New Initiative for Cultural Communities in Ukraine
The Odesa and Sumy regions are set to introduce a new initiative involving the establishment of regional representatives of the Ukrainian Cultural Fund. These representatives will assist local cultural communities in preparing grant applications and finding partners. This was announced by the press service of Suspilne Culture.
The new program aims to strengthen collaboration between the fund and cultural communities, starting with a pilot phase in Odesa and Sumy.
Anastasia Obraztsova, the Executive Director of the UCF, emphasized the importance of this initiative, noting that the selection of regions was based on statistical data. Applicants from these areas show high activity, submitting many ideas, but only 1 to 5 projects are realized. The aim of the program is to enhance the capacity of local communities and increase the number of successfully implemented projects.
"We strive for each region to have its successful cultural case that inspires others, demonstrating that significant changes start locally".
UCF representatives will help cultural communities understand the requirements of grant programs, prepare higher-quality applications, and realize their ideas.
What is UCF
The Ukrainian Cultural Fund (UCF) is a state institution investing in the development of culture and creative industries. The fund was established in 2017 under the Law of Ukraine "On the Ukrainian Cultural Fund".
Project support is provided on a competitive basis across seven sectors:
- audiovisual arts;
- visual arts;
- performing arts;
- cultural heritage;
- literature;
- creative industries;
- cultural and creative industries.
Over eight years of operation, the fund has financed 2,951 projects, investing over 2 billion UAH, reaching an audience of 56 million people. According to the state budget project for 2026, UCF is set to receive 410.9 million UAH (250.7 million in 2025). Next year, in the ninth grant season, the fund will create separate grants for audiovisual creators, operating independently from UCF's collaboration with the State Film Agency and the Ministry of Culture.
