ZMINA:Resilience Seed Funding

The ZMINA: Resilience Seed Funding is an initiative designed to support Ukrainian cultural and artistic organizations in developing international cooperation projects. The program is organized by the IZOLYATSIA Foundation from Ukraine, Malý Berlín from Slovakia, and Trans Europe Halles from Sweden. It aims to assist these organizations in developing project ideas centered around resilience, transforming them into joint proposals with partners from Creative Europe countries, which include both EU and non-EU nations.

The main objectives of the program are to enhance the capacity of Ukrainian organizations for international collaboration, foster equitable partnerships, create innovative cultural outputs, raise awareness of Ukraine, and promote its integration into the EU's cultural landscape. Selected organizations will receive not only funding but also support in developing international projects, testing creative ideas, and gaining mentoring through capacity-building activities.

The total funding available for this call is €75,000, with a maximum subgrant of €5,000 per project expected to support 15-20 projects. In addition to the monetary support, selected participants will receive four workshops on project development and mentorship covering various aspects of project planning.

The application process is straightforward, with a deadline set for December 5, 2025. Applications must be submitted via the IZOLYATSIA Application platform in Ukrainian and include required documents demonstrating eligibility and capacity. The eligibility criteria specify that applicants must be Ukrainian organizations active in the arts and culture sector, established in areas controlled by the Ukrainian government, and not subject to EU or Ukrainian sanctions.

The selection process will entail an initial technical eligibility check followed by evaluations by multiple assessors, with a final selection by a committee considering geographical and sectoral diversity. Financial support is provided as lump sums, and applicants will need to submit a budget evaluated for cost-effectiveness.

In summary, the ZMINA: Resilience program offers vital funding and support to aid Ukrainian arts and culture organizations in their efforts to initiate international collaborations and develop project proposals, significantly contributing to the resilience of Ukraine's cultural sector during challenging times.

The ZMINA: Resilience Seed Funding call for proposals supports international cooperation projects for Ukrainian cultural and artistic organizations. The IZOLYATSIA Foundation (UA), Malý Berlín (SK), and Trans Europe Halles (SE) are jointly announcing this call. The ZMINA: Resilience program aims to assist Ukrainian artistic and cultural organizations in developing project ideas centered around resilience, transforming them into joint project proposals with partners from Creative Europe countries, including both EU and non-EU nations.

The project's primary goals are to enhance the capacity of Ukrainian organizations for international collaboration, foster equitable and sustainable partnerships, create innovative cultural, artistic, and creative outputs, increase awareness of Ukraine, and facilitate Ukraine's integration into the EU's cultural landscape.

Selected Ukrainian organizations will receive support to develop international projects, test creative ideas, establish new partnerships with organizations from Creative Europe program countries, gain mentoring support and new skills through capacity-building activities, and develop project proposals for future funding opportunities. The expected outcome is the development of robust international project proposals.

The total funding available for this seed funding call is €75,000. The maximum subgrant amount is €5,000 per project. The program anticipates supporting 15-20 projects.

In addition to funding, selected participants will receive four workshops on project development and partnership building, conducted by experts who will later serve as project mentors. Each grant recipient will also receive approximately 16 hours of mentoring support covering project development, structures, setting objectives, target audiences, project team planning, and budgets.

The opening date for the call was October 6, 2025. The deadline for applications is December 5, 2025, at 22:59 (Brussels time). The expected duration of participation is 4 months. The project acronym is ZMINA.Resilience, and the full name of the EU-funded project is ZMINA: Resilience. The grant agreement number is 101236421. The topic is CREA-CULT-2025-COOP-UA-1, which focuses on supporting Ukrainian artists and cultural organizations to co-create and showcase their work.

Applications must be submitted via the IZOLYATSIA Application platform by the deadline. Required documents include the application with a budget (completed on the platform) and documents demonstrating capacity, eligibility, and admissibility, uploaded in .pdf format. These documents are: a scanned copy of a letter of guarantee signed by the head of the applicant organization (form available on the platform), a current full extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs, and Non-Governmental Formations, and all pages of the current version of the statute or regulations (if mandatory for the legal entity). The application language is Ukrainian. Support will be provided through Q&A sessions, information sessions, and a helpline during the submission period.

Eligible applicants are Ukrainian organizations active in arts and culture, established in a zone effectively controlled by the Ukrainian government, and not subject to EU or Ukraine restrictive measures.

The ZMINA: Resilience team will check applications for technical eligibility, including admissibility and eligibility. Admissible and eligible proposals will be assigned to two evaluators each, who will assign scores. Applications will then be rated according to the average score. The Selection Committee will make the final selection, considering geographical and sectoral diversity within Ukraine, and within the call’s budget. Financial support will be provided as lump sums, determined based on experience of real costs. Applicants will submit a budget consisting only of lump sums, which will be evaluated for cost-effectiveness and may be adjusted before the grant agreement is signed. The final grant amount will be based on the actual number of units for each lump sum.

