Regional representatives of the Ukrainian Cultural Fund will be established in Odesa and Sumy regions to assist local cultural communities in preparing grant applications and seeking partnerships. This was reported by the press service of Suspilne Culture.
The initiative aims to enhance collaboration between the fund and local cultural communities and will be piloted in these two regions.
According to Anastasia Obraztsova, the executive director of the UCF, the selection of regions was based on statistical data: applicants from these areas show high activity and submit many ideas, but only 1 to 5 projects are implemented. She emphasized that the aim of the initiative is to help local communities enhance their capacity and increase the number of successfully implemented projects.
"We aspire for each region to have its own successful cultural case that inspires others and demonstrates that significant changes begin locally."
UCF representatives will assist cultural communities in better understanding grant program requirements, preparing higher quality applications, finding partners, and realizing their ideas.
What is UCF
The Ukrainian Cultural Fund (UCF) is a state investor in the development of culture and creative industries. The institution was founded in 2017 based on the Law of Ukraine "On the Ukrainian Cultural Fund".
Project support is provided on a competitive basis within seven sectors:
- audiovisual arts;
- visual arts;
- performing arts;
- cultural heritage;
- literature;
- cultural and creative industries;
Over eight years of operation, the fund has financed 2951 projects with a total investment of over 2 billion UAH, reaching an audience of 56 million people. According to the draft state budget for 2026, 410.9 million UAH is planned for the UCF (250.7 million in 2025). Next year, in the ninth grant season, separate grants for audiovisual creators will be established, which will operate independently of UCF's collaboration with the State Cinema and the Ministry of Culture.
