BACKGROUND

The present Call for Proposals (CfP) is administered by UNDP projects Inclusive Recovery Support for Resilience and Human Security in Ukraine and Civil Society and Youth Support, which are part of the UNDP Democratic Governance and Inclusive Social Fabric Programme. Through this Programme, UNDP assists the government, civil society, and people of Ukraine in advancing democratic policies and practices needed to accelerate progress on sustainable human development. This includes advocating for human rights and gender equality, promoting active civic participation, strengthening social cohesion, supporting anti-corruption efforts, ensuring that all Ukrainian citizens can protect their rights, strengthening parliament, and empowering civil society and youth activists.

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in February 2022 continues to have profound and far-reaching consequences on civilian lives and regional stability. The war has caused unprecedented social and economic disruptions, internal and external displacement, and a breakdown in public service delivery. In response to this multifaceted crisis, UNDP, with support from the Government of Japan, has launched the project Inclusive Recovery Support for Resilience and Human Security in Ukraine. This project aims to stimulate urgent recovery and strengthen resilience against the widespread death, destruction, displacement, and suffering caused by the war in Ukraine, for promoting Human Security in Ukraine. The project will undertake multi-sectoral and integrated immediate actions against interconnected and multidimensional threats that Ukraine is currently facing.   

This Call for Participation is conducted in close cooperation with the Civil Society and Youth Support Project (CSYP) to enhance the collective impact of both projects in supporting Ukraine’s recovery. The project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and takes a three-dimensional approach:

1. Strengthening civil society organizations, including youth groups—particularly at the subnational level—to enable active civil society participation in enhancing Ukraine’s resilience, sustainable recovery, and development processes.
2. Supporting the creation of a more enabling policy environment for CSOs and strengthening the national youth infrastructure.
3. Empowering young Ukrainians to actively participate in the country’s recovery by developing their skills in good citizenship and leadership.

To maximise positive results on transformational recovery, the project interventions will focus on the following thematic areas for the project outputs, which are: 

Output 3. Mine action and war victim assistance: Capacities of mine action authorities, local communities, and service providers expanded to protect the population affected by war, including veterans, and secure a safe environment for people’s living and socio-economic activities

This Output is aimed at enhancing national mine action policies and building institutional capacity through bilateral and triangular cooperation and knowledge exchange with mine-affected states and Japanese institutions. This includes policy advice, technical training, and equipping national institutions to align where practical with International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) and assist sustainable progress in mine action.

 Victim assistance as integral part of mine action output will be focused on enhancement of capacities of the national and local authorities in the provision of victim assistance in the mine- and war-affected communities, and strengthening the capacity of local professionals to ensure medical, psychological, social and livelihood supports in accordance with the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS)

Output 5. Government recovery coordination: Integrity, transparency, and accountability of government mechanisms and processes for crisis management and inclusive recovery strengthened at both national and sub-national levels, empowering citizen participation and engagement, including vulnerable groups, youth, veterans, and women

Under this Output, UNDP provides support to the Government in enhancing multi-level governance collaboration and policy dialogue in the recovery and regional development process. This Output aims to ensure that national recovery and regional development priorities are effectively integrated into regional and local policies, decisions, and projects. It also focuses on strengthening information resilience and building the capacity to counter disinformation across Ukraine by developing the strategic communication skills of government officials and empowering civil society. The aim is to foster trust between the population and the government and to empower communities — particularly through women-led initiatives and support for vulnerable groups.

Output 6: Access to justice and human rights: Enhanced accessibility, inclusiveness, and accountability of the justice system and human rights mechanisms through strengthened, people-centered, and gender-sensitive approaches, with a focus on war-affected and vulnerable populations.

This Output falls within UNDP’s broader efforts to advance human rights and access to justice. Building on its established partnerships and expertise, UNDP will support both urgent wartime justice needs and long-term institutional reforms. Activities will focus on promoting transparency in justice and law enforcement and strengthening the capacity of national actors to respond effectively to the needs of affected populations. Key counterparts: Office of the Prosecutor General, Ombudsperson’s Office, Free Legal Aid Coordination Center, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and National Police.

