The International Renaissance Foundation, together with the Eastern Europe Foundation (EEF), with the support of the Norwegian Agency for Development and Cooperation (NORAD) in partnership with Sweden (Sida), launched an ambitious new project ‘Empowering Civil Society for Ukraine’s Resilience and Recovery’. This is a large-scale initiative that will run for three years and cover 12 regions of Ukraine.
Where did the idea for this initiative come from? What exactly does it involve? What is the philosophy and logic behind it? To find out more, we spoke to Oleksiy Orlovsky, Director of the Democracy and Good Governance Programme, and Tetiana Kukharenko, Programme Manager and leader of this new project.
Project background
During the full-scale war, local civil society organisations supported the resilience of society, and now they can become a driving force for community recovery. It is therefore important to support and develop organisations involved in recovery in all its manifestations.
According to Tetyana Kukharenko, the Foundation’s experience in working with think tanks and environmental organisations has shown that even large-scale initiatives do not always cover all needs:
‘In times of war, new NGOs and new trends of activity emerge to help the country survive. These initiatives need organisational support, especially in the regions that have suffered the most,’ says Tatiana.
It is also important to involve local people in the restoration of their communities. They are the ones who will ‘use’ the results of reconstruction, so their needs and wishes should be taken into account. Community recovery is a task for local NGOs, not large national ones. Local organisations understand the needs and characteristics of the community and can ensure a sustainable recovery process.
Oleksiy Orlovsky noted that the war had affected local communities the most, so they should be the basis for reconstruction. ‘Reconstruction is not just about walls and buildings, it is also about supporting culture, health, social services and utilities,’ he explained.
Oleksiy emphasised that although organisations from the capital are experienced, they are unable to provide quality support at the local level due to a lack of knowledge of regional specificities. ‘There is a need for analysis and development centres that work directly with communities,’ he stressed.
‘It is important for the central government to establish a framework and a unified recovery policy. But it will still be implemented at the community level,’ says Oleksiy Orlovsky.
The new project has three key components:
- Promoting the recovery of the affected regions.
- Development of local think tanks.
- Systematic implementation of public participation tools.
‘The redevelopment should be transparent, take into account the interests of the residents and ensure their participation in decision-making. People should be involved in the process because they are the ones who live in these communities,’ concluded Oleksiy.
This project is about cooperation, development and the belief that even in the most difficult of times, local communities can become the foundation for building a new Ukraine.
Principles and values of the project
The philosophy of the International Renaissance Foundation’s new project is based on a simple but profound idea: real change is only possible if many different organisations in all parts of the country are involved. According to Tetyana Kukharenko, Programme Manager for Democracy and Good Governance, ‘We can influence the reform process if we work not only in the capital but also in the smallest communities, helping them to change and develop.
This project, like many others, is based on a theory of change that draws on the experience of the Foundation’s previous initiatives. The theory is that we can influence the country’s reform if the process is supported by many organisations in different regions. We do this by helping the organisations we work with to change and grow. We provide them with opportunities for professional and technical development, and we help them to take root in their communities.
One of the main aims of the project is to develop organisations that work with local communities. This includes providing them with resources for professional and institutional growth. The organisations we support influence the opinions of the people they work with. And it is through these organisations that we can shape the future, influence decision-making and implement reforms,’ adds Tetiana Kukharenko.
Oleksiy Orlovsky stresses the importance of taking into account the conditions created by the war. According to him, the instability caused by the war requires innovative solutions. For example, the project supports organisations that have been forced to relocate but continue to work in the regions that remain their priority: ‘We understand that even if an organisation is not physically present in its region, it can still make a significant contribution to its recovery,’ he explains.
The project design also took into account the context of a full-scale war. This primarily affects the selection of potential participants. The project is designed for organisations from the regions most in need of rehabilitation today. NGOs that are not physically located in these areas can also participate. These can be relocated organisations whose activities in these regions are a priority.
‘When preparing the project, we identified potential risks,’ says Oleksiy, ‘we have a large risk matrix, including the issue of intensified hostilities and the advancement of the front line. We do not rule out the possibility that some of our grantees may be displaced during the implementation of the project, we have had similar experiences.’
