Culture for Recovery:
School for Local Development
School for Local Development is an educational program of the CuRe: Culture for Recovery platform, designed to strengthen the role of culture in reconstruction processes and the post-war recovery of Ukrainian territories.
The program supports local leaders who seek to develop recovery projects that integrate cultural dimensions, local identity, the uniqueness of communities, and their creative potential.
Participation in the School will enable community representatives to build new competencies, rethink approaches to spatial development, rebuild trust, enhance social cohesion, and foster cross-sectoral collaboration.
The School is part of CuRe’s community capacity-building track and is implemented with the support of the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU), in cooperation with the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine and other national and international partners.
Participants will acquire knowledge and skills to integrate cultural resources into recovery projects and to prepare proposals within Ukraine’s public investment management system DREAM.
Program Structure
Component 1: Educational
(September – December 2025)
The program includes four hybrid (offline & online) learning modules combining: - Study visits and analysis of practical case studies; - Lectures and workshops on cultural planning, social cohesion, inclusivity, and design thinking; - Development of team projects focused on both “soft” and “hard” recovery; - Preparation of project proposals for funding and implementation in DREAM.
Component 2: Practical
(January – October 2026)
After the training, selected projects will receive support for implementation through: - Mentorship from Ukrainian and international experts; - Piloting initiatives in communities, with a focus on cultural heritage and local resources; - Applying inclusive and trauma-informed approaches; - Monitoring results and presenting achievements at the national level.
Call for Applications
The call for participation in the pilot project is now open and will run until August 29, 2025.
The program covers communities in the Chernihiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
The most successful projects developed during the training will receive support for implementation in 2026.
Geographical Scope
*The programme does not cover communities located in the temporarily occupied territories
Online Workshop for Pilot Project Applicants
We invite interested community representatives to join an online workshop before submitting their application!
🗓 Date & Time: August 18, 2025, 15:00 (Kyiv time)
💻 Platform: Microsoft Teams
During the workshop you will be able to:
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Ask questions about the Call for Pilot Project Proposals (CPP);
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Get step-by-step guidance on completing the application form;
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Clarify any other requirements set out in the CPP.
Don’t miss this opportunity to prepare your application in the best possible way!