New representatives of the Ukrainian Cultural Fund will soon appear in the Odesa and Sumy regions, providing assistance to local cultural communities in preparing grant applications and finding partners. This information was confirmed in a press release provided by Suspilne Kultura.
The Ukrainian Cultural Fund has initiated the launch of regional representatives aimed at deepening cooperation with local cultural communities. The first phase of the project will be implemented in the Odesa and Sumy regions.
Anastasia Obraztsova, the executive director of the UCF, noted that the team based the selection of regions on statistical data: applicants from these areas demonstrate high activity, submitting many ideas, but only 1 to 5 projects are realized. She emphasized that the initiative's goal is to help local communities enhance their capacity and increase the number of successfully implemented projects.
"We aim for each region to have its successful cultural project that inspires others and shows that significant changes begin locally".
UCF representatives will assist cultural communities in 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:
- audio arts;
- visual arts;
- audiovisual arts;
- cultural heritage;
- literature;
- performative and stage arts;
- cultural and creative industries.
Over eight years of operation, the fund has financed 2951 projects. The total amount of investments exceeds 2 billion hryvnias, reaching an audience of 56 million people. According to the draft state budget for 2026, 410.9 million UAH is planned to be allocated to UCF (in 2025 — 250.7 million). Additionally, next year, in the ninth grant season, separate grants for audiovisual creators will be established—these grant programs will operate independently of UCF's collaboration with State Cinema and the Ministry of Culture.
