individual.

Application Stages: 1. Submission of application. 2. Eligibility check. 3. Assessment by external advisors. 4. Final decision by consortium partners.

Success Rates: The success rate is not explicitly stated, but the text mentions that demand is high, competition is strong, and only 7 to 10 applications are awarded per round, suggesting a low success rate (likely below 10%).

Co-funding Requirement: No.

Summary:

The Culture Helps Solidarity program, co-financed by the EU through Creative Europe, offers individual grants to Ukrainian cultural professionals working with displaced people and refugees, especially vulnerable communities like veterans, either in Ukraine or in Creative Europe countries. These grants, up to €1,200, aim to bolster the mental health, wellbeing, and resilience of these individuals, enabling them to sustain their crucial cultural and community work amidst challenging circumstances. The application process involves submitting a form in Ukrainian or English, and the funds can be used for activities like psychotherapy, trauma-informed coaching, restorative care, attending cultural events, or participating in relevant workshops. The call for proposals is part of a series of rolling application rounds, with approximately 7 to 10 grants awarded in each cycle. The selection process includes an eligibility check, assessment by external advisors, and a final review by the consortium partners. The program is implemented by the European Cultural Foundation, Insha Osvita, zusa, and the VETERANKA Movement. The program discourages the use of AI-generated content in proposals, emphasizing human expertise and critical thinking.

Short Summary

Impact
The funding aims to support the mental health and wellbeing of Ukrainian cultural professionals working with displaced persons and refugees, enabling them to continue their crucial cultural and community work during and after the war.
Applicant
Applicants should have experience in arts, culture, or community-based cultural activities, particularly in supporting vulnerable groups such as veterans.
Developments
The funding will be directed towards personal wellbeing support services, including psychotherapy, trauma-informed coaching, and cultural participation activities.
Applicant Type
This funding is designed for individuals, specifically Ukrainian artists, cultural managers, or activist volunteers aged 18 and above.
Consortium
This funding is for single applicants only, with no consortia allowed.
Funding Amount
Up to €1,200 per individual, disbursed as a one-off contribution.
Countries
Ukraine is the primary focus, with additional relevance for Creative Europe countries where displaced Ukrainians may reside.
Industry
The funding targets the culture and arts sector, with a strong emphasis on mental health, wellbeing, and humanitarian support.

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