Ukrainian community leaders start a three-day offline intensive course from the Community Recovery Academy

On 4 April, a three-day offline intensive course was launched as part of the Community Recovery Academy educational project aimed at training municipal managers. The first day featured a practical workshop “Project Management and Fundraising for the Implementation of the Strategic Objectives of the Community.”

The event was mentored by Oleksiy Mykhailychenko, CDO of Vidnova Foundation, an expert in fundraising and grant application development. In an accessible and practical way, he shared his knowledge on how to analyse grants, where to look for them, how to navigate among donors, and – most importantly – how to write applications in a way that significantly increases the chances for success.

Participants gained profound knowledge of fundraising basics, formats, as well as practiced searching for grant opportunities and studying the requirements of various donor organisations.

“By early 2024, the focus of grantors began to shift towards recovery. There already appear competitions for communities to restore green energy, medical services and support for small businesses. The spotlight is on the resilience of communities in times of war. There are grants aimed at bomb shelters, generators, assistance to IDPs and their integration. And it is the integration of internally displaced persons that is in great focus now. Energy independence and climate resilience are also among the priorities”,

- said Oleksiy Mykhailychenko.

During the practical part, participants were divided into teams to develop and present short grant applications. This allowed them to consolidate their skills in structuring and budgeting, as well as to get acquainted with the tools for monitoring, evaluating results and preparing reports for donors. And, of course, once again, to improve teamwork for a common result.

Ahead are two eventful days that will be devoted to working on the final product of the training course – the Recovery Community Profile. This is a comprehensive document that contains practical solutions and forms a holistic vision of the community's future.

The Community Recovery Academy was founded by the Association of Ukrainian Cities and the NGO “Mariupol.Reborn.” The project is implemented with the support of the UK Government under the UK International Development programme and the International Republican Institute (IRI Ukraine) in partnership with Metinvest and SCM. Metinvest Polytechnic and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy have previously become academic partners of the project.