For further information, contact the support line at hi@zmina.eu (response within 2 working days). FAQs and additional materials are available on the application platform. Weekly Zoom consultations are also offered.

In summary, this opportunity provides seed funding and support to Ukrainian arts and culture organizations to develop international collaboration projects with partners from Creative Europe countries. The program aims to strengthen the capacity of these organizations, promote Ukrainian culture, and foster integration into the European cultural landscape. The funding is provided as lump sums, and selected participants will also receive workshops and mentoring to enhance their project development skills. The application process requires specific documentation and adherence to eligibility criteria, with the final selection considering both merit and diversity.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicants are Ukrainian organisations active in the field of arts and culture. These organisations must be established in a zone effectively controlled by the Ukrainian government and must not have any EU or Ukraine restrictive measures applied to them.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically seed funding, provided as lump sums.

Consortium Requirement: While the primary applicant must be a Ukrainian organization, the project aims to foster international cooperation. Therefore, while not explicitly stated as a requirement, the project description strongly encourages and expects collaboration with partners from Creative Europe countries. The call is for international cooperation projects, implying that a Ukrainian organization will need to partner with at least one organization from a Creative Europe country.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary beneficiaries are Ukrainian organizations. However, the program also involves organizations from Creative Europe countries, which include EU countries and non-EU countries participating in the Creative Europe program. Therefore, while the direct funding goes to Ukrainian organizations, the program implicitly benefits organizations within the Creative Europe countries through collaborative projects.

Target Sector: The target sector is arts and culture. The program aims to support Ukrainian artists and cultural organizations in co-creating and showcasing their work in collaboration with international partners.

Mentioned Countries: Ukraine, Slovakia, Sweden, EU countries, non-EU countries participating in the Creative Europe program.

Project Stage: The project stage is early-stage development. The funding is intended as seed funding to develop project ideas into joint project proposals. The aim is to support the initial phases of international cooperation projects.

Funding Amount: The maximum subgrant amount is €5,000. The total funding available for the seed funding call is €75,000, with an expected number of 15-20 supported projects. This suggests that most grants will be close to the €5,000 maximum.

Application Type: The application type is an open call. Applications must be submitted via the IZOLYATSIA Application platform.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive both money and non-monetary services. They will receive a grant of up to €5,000. Additionally, selected participants will receive four workshops on project development and partnership building, as well as approximately 16 hours of mentoring support.

Application Stages: The application process appears to be single-stage. The provided information describes a single deadline for applications, followed by an evaluation and selection process.

Success Rates: The expected number of supported projects is 15-20, and given the total funding of €75,000, this suggests an average grant size of around €3,750 to €5,000. Without knowing the total number of applications, it is impossible to determine the exact success rate. However, given the limited funding and the likely high demand, the success rate is likely to be in the 10 to 39% range, or possibly even lower.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required. However, given that this is seed funding intended to develop project ideas, it is possible that co-funding is not mandatory, but it could strengthen an application.

Summary:

This opportunity, named ZMINA: Resilience, is a seed funding call aimed at supporting Ukrainian cultural and artistic organizations in developing international cooperation projects. The program is funded by the EU and managed by the IZOLYATSIA Foundation (Ukraine), Malý Berlín (Slovakia), and Trans Europe Halles (Sweden). The goal is to enhance the capacity of Ukrainian organizations for international collaboration, foster equal partnerships, create new cultural products, raise awareness about Ukraine, and promote its integration into the EU's cultural landscape.

The call provides grants of up to €5,000 to selected Ukrainian organizations. In addition to the funding, beneficiaries will receive workshops on project development and partnership building, as well as mentoring support. The projects should focus on the theme of resilience and involve collaboration with partners from Creative Europe countries (both EU and non-EU).

Eligible applicants are Ukrainian organizations active in arts and culture, located in government-controlled areas, and not subject to EU or Ukrainian sanctions. The application process involves submitting an application, including a budget, and demonstrating the organization's capacity, eligibility, and admissibility through required documents. The application language is Ukrainian.

The selection process includes a technical eligibility check, evaluation by multiple evaluators, and a final selection by a committee that considers geographical and sectoral diversity. The funding is provided as lump sums, and the budget will be evaluated for cost-effectiveness.

This is a valuable opportunity for Ukrainian cultural organizations to gain international experience, develop new projects, and build sustainable partnerships with organizations in Creative Europe countries. The seed funding, combined with the training and mentoring, will help these organizations to develop robust international project proposals and access further funding opportunities. The deadline for applications is December 5, 2025.