The British Council is offering grants of up to £6,000 to support the inclusion of UK content and expertise in public-facing programmes in various formats to take place in Ukraine. Applications for projects are welcome from all sectors of culture and creative industries: literature, film, music, design, fashion, architecture, visual and digital arts, etc. 

Eligible projects may include:

  • Exhibitions featuring works by UK artists
  • Screenings of UK films at festivals, public events, and limited-run film programmes
  • Conferences and workshops with UK speakers and experts
  • Short-term residencies and collaborations with UK artists

We welcome applications from across the arts and creative sectors, as well as projects at the intersection of arts, creative industries and arts education. Grant supported projects can have a physical, digital or hybrid delivery model in accordance with the safety situation.

We encourage applicants to submit project proposals that embody principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion, while also considering climate security in their design. We strongly emphasise the importance of including activities that actively engage diverse women, youth, and underrepresented groups—both as beneficiaries and as integral members of the delivery team.

See below for full information about eligibility and the application process. Application deadline: 31 October 2024, 23:59 Kyiv time. 

If you need this information in any other format or require access support to make your application, please email uaukgrants@britishcouncil.org

Information session 

Learn more about this grant opportunity during our general programme presentation and Q&A information session on 9 October 2024. To attend the session, please register in advance.

Who can apply?

The grant call is open to arts, culture and education organisations with an arts and culture focus and an existing track record of cultural projects. Experience of international cultural projects will be an advantage. The application should be submitted by a legally registered non-profit organisation in Ukraine. 

What can be covered by grant?

  • Fixed term staff positions or contractors to deliver the project 
  • Additional hours for existing staff to deliver the project 
  • Expert and speaker fees 
  • Production costs  
  • Rights purchase and licensing fees 
  • Translation and interpreter fees 
  • Marketing, promotion costs 
  • Activities relating to learning and community engagement 
  • Monitoring & Evaluation 
  • Travel costs including insurance costs 
  • Extra costs for your organisation, such as new online subscriptions, software or extra rent (up to 15% of the budget), technical equipment to enable delivery of the programme during power shortages such as power generators (up to 25%), improvement of shelter conditions (up to 25%), purchase of safety equipment (first aid kits, fire extinguishers) (up to 15% of the budget.) 

Access assistance

You can apply for additional access costs above the overall project cost to ensure your project is inclusive. Project access costs are about removing barriers for d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists or audiences. These might include, but are not limited to, sign language interpreters, captioners, or personal assistants for disabled artists or producers.

Safeguarding and risk management

Applicants should provide evidence of appropriate risk management of activities and the project as a whole. Security measures and venue selection with shelter access must be part of public programme planning. 

FCDO travel advice must be followed for considerations of in-person involvement of individuals travelling from outside of Ukraine in grant activities. Only travel to regions designated as ‘orange’ are permissible for those travelling from outside Ukraine. Travel to areas designated as ‘red’ would not be allowed under the terms of this grant. Only programme essential and justified travel cases will be considered. As the safety situation in Ukraine can change, applicants should be ready to adapt project activities and travel arrangements, including cancellation, postponement or changing planned formats. The British Council team will assess if appropriate safeguarding and security measures were put in place. 

Grant programme dates

Deadline for submission of applications 31 October 2024
Notification of results after 21 November 2024
Due diligence checks November 2024
Start of contracting late November-December 2024
The core activities of the grant project December 2024-November 2025
Activity and communication plans have been submitted by February 2025
Deadline for completion of project activities by the end of December 2025
Reporting completed by February 2026

Useful information

  • One organisation can submit for multiple projects, but only one of them can be funded by this grant programme.
  • The grant recipient is responsible for paying any taxes and bank fees in relation to their grant. These costs should be included in the project budget at the time of applying.   
  • Grants will be paid in UAH according to the British Council GBP exchange rate after the due diligence check has been carried out and the proper contract has been signed. 
  • Payments to be made within 30 days of the grant contract being signed by both parties.  
  • Please mind, that only after the grant payment is completed – the applicant can start contractual relations with suppliers and project activities. 
  • Please beware that we would expect financial evidence (receipts, invoices, payment confirmations, agreements, etc.) to be provided in the electronic form as part of the reporting. It is done in line with demands of the UK’s National Audit. 
  • The grant recipient will be required to complete mandatory safeguarding and security, equality, diversity and inclusion trainings from the British Council. 
  • In the event of deteriorating security circumstances, the British Council has the right to revoke permission of the use of costs for travel. 

How to apply?

To apply, please complete the application form. Within the form, you'll find dedicated sections where you'll be asked to upload the following supporting documents:

  • Project budget using our provided template
  • Registration documents of your organisation.

Contact us

Any queries related to the grants call should be sent to email address uaukgrants@britishcouncil.org

The email topic should contain Grants for public programmes.

External links