On November 14, Kyiv hosted the largest annual event for representatives of the cultural and creative sectors in Ukraine – the Sixth International Cultural Grants Fair.
The Grants Fair is a unique opportunity to find financial support for cultural projects, communicate with grant providers, and network with over 1,000 experts of the sector.
The overarching theme of this year’s Grants Fair was international cooperation. The fair highlighted support from the European Union for the cultural sector in Ukraine.
Since February 2022, the EU has allocated over €30 million to support the Ukrainian creative and cultural sector.
“For the first time, the EU has dedicated part of the Creative Europe programme exclusively to Ukraine,” stated Gilles Pelayo, Head of the Culture Unit at the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), in his address to the Fair participants. “In 2023, we announced a call for proposals for Ukraine with funding of €5 million. The idea was to support organisations in need, and this was done through re-granting for small organisations. The aim of this call was not only to provide support, but also to integrate Ukrainian organisations into the wider European cultural and creative sector.” In 2024, the European Commission, within the framework of the EU’s Creative Europe programme, again announced a special call for proposals for the cultural and creative sectors of Ukraine with a budget of €5 million.
This year, for the first time, Ukraine will fully participate in all calls for proposals under the MEDIA sub-programme of Creative Europe, which includes film, television, video games, and virtual reality, announced Renate Nikolay, Deputy Director-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology at the European Commission (DG Connect):
“Ukrainian companies can now participate in all calls for proposals under the MEDIA sub-programme, published this autumn as part of the 2025 Work Programme. This allows Ukrainian companies – producers, distributors, start-ups, cinemas – to participate in key programme actions. This means, for example, support for film distribution, which will be key to the dissemination and visibility of Ukrainian films in cinemas and online. It also allows Ukrainian distributors to show European films from other countries in cinemas and online in Ukraine.” Nikolay also noted that a formal agreement on Ukraine’s participation in the Creative Europe programme is expected to be signed in December this year.
Mykola Ulianov, project manager of the National Bureau of the EU’s Creative Europe programme, says participation in all calls for proposals under the MEDIA sub-programme does not constitute full participation. Full participation allows organisations to be coordinators of consortia, acting as main partners, and Ukraine now has this option. Ulianov noted that the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications and the Verkhovna Rada, which adopted relevant laws, worked in this direction, adding, “We are almost successful now.”
From 2016 to 2023, the Creative Europe programme supported 111 projects with Ukrainian organisations, totaling nearly €16 million in grants. Of this amount, Ukrainian organisations secured 30.92% of the total grant funding within international consortia. This high percentage underscores their significant role in these collaborative projects.
Furthermore, the Creative Europe Annual Work Programme for 2025 prioritizes Ukraine. Specifically, point 24 of the programme, “International relations,” focuses entirely on Ukraine, the security situation, and the preservation and support of Ukrainian cultural heritage.
Representatives of the largest national, European, and international programmes made presentations about projects supporting the cultural and creative sectors.
Fair participants also had the opportunity to learn about the House of Europe programme, funded by the EU, which supports professional and creative exchange between Ukrainians and their colleagues in EU countries and the United Kingdom.
Daria Kostiuk, communications specialist and alumni community manager for the House of Europe programme, shared that this year the Programme, in addition to its usual areas of focus, has placed an additional emphasis on supporting Ukrainian national communities to promote the process of European integration. Over the six years of its existence, House of Europe has launched 283 open calls and supported 11,735 applications from all over Ukraine. Approximately €7 million has been allocated to support Ukrainians in 2022-2024.
Kateryna Zhdanova, manager of the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine & HERE team, spoke about the opportunities for creative Ukrainians from the EU Erasmus+ Programme and how to take advantage of them. Ukrainian organisations can participate in Erasmus+ calls as applicants, partners, or associated partners, but it all depends on which call suits the specific project idea. According to Zhdanova, by contacting the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine, cultural and creative organisations can receive advice on a potential project and Programme call, as well as further support at all stages. In November of this year, 39 calls for proposals for Ukraine will be announced for 2025.
Another EU programme – Horizon Europe – was presented by Yuliia Reminska, chief specialist of the Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine department at the National Research Foundation of Ukraine. Horizon Europe is the ninth EU framework programme with a total budget of €95.5 billion. As Reminska noted, this Programme also offers grant opportunities, but in the field of research and innovation. In particular, she told the Fair participants about Cluster 2 ‘Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society’, which has a budget of approximately €505 million for 2023-2024. Currently, there are 5 calls for proposals under Cluster 2 that relate to the European Cultural Heritage Cloud. The Horizon Europe Office in Ukraine team is awaiting the updated Work Programme and new calls for proposals.