This Call for Participation is conducted in close cooperation with the Civil Society and Youth Support Project (CSYP) to enhance the collective impact of both projects in supporting Ukraine’s recovery. The project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and takes a three-dimensional approach:

4. Strengthening civil society organizations, including youth groups—particularly at the subnational level—to enable active civil society participation in enhancing Ukraine’s resilience, sustainable recovery, and development processes.
5. Supporting the creation of a more enabling policy environment for CSOs and strengthening the national youth infrastructure.
6. Empowering young Ukrainians to actively participate in the country’s recovery by developing their skills in good citizenship and leadership.

2. OBJECTIVES OF THE COMPETITION: 

Through this CfP, UNDP would like to achieve the following objectives:  

UNDP seeks to engage civil society organizations to address human rights challenges in Ukraine and strengthen the capacities of national actors in the evidence-based investigation and processing of human rights violations, war crimes, and conflict-related crimes, including CRSV and property loss.

The CfP also aims to support the provision of legal services to war-affected populations and promote transparency and accountability within the justice system.

Additionally, the UNDP aims to identify and partner with experienced civil society organizations to support initiatives that strengthen social cohesion, foster civic engagement, and enhance governmental response through the development and implementation of comprehensive communication strategies.

Lot 1: Strengthening capacities of national actors in evidence-based investigation, processing of and addressing war-related human rights violations, war crime cases, including CRSV crimes.

Activities under this Lot will focus on strengthening the institutional frameworks and core infrastructure of national judicial and law enforcement bodies to enhance their capacity in receiving, communicating with, and interviewing survivors and witnesses of serious crimes. The initial focus will be on supporting survivors of war crimes and other conflict-related human rights violations, including CRSV, with the potential to expand to broader support and protection for victims, survivors, and witnesses of all violent crimes.

Interventions should align with international standards, in particular the EU Victims’ Rights Directive (2012/29/EU), which establishes minimum standards on the rights, support, and protection of victims of crime. This approach aims to enable a survivor-centered and gender-sensitive criminal justice process that prevents re-traumatization and secondary victimization while promoting the protection of survivors’ rights—including access to justice, remedy, and fair trial guarantees—as well as the rights of other participants in criminal proceedings.

Ultimately, these efforts will contribute to increased trust in the justice system and encourage greater participation of victims and witnesses in criminal proceedings, thereby improving the overall effectiveness and responsiveness of the criminal justice process.

Lot 2: Strengthening the capacity of national justice actors in the provision of services to war-affected populations and monitoring transparency and accountability to facilitate access to justice

Lot 2 of the CfP supports civil society organizations in strengthening the capacities of national justice actors to deliver justice services and engage with survivors and witnesses in a survivor-centered and gender-sensitive manner. The overarching goal is to facilitate access to justice and ensure that support services are more accessible, responsive, and tailored to the needs of particularly vulnerable groups—including highly traumatized victims, survivors of conflict-related or gender-based sexual violence, children, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and others.

In addition, this Lot aims to promote the monitoring of transparency and accountability of courts to build public trust and enhance the accessibility and responsiveness of the justice system. These efforts are expected to contribute to a more open, people-centered justice system aligned with international standards.

Regarding Lots 1 and 2, the CSO project proposals should aim to enhance the capacity of national actors such as the Prosecutor General's Office, the National Police of Ukraine, the system of providing free legal aid, the Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, and others. 

Proposed activities under CSO projects may include:

• Capacity development and training for justice sector actors on people-centered, trauma-informed approaches;
• Monitoring and reporting on human rights, transparency, and accountability;
• Developing coordination mechanisms to enhance inter-agency collaboration;
• Providing support services for victims and witnesses;
• Delivering legal and social services to war-affected populations;
• Conducting public awareness and advocacy campaigns to strengthen the national legal framework for investigating and prosecuting human rights violations and war crimes;
• Enhancing coordination between justice institutions, legal aid providers, and civil society;
• Strengthening outreach and communication to improve public awareness of available justice services;
• Other relevant initiatives aligned with the objectives of this Call for Proposals.

