Culture Helps Solidarity is a Creative Europe–funded project -running from October 2025 until March 2028- that empowers Ukrainian arts and cultural professionals to sustain creativity, resilience, and community connection during and after the war.
Building on the success of the Culture Helps project (2023–2025), this new edition brings together the European Cultural Foundation (Amsterdam), Insha Osvita (Kyiv), zusa (Berlin), and the Veteranka movement (Kyiv)—a pioneering NGO advocating for female war veterans. Together, they form a consortium that unites expertise in cultural cooperation, mental health, and social reintegration through the arts.
Since 2014, millions of Ukrainians have faced displacement and loss. Amid these hardships, cultural professionals—artists, curators, museum workers, and educators—have become key agents of care, resilience, and social cohesion. Culture Helps Solidarity builds on this spirit, strengthening their capacity to continue this vital work within Ukraine and across Europe.
The project combines three grant schemes with a dynamic programme of mentoring, learning, and networking:
- Individual Care Grants support creative professionals and veterans in maintaining their mental health and wellbeing.
- Project Grants fund cultural initiatives that foster access to the arts and heritage for displaced people and communities rebuilding their lives.
- Collaboration Grants connect organisations in Ukraine and other Creative Europe countries to co-create innovative approaches to inclusion, accessibility, and post-war recovery.
The various calls for proposals will be rolled out starting in January 2026. Over €1.4 million in funding will reach over 200 individuals and organisations. Beyond financial support, the project fosters a community of peer learning, mentoring, and exchange—a safe space for shared reflection, professional growth, and solidarity across borders.
Culture Helps Solidarity recognises that culture is central to recovery and democracy. By ensuring that Ukrainian artists and cultural workers remain active, visible, and connected to their European peers, the project supports both individual healing and the collective rebuilding of Ukraine’s cultural life.
At its heart, Culture Helps Solidarity affirms that culture is not a luxury in times of crisis—it is a lifeline. By nurturing creativity, wellbeing, and human connection, the project helps rebuild lives and communities in and outside Ukraine, while strengthening Europe’s shared commitment to freedom, empathy, and solidarity.
For more information, please visit cultureofsolidarityfund.eu or get in touch with us at chs@culturafoundation.eu.
