The participants discussed the key priorities of the HLF Programme, approaches to evaluating grant applications, selection criteria and challenges that local organisations may face. The meeting was not only the start of the grant process, but also a platform for open dialogue, exchange of experience and deepening of mutual trust.
On 9 April 2025, the first meeting of the Grants Committee was held in Kyiv under the Help Localisation Facility (HLF) Global Programme, implemented by the humanitarian organisation Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe with the initiative and support of the German Federal Foreign Office.
This day was an important milestone in the creation of a new model of humanitarian support based on the principles of localisation and equal partnership. For the first time, the decision-making process for funding humanitarian initiatives on the ground is fully transferred to representatives of Ukrainian civil society.
The Grants Committee includes:
🔹 Mila Leonova – Alliance UA CSO
🔹 Daria Rybalchenko – Ukraine Local Pooled Fund
🔹 Fredrik Larsson – NGO Resource Centre
🔹 And the Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe team: Konstantin Nenakhov, Yulia Suvorova, Sergey Skashchuk and Gritt Richter.
The participants discussed the key priorities of the HLF Programme, approaches to evaluating grant applications, selection criteria and challenges that local organisations may face. The meeting was not only the start of the grant process, but also a platform for open dialogue, exchange of experience and deepening of mutual trust.
The HLF programme seeks not only to transfer resources, but also to create a long-term system in which local partners play a leading role in responding to humanitarian challenges. This is the way to a more equitable, effective and sustainable humanitarian response.
We are grateful to all the participants of the meeting for their active position and constructive cooperation. Important decisions lie ahead, which will affect the support of dozens of local initiatives across Ukraine.
