The Polaris Programme "Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine" announces an open call "Grant Support for Swedish–Ukrainian Partnerships" for hromadas that have established or are planning to establish cooperation with Swedish municipalities. The competition is carried out by the Cities4Cities initiative which is implementing the "International Municipal Cooperation" sphere of the Polaris Programme.

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The grant support targets hromadas in Ukraine that already have or are planning to establish partnerships with Swedish municipalities to support such partnerships by providing material and technical assistance for joint initiatives within specific focus areas.

The maximum grant amount per application is EUR 10,000. Ten to fifteen municipal pairs are expected to be selected.

The deadline for applying is September 7, 2025.

An information session on the application process and other related questions will be held on June 24, 2025, at 11:00 Kyiv time (10:00 Swedish time). Registration is available via the following link.

Who can apply

Ukrainian hromadas that cooperate with Swedish municipalities are invited to participate. The cooperation must be confirmed by at least one of the following criteria:

• A bilateral cooperation agreement;
• A description of ongoing joint initiatives,
• A letter of support from the Swedish municipality confirming its involvement in the initiatives proposed in the application.

The application must be submitted by the Ukrainian hromada and developed in partnership with the Swedish municipality. Both parties agree on the specific resources needed and how they will contribute to the development of joint activities. This should be a joint initiative where Swedish partners can complement material support with expertise, training, or exchanges.

The competition covers the following thematic areas:

• Education and youth engagement
• Energy saving and environmental protection
• Inclusivity and accessibility
• Integration of socially vulnerable groups (rehabilitation, work with internally displaced persons)
• Resilience
• Local economic development.

Competition Stages

Application submission – by September 7, 2025.

Hromadas, together with their Swedish partners, fill out the application form in English via the link, which includes:

• Describing the content and format of the cooperation;
• Agreeing on the specific material resources needed;
• Outlining the implementation plan for joint activities involving the use of the requested material resources;
• Defining the expected impact of their use.

Evaluation of applications based on the following criteria:

• Impact on the hromada;
• Impact on international cooperation and quality of partnership;
• Relevance and justification of the requested resources.

*Priority will be given to hromadas that have been more affected by Russian aggression.

Announcement of winners – on October 1, 2025.

Support

A Memorandum of Cooperation will be signed with the Ukrainian communities selected through the competitive process. The partner hromada commits to submitting an interim report (approximately 3–4 months after receiving the resources/equipment) and a final report on the implementation of the application (approximately in May 2026). These reports will detail the use of the provided equipment and its impact on the development of the hromada’s capacity, international cooperation, and the quality of partnership with the Swedish municipality.

Comprehensive support for partner hromadas will last 6–12 months.

• Grant funding provides material support only (equipment, machinery, resources).
• The Polaris Programme will handle the procurement of the necessary equipment.
• This is not a project grant and does not cover operational or organisational costs.
• Within one application, the hromada must clearly specify one priority resource or set of resources* (preferably able to be procured in a single transaction; in exceptional cases – up to 2–3 items).

*The Polaris Programme reserves the right to adjust the list of resources if procurement of certain items proves impossible within the grant implementation period. Any changes will be made in a way that preserves the overall logic, objectives, and expected outcomes of the planned activities.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the competition, please contact the Cities4Cities initiative at: contact@cities4cities.eu with the email subject "Grant Support for Swedish–Ukrainian Partnerships."

Examples of Possible Projects Within the Competition