Lot 3: Strengthening social cohesion through strategic communication

The primary focus of this lot is to support CSOs that are promoting resilience and social cohesion in the context of the ongoing war or contributing to the strengthening of governmental institutions' capacities in these areas through the development and implementation of comprehensive communication strategies.

Therefore, this CfP supports the activities of CSOs aimed at contributing to:

• Strengthening social cohesion by promoting active civic participation;
• Enhancing the capacity of governmental institutions on various social cohesion-related topics through targeted CSO support;
• Supporting the development of comprehensive communication strategies aimed at enhancing social cohesion and societal resilience;
• Promoting inclusive governance and democratic values at the local and national levels;
• Conducting awareness-raising or advocacy campaigns that promote community resilience and social cohesion.

Proposals should be designed to address one or more of these objectives and should clearly articulate how the proposed project will contribute to social cohesion. Successful proposals will be innovative and evidence-based.

Lot 4: Strengthening practice for community-based social, health, inclusive education, rehabilitation, and assistive technology services for war-affected populations, including EO-victims, persons with disabilities and veterans within the framework of EO Victims Assistance Model

This CfP supports the activities of civil society organisations aimed at contributing to:

• conducting a needs assessment to identify the gaps in existing services;
• enhancing capacity of the local providers of social, health, MHPSS, rehabilitation, and inclusive education services through equipment procurement, training, and advisory support;
• ensuring accessibility of local entities and information /communication systems, emergency alarms;
• developing and introducing an efficient system for the provision of psychological support services for war-affected populations;
• enhancing the capacity of local stakeholders to provide social support under job placement and adaptation on a workplace of war-affected populations, including people with disabilities and veterans;
• introducing services on the adaptation of living and working environments for people with disabilities caused by the war;
• developing and implementing the new community-based service targeted on war-affected population;  improve access of the population to social, medical services and rehabilitation;
• implementating programmes targeted at rehabilitation through adaptive sports;
• developing and implementing the peer-to-peer programmes for veterans and people with disabilities:
• developing assistive technology services in local communities.

3. PARTICIPANTS OF THE COMPETITION:

The CfP will not accept proposals from for-profit entities, political parties, state authorities, local governments, faith-based organisations, or religious communities, as well as from private individuals and entrepreneurs.

For Lots 1, 2 and 4:

Have the status of a non-governmental public or charitable organization, civic union, or association of CSO/NGOs officially registered in Ukraine for no less than a year and/or have a proven record of implementation of similar projects with the support of international donors or technical assistance projects. 

For Lot 3:

Have the status of a non-governmental public or charitable organization, civic union, or association of CSO/NGOs officially registered in Ukraine for no less than four years. To be considered for funding, the proposal must be submitted by an organisation that:

• has a track record of active operation of at least four years;
• has a proven track record of cooperation with the international donor community, proper project implementation, and reporting.

3.1. Eligible organizations

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

3.2. Geographic locations:

For the activities under this CfP, UNDP will accept applications for all oblasts of Ukraine.

4. BUDGET AND ALLOWED EXPENSES:

Eligible costs must:

• be necessary for carrying out the project activities;
• have been incurred by the applicant during the implementation period;
• comply with the principles of sound financial management, in particular, value for money and cost-effectiveness;
• be adequately recorded, identifiable and verifiable, and be backed by original supporting documents.
• staff salaries and expert fees;
• communication and information services;
• purchase of consultative services and contracts provided that these are essential to project goals and objectives;
• procurement of equipment for emergency medical assistance, healthcare services, telemedicine, rehabilitation, psychological support, social services provision, prosthetics workshops, inclusive education institutions, accessible sports, leisure, and culture;
• procurement of vehicles for emergency medical assistance, mobile rehabilitation, and social services provision;
• procurement of equipment and small-scale repairs for ensuring accessibility and barrier-free public places, administrative buildings, and services;
• procurement of assistive devices and prosthetics items;
• renting, catering, and other services envisaged by the project activities;
• printing and copying;
• audio, video production costs:
• placement and promotion in a media:
• utility services;
• consumables and supplies;
• travel costs (provided that travel complies with internal UNDP regulations).