‘Another important aspect is preparing for the future. We want to make sure that when the time comes to rebuild, we have strategies and plans in place that have been developed with the public,’ says Kukharenko. She adds that it is not so much about rebuilding what has been destroyed, but about making communities more comfortable for people and stronger than before.
But today, unfortunately, civil society, including civil society organisations, is very exhausted by the prolonged tensions that are the result of a full-scale war. It is therefore important for us to support capable local organisations that can be agents of change in the future. ‘Today, our sector needs support to find a second wind. Institutional support will allow organisations to focus on development and recovery,’ says Oleksiy Orlovsky.
‘Despite the difficulties, the Foundation’s team is confident that civil society will become a driving force behind Ukraine’s recovery. We have destroyed the aggressor’s strategy with our activity and resilience. The public sector is a pillar that will help the country survive,’ concludes Tetiana Kukharenko.
This project is not just about supporting organisations. It is about preparing the country for recovery and sustainable development, mobility, volunteering and readiness for a new stage in Ukraine’s history.
‘We want to help these organisations, to give them a second wind,’ explains Kukharenko, ‘especially through institutional support. That way, at least for a while, the organisations will not have to worry about meeting their basic needs and will be able to focus on their development and related issues.’
Expected results of the project
One of the key areas of the International Renaissance Foundation’s new project is the development of analysis at the local level. According to Oleksiy Orlovsky, attention has often been focused on metropolitan organisations. ‘We have not forgotten the regions, but we are close to them. That is why it is important now to create conditions for the formation of a new cohort of organisations capable of carrying out high-quality analysis in the regions,’ he says.
According to Orlovsky, even in the absence of traditional think tanks in the regions, it is possible to find organisations that already have basic skills, such as monitoring. ‘If we manage to develop these organisations in the direction of analysis, it will be a real breakthrough,’ he adds.
At the same time, the project is not aimed at traditional think tanks that focus exclusively on analytics. Rather, it will help organisations with other areas of activity to develop their analytical component.
‘We expect to develop centres of civic activity that will focus on recovery processes and strategic planning in the region,’ says Tetiana Kukharenko, ‘Organisations that will have a comprehensive understanding of why we need to take care of the environment, consider climate issues, inclusion, and think about gender equality.’
These organisations will be able to reach national and later international levels. It is important that they are able to present themselves and communicate their activities in both Ukrainian and English. This will help them to be found by donors and international partners, which will help them to attract new funding and resources for community recovery.
Another aim of the project is to integrate small organisations working quietly in their communities. ‘We are looking for these ‘little stars’ and want to bring them into the community of activists. It’s not just about resources, it’s about community and mutual understanding. People should feel part of a larger process,’ adds Oleksii.
Another component of the project is networking: not only for the development of organisations, but also for their integration into active civil society. We hope that in the future the participants will cooperate with each other and with other similar organisations.
Civil society organisations can help to establish a dialogue in communities to involve different stakeholders in the reconstruction process. After all, local authorities, businesses and the community itself have different needs and it is important to take them all into account when planning for recovery.
Oleksiy also emphasises his desire to develop local democracy. ‘For me, the key to any of the lots in the institutional grant competition is the development of tools for public participation. Organisations should be able to influence the development of their communities using the skills they have acquired through this project’.
What approaches to organisational development are at the heart of the project?
An important part of the programme is training, which is closely linked to the grant component. The Eastern Europe Foundation will host representatives of the organisations that will be among the Foundation’s grantees for training. The training will take place, among other things, on online platforms. The grant will also be used to create online courses on the Znakomo! platform, which will then be made available to everyone. The topics of the courses have not been pre-determined, but will be related to the main themes of the programme.
‘Our main idea is to teach by doing,’ says Tetiana Kukharenko: ‘By implementing grants, organisations will learn, improve their level of project activity and organisational management. Even a small grant – from one to one and a half million hryvnias – is a serious exercise for an organisation. It will be an incentive to develop the skills of the team’.
