Ukrainian Women’s Fund: grants of up to €15,000 for women’s civil society organisations to implement regional 1325 “Women, Peace and Security” action plans in six regions, apply by 16 November

The Ukrainian Women’s Fund (UWF) has announced a call for grant proposals titled ‘Support for the Implementation of Regional 1325 Action Plans’ under the project ‘1325: Inclusive Security’. The initiative is carried out with financial support from the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands through the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It aims to localize the Women, Peace and Security agenda and bolster the implementation of regional plans linked to Ukraine’s National Action Plan 1325.

Selected initiatives will receive grants of up to €15,000, disbursed in Ukrainian hryvnias according to the National Bank of Ukraine exchange rate on the application submission date. The call expects to support up to 12 projects with an implementation duration ranging from 6 to 8 months. Applications must be completed and submitted online before 23:59 on 16 November 2026.

What is funded

The grant funding supports initiatives by women’s and feminist non-governmental organisations aimed at advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Priority is given to projects that directly align with regional 1325 action plans, incorporate cross-sectoral cooperation, and address the specific needs of diverse groups of women, girls, youth, and vulnerable populations in recovery and sustainable peace-building processes.

Eligible expenditures include direct project activity costs as well as organisational support. Organisational support, covering staff salaries and travel expenses, can constitute up to 20% of the total budget. Additionally, equipment purchases are permitted up to €1,000 in total and per unit. In recognition of staff well-being, applicants may allocate up to 10% of the grant budget to collective care measures and the prevention of emotional burnout.

Ineligible costs explicitly include incentives or bonuses for civil servants, financial support to political parties, and activities causing harm to the environment.

Who can apply

Participation is open to officially registered women’s civil society organisations that operate and are registered in Kyiv city, Kyiv Oblast, Kirovohrad, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Zakarpattia, or Lviv Oblasts. Eligible entities must possess at least two years of operating experience and have a statutory mandate dedicated to women’s rights protection or the advancement of gender equality.

Applicants must operate independently without affiliations to state institutions or political parties. A mandatory prerequisite is the organisation’s commitment to coordinate project activities with the secretariat of the respective regional 1325 coalition. While official membership in a regional 1325 coalition is not compulsory, it serves as an advantage during proposal evaluation.

Conditions and requirements

Projects must be designed for a minimum duration of 6 months and a maximum duration of 8 months. To ensure effective coordination and alignment with local objectives, the donor advises applicants to coordinate the project scope and working format with regional 1325 coalitions prior to final submission.

Proposals will be reviewed by an Expert Commission using a 100-point scoring system. Criteria include alignment with call priorities (20 points), effectiveness of the proposed approach (20 points), consistency with the strategic and operational goals of the regional 1325 action plan (20 points), clear definition of activities, results, and progress monitoring measures (20 points), institutional capacity and resources (10 points), and membership in the regional 1325 coalition (10 points).

Practical tip. Reach out to the secretariat of your regional 1325 coalition early to validate that your proposed interventions directly address the operational targets of your region’s action plan. Securing this alignment will not only maximize your evaluation score on strategic relevance but also ensure smoother project coordination should the grant be awarded.

How to apply

Interested organisations must apply online via the Ukrainian Women’s Fund project submission system. Returning users can sign in using their previously assigned organisation identifier, while new applicants need to register their organization in the database before completing the application form. All submissions must be finalized by 23:59 on 16 November 2026, after which UWF confirms receipt via email.

Questions concerning the call may be submitted via email to the grant management team until 5 November 2026, citing the call name in the subject line. Answers to inquiries will be published on UWF platforms and distributed through regional coalition secretariats on 6 November 2026. Applicants also maintain the right to appeal funding decisions through UWF’s designated policy violation channel.

Applications are submitted on the donor’s page: uwf.org.ua.