UNDP Low-Value Grants (LVG) costs may only be used to cover the following costs:

The following costs are ineligible:

• costs of project proposal preparation;
• academic research;
• debts;
• currency exchange losses.

Under Lots 1 and 2, not more than 75% of the grant funds may be spent on equipment, provided a clear justification is offered as to its need to achieve project goals. 

Under Lot 3, not more than 10% of the grant funds may be spent of equipment, provided a clear justification is offered as to its need to achieve project goals.

Under Lot 4, no more than 60% of the grant funds may be spent on equipment, provided a clear justification for its need to achieve project goals.

All equipment procurement and small-scale repairs for ensuring accessibility should be implemented following the State Construction Regulation В.2.2-40:2018.

All publications, audio and video products, applications, and websites developed in the projects should be accessible to all populations, including people with visual and hearing impairments.

5. FINANCIAL CONDITIONS AND TERMS OF IMPLEMENTATION:

It is envisioned that the budget within the project proposal should be no more than 

Lots 1 and 2 – up to USD 100,000.

All grants under Lots 1 and 2 should envision completion by 15th February 2026.

Not more than 75% of the grant funds may be spent on equipment, provided a clear justification is offered as to its need to achieve project goals

Lot 3 – up to USD 75,000.

All grants under Lot 3 should envision completion by November 2025. 

Not more than 10% of the grant funds may be spent on equipment, provided a clear justification for its need to achieve the project goal.

Lot 4 – up to USD 50,000.

In exceptional cases and if confirmed by the Grant Selection Committee, the supported project may be up to USD 70,000 (strong justification is required from the applicant).

No more than 60% of the grant funds may be spent on equipment, provided a clear justification for its need to achieve project goals. 

All grants should envision completion by 15th February 2026.

The grant tranches are paid by UNDP in advance, except for the last tranche. The last tranche, with a minimum amount of at least 10% of the total grant budget amount, should be covered by the CSOs' own funds. After successfully processing the final financial report, UNDP will compensate the eligible expenses incurred under the third tranche.

6. SUBMISSION PROCEDURE:

The CfPs will be advertised through the websites of the following organizations:

• UNDP Ukraine: www.undp.org.ua and its Facebook page
• as well as other relevant social networks and information portals.

For Lots 1 and 2

Applications (project proposals) must be developed in Ukrainian according to templates that will be part of the CfP.

The application package shall consist of:

1. The filled-out Application form (done on a computer as a Microsoft Word file);
2. Copy of the Charter of the applicant organization (PDF);
3. Copy of State registration certificate (PDF);
4. Banking details (PDF);
5. Resumes of proposed specialists for project implementation (Microsoft Word or PDF)
6. Self-assessment form (template will be provided, PDF)
7. Supporting letter from appropriate beneficiaries;
8. Other relevant supporting documentation, including reference letters, report samples, or others (Microsoft Word or PDF).

The document package shall be archived as *.zip or *.rar and not password-protected; it shall not be larger than 35 Mb in total. The package shall be sent to the designated e-mail with the letter title containing the name of the competition as stated in the CFP. Applications sent through means other than the one described above will not be considered.

Project proposals are submitted in Ukrainian and sent by e-mail to: grants.ua@undp.org and olena.kryvko@undp.org  specifying in the subject line the title of the competition “Advancing Inclusive Recovery Support, Civic Engagement, and Social Cohesion for Resilience and Human Rights and Human Security in Ukraine” and the number of the Lot. 

Contact person: Olena Kryvko  olena.kryvko@undp.org (Lots 1,2)

The deadline for submitting grant proposals under Lots 1 and 2 is 15 May 2025

For Lot 3

Applications (project proposals) must be developed in Ukrainian according to templates that will be part of the CfP.

The application package shall consist of

1. The filled-out Application form (done on a computer as a Microsoft Word file);
2. Copy of Charter of the applicant organization (PDF);
3. Copy of State registration certificate (PDF);
4. Banking details (PDF);
5. Resumes of proposed specialists for project implementation (Microsoft Word or PDF)
6. Self-assessment form (template will be provided, PDF)
7. A letter of support for the project implementation from the relevant government institution, appropriate partners organizations or beneficiaries is mandatory;
8. Other relevant supporting documentation, including reference letters, report samples, or others (Microsoft Word or PDF).

