The objective of the program is to support activities of Polish non-governmental organizations carried out in cooperation with partners in Ukraine as well as those that are taking care of refugees from Ukraine in Poland. The grants can be used for supporting coordination of Polish NGOs’ activities for Ukraine and refugees in Poland (also in cooperation with other institutions, primarily local governments).

Priority is given to those NGOs that have well-established cooperation with their partners in Ukraine and those operating in Polish smaller localities where Ukrainian people who have escaped the war are settling.

The program offers co-financing of initiatives of organizations, such as:

• Intervention projects – grants of up to PLN 25,000 for activities both in Poland and in Ukraine. Enrollment to that path is run in two rounds; the first took place in March 2022, and the second will be announced in September 2022 (more information below).

• Longer-term projects – grants of up to PLN 50,000 for activities to be carried out over a longer period of time and/or of a systemic nature, aimed at supporting children’s and young people’s education in Poland, helping adapt war refugees from Ukraine to the conditions on the Polish job market, and counteracting discriminating practices against them. Implementation of co-financed activities is process.

The “Support for Ukraine” Program is an extension of a special initiative launched as part of the “Region in Transition” (RITA) Program – a PAFF undertaking launched in 2000, managed by the Education for Democracy Foundation. At the beginning of March 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the immediate relief actions by Polish NGOs, the rapid intervention “Ukrainian path” was launched under the grant competition carried out within “Region in Transition”. The “RITA” program’s resources available at that moment were earmarked for this new, extraordinary purpose. As soon as the separate “Support for Ukraine” program was created, the “Ukrainian path” became a part of it. The call for proposals to the grant competition was closed on March 15. 422 intervention projects were submitted by NGOs. Following the project assessments by independent experts and the decisions made by the Grant Committee, 59 projects were selected; 44 conducted in 14 provinces of Poland and 15 run in Ukraine. The support included activities aimed at civilians’ health and life protection in Ukraine, such as evacuation both within the country and abroad; providing means of medical and personal protection for civilians as well as medics, humanitarian workers, and journalists; equipping and adjusting places to the war conditions (e.g. purchase of camp beds, blankets, telecommunication equipment, generators, etc.) as well as supporting refugees in Poland, e.g. securing accommodation, food, transportation, psychological, legal and information support.

246 projects were submitted to the competition for longer-term projects held in June. Out of them the Grant Commission selected 33 projects implemented in 14 provinces of Poland, and 8 being implemented in Ukraine. The activities include teaching Polish, psychological support for refugees in Poland and in Ukraine, professional support for the disabled displaced in Ukraine, and preparing intercultural assistance in Polish schools.

The enrollment for the second round of the competition for intervention projects was launched on September 12, 2022. The grants will go to Polish NGOs for activities related to access to education of children and young people from Ukraine staying in Poland and those in Ukraine, as well as courses in the Polish language.