Organizer Information
Culture Helps Solidarity is a programme supporting arts and culture professionals from Ukraine to sustain creativity, resilience, and community connection during and after the war. The programme runs until 2028 and combines individual, thematic project, and collaboration grants with mentoring, learning, and peer exchange. It is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme and implemented by the European Cultural Foundation (Netherlands), Insha Osvita (Ukraine), zusa (Germany), and the VETERANKA Movement (Ukraine).
Title & Description
Culture Helps Solidarity Project Grant 2026: Memory in Action
Memory in Action is the second thematic round of Culture Helps Solidarity’s Project Grants. It supports small-scale cultural projects focused on commemoration, historical and artistic documentation, and social or non-institutional archives as cultural heritage.
Projects should engage responsibly with the lived experiences and memories of people affected by Russia’s war against Ukraine. Proposed activities may create new forms of remembrance, preserve personal and collective histories, document experiences, or provide spaces for public reflection.
The call particularly welcomes projects involving women veterans, servicewomen, veterans, families of the fallen, witnesses of wartime events, displaced communities, local residents, and people affected by loss, captivity, injury, or displacement. Projects may use artistic, educational, research-based, participatory, or community-led approaches.
Categories
- Visual Art
- Video & Film
- Photography
- Audio & Sound
- Artistic Documentation
- Community Art
- Participatory & Collaborative Art
- Research
- Archiving & Cultural Heritage
- Exhibitions
- Publications
- Education & Cultural Projects
- Storytelling
- Socially Engaged Art
Eligibility
Applicants must be 18 or older and based in Ukraine or a Creative Europe country. Eligible applicants include civic, public, or private organisations operating in the cultural, creative, or civil sector. Private organisations must be non-commercial and able to demonstrate the project's charitable status.
Individuals with strong project ideas may apply, although the organisers strongly recommend applying with an eligible organisation that can serve as the legal entity for the grant agreement.
Applications must be submitted in English or Ukrainian and include a complete application form and budget. Political parties are not eligible. Strictly humanitarian initiatives and individual cost-of-living support are also excluded. Projects cannot receive funding from another Creative Europe scheme.
Program Benefits & Awards
Selected projects can receive up to €7,000 in project funding. At least 15 projects will be supported in this round. Eligible costs can include:
- Production, materials, and equipment
- Marketing and advertising
- Studio and cultural venue rental
- IT and communication costs
- Travel expenses
- Expert fees and artists’ honoraria
- Legal, staff, and operational costs
- Other necessary goods or services upon special request
Projects may last up to six months. Co-financing is not mandatory, although applicants are encouraged to use the grant for a maximum of 80% of the total project budget.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application deadline: 6 October 2026
- Selection: End of November – beginning of December 2026
- Project start: 1 February 2027
- Project end: 31 July 2027
- Final report deadline: 31 August 2027
Projects may not begin before 1 February 2027.
Location
Netherlands, Creative Europe countries
Additional Details
The call places strong emphasis on ethical and trauma-informed approaches. Applicants should address informed consent, privacy, emotional safety, responsible use of personal materials, and the dignity and agency of people whose experiences are represented.
The selection process considers thematic relevance, applicant capacity, proposal quality and coherence, authenticity and experimentation, and sustainability. Following eligibility checks, proposals are assessed by internal and external experts.
Applicants are encouraged to develop proposals through human expertise, critical thinking, and artistic or professional judgment. Proposals relying primarily on AI-generated content or concepts may receive lower priority.
A webinar on the thematic focus was held on 23 June 2026, covering trauma-informed interaction, artistic work with vulnerable groups, memory projects, and cultural projects involving veterans. The recording and materials are available online.