The document package shall be archived as *.zip or *.rar and not password-protected; it shall not be larger than 35 Mb in total. The package shall be sent to the designated e-mail with the letter title containing the name of the competition as stated in the CFP. Applications sent through means other than the one described above will not be considered.

Project proposals are submitted in Ukrainian and sent by e-mail to: grants.ua@undp.org, specifying in the subject line the title of the competition “Advancing Inclusive Recovery Support, Civic Engagement, and Social Cohesion for Resilience and Human Rights and Human Security in Ukraine ” and the number of the Lot.

Contact person: Viktoriia Demidova viktoriia.demidova@undp.org (Lot 3)

The deadline for submitting grant proposals under Lot 3 is 11 May 2025.

For Lot 4

Applications (project proposals) must be developed in Ukrainian according to templates that will be part of the CfP. The application package shall consist of

1. The filled-out Application form (done on a computer as a Microsoft Word file);
2. Copy of the Charter of the applicant organization (PDF);
3. Copy of State registration certificate (PDF);
4. Banking details (PDF);
5. Resumes of proposed specialists for project implementation (Microsoft Word or PDF)
6. Self-assessment form (template will be provided, PDF)
7. Other relevant supporting documentation, including reference letters, report samples, or others (Microsoft Word or PDF).

The document package shall be archived as *.zip or *.rar and not password-protected; it shall not be larger than 35 Mb in total. The package shall be sent to the designated e-mail with the letter title containing the name of the competition as stated in the CfP. Applications sent through means other than the one described above will not be considered.

Project proposals are submitted in Ukrainian and sent to grants.ua@undp.org and hanna.lienivova@undp.org, specifying in the subject line the title of the competition, “Advancing Inclusive Recovery Support, Civic Engagement, and Social Cohesion for Resilience and Human Rights and Human Security in Ukraine,” and the number of the Lot.

Contact persons:

Hanna Lienivova, Small Grant Analyst, UNDP: hanna.lienivova@undp.org 

Anastasiia Halaka, Capacity Development Officer, UNDP: anastasiia.halaka@undp.org

The deadline for the project proposal submission for Lot 4 is 15 May 2025.

7. SELECTION PROCESS

7.1. Assessment procedures

To ensure full transparency and fairness, UNDP establishes a Grant Selection Committee (GSC) to evaluate proposals that pass the initial screening. The GSC is a temporary, authorized body tasked with reviewing, assessing, and recommending proposals for funding. As part of the selection process, the GSC may also request input from independent experts to support its decision-making.

The LVG proposal assessment process will follow this sequence:

• The Project team screens LVG project proposals against the eligibility criteria and CfP relevance;
  • The Grant Selection Committee convenes and reviews all eligible LVG full project proposals based on evaluation criteria and recommends those that have gained the biggest number of points for concluding the agreements. In addition, the Partner Capacity Assessment Tool (PCAT) will be utilized to assess the capacity of the applicants and their potential to implement the grants proposed, including screening on anti-money laundering issues and PSEA capacity. Pre-selected applicants will also be obliged to provide the project team with certificates confirming PSEA Training completion (UNDP will provide the link) for all applicants’ staff);
  • Based on the capacity assessment results of the short-listed CSOs, the Project team submits the Grant Selection Committee minutes (list of CSOs recommended for funding) for approval;
  • UNDP concludes grant agreements with the CSOs.

7.2. Criteria for the assessment of proposals

The GSC shall assess the proposals under the following criteria:

8. REPORTING, MONITORING AND EVALUATION

8.1. 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.

8.2. Reporting

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

• Interim reports, including description of activities, results, and agreed monitoring indicators, as well as financial reports – depending on the length of the project proposed (to be specified in the relevant agreement);
• Brief reports on demand occasionally requested by UNDP in cases when information on Programme implementation is required in between reporting periods;
• A Completion report, including a summary of activities and results and a financial report for the agreement's total duration.

Annexes:

Annex 1

Annexes 2, 3, 4

Annex 5 

Annexes 6, 7