In addition to training, the internship component plays an important role. According to Tetyana Kukharenko, this is an effective way not only to improve the skills of the participants, but also to solve the problem of staff shortage, which is currently acute in the public sector. ‘We see that many people who complete internships stay on in organisations. This creates a pool of new staff and motivates young people to choose the public sector as a career,’ she explains.
This is especially true in regions where there are no educational institutions that train civil society professionals. ‘Internships give us a chance to find new performers and engage young people who will become the basis for the development of regional organisations,’ Tetiana stresses.
An important component of the programme is networking, which will help organisations to build a community. We expect this to encourage participants to work together, share expertise and resources. Coordination events will be held where participants can talk about their projects and activities. There will also be thematic forums attended by representatives of organisations not involved in the project.
In general, we want the project programme to remain flexible and adaptable to the needs of the participating organisations. Only cross-cutting themes that will be present at all events have been defined in advance – European integration, reforms, green recovery and strategic regional development. However, the form and content of the events may vary.
‘The main aim of the project is not only to support organisations, but also to promote their professional development. We want our grantees to be able to work at a high level, attract resources, including for infrastructure projects, implement effective initiatives and become drivers of change in their communities,’ concludes Tetiana.
Selection of participants and the course of the initiative
The International Renaissance Foundation is committed to transparency and objectivity in the process of selecting grant applications. According to Tetyana Kukharenko, the announcement of the competitions is public, and the Foundation’s aim is to achieve the widest possible coverage of potential participants. ‘We try to reach everyone, although we cannot physically visit every city. It is important that the information reaches those who are really interested,’ she explains.
Unlike most of the Foundation’s competitions, the selection process for Institutional Grants has two stages. However, as with other projects, we will publicise the competition and expect participants to complete the first round questionnaire. The selection process for Institutional Grants includes a number of conditions that are specified in the call for proposals.
Preference will be given to:
- those working directly in the regions;
- those who work with recovery, reform or European integration processes on the ground;
- those able to activate the public and build broad partnerships;
- those working with vulnerable groups (to ensure inclusive recovery).
‘We take into account that many people return from war with disabilities – physical or mental. And many women now take responsibility for their families by working several jobs. All these needs must be taken into account in the reconstruction process,’ says Tetiana.
The application evaluation process takes place in several stages, with the Expert Council playing a key role. According to Oleksiy Orlovsky, the council is made up of representatives from different regions and organisations. ‘The expert council includes people who work in the regions concerned or are familiar with the specifics of these areas. This allows us to provide a deeper understanding of the context,’ he adds.
The Foundation has a strict policy of avoiding conflicts of interest, and members of the expert councils are required to make decisions honestly and carefully. ‘We rely on the objectivity of their decisions, because these experts are acting within the framework of the Foundation’s policy,’ Tetiana points out.
However, as Oleksiy Orlovsky points out, the evaluation of projects and the selection process also depends on the applicants themselves. ‘Organisations need to submit their applications in a quality way. At the first stage, it is important that the organisation can clearly present information about its activities and vision of its development. Sometimes a good organisation presents its thoughts in applications in a way that is difficult to understand, and this can affect the decision of the board,’ says Oleksiy.
In the second stage of the selection process, the Foundation’s representatives will visit the regions to assess the organisations’ activities on the spot. For the time being, however, the assessment will be based only on an electronic questionnaire submitted by the CSOs.
***
The International Renaissance Foundation’s new project is not just about helping war-affected regions. It is a long-term investment in the country’s recovery and the development of civil society, which has become one of the most important pillars in Ukraine’s most difficult times.
By combining financial support with educational opportunities and creating a network of active organisations, the Foundation is helping communities to become stronger, more self-reliant and better equipped to face the challenges of war. This project creates a new culture of cooperation, inclusiveness and accountability, where each organisation becomes a driving force for change.
It is through such initiatives that the foundations are laid for sustainable development, where reconstruction is not just about physical infrastructure, but about reviving faith in collective effort and the power of civil society.
We encourage you to apply for the Institutional Grant Competition and future Institutional Grant Competitions.
