From January 1, 2026, the Ukrainian Youth Fund (UYF) will provide budget grants for the implementation of youth projects according to uniform rules.
This is stated in the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 1252 of October 1, 2025, "On Approval of the Procedure for Providing State Support to Youth and Children's Public Associations, Other Youth Work Entities by Providing Budget Grants as Project Support from the State Budget and Amending Certain Resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine," which approves the relevant Procedure.
Thus, in addition to youth/children's NGOs, individuals, sole proprietors, and legal entities engaged in youth work will be able to receive state funding—for each of them, there will be the possibility of holding separate competitions by direction and type of applicant.
"A radically new selection mechanism has been proposed, which includes three levels and a procedure for approving the list of winners. At the same time, specific criteria for exclusion from participation in the competition are provided for, including double funding, non-compliance with priorities, sanctions by the National Security and Defense Council, etc.," notes Yuliia Panura, an expert on taxation of CSOs and charitable activities for UCIPR.
The main innovations of the Resolution:
- the procedure for the transfer of funds is simplified – they are transferred from the UYF account to a separate bank account of the grant recipient;
- the UYF conducts a separate competition for each priority area of support, and in the case of a proposal from a CSO in a relevant area, the UYF may conduct a separate competition among legal entities;
- in order to simplify the grant recipient's document flow, the use of the UYF electronic system's electronic office is provided for;
- the UYF takes into account the successful results achieved by CSOs in the implementation of projects when conducting the competition and expert selection for the following year.
The procedure also establishes a list of prohibited expenses, such as payment for application preparation, intermediary services, etc., as well as a monitoring mechanism on the part of the UYF.
It is envisaged that by September 1 of each year, the UYF shall agree with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine on priority areas and projected funding amounts for the following year.
Resolution No. 1252 also amends other acts that are important for CSOs:
- Resolution No. 1049 of October 12, 2011 - a provision has been added prohibiting the provision of financial support for a project if the CSO has already received a grant for its implementation;
- Resolution No. 116 of 22 February 2012 – it is specified that the distribution of budget grants will now take place in accordance with the new Procedure No. 1252;
- Resolution No. 867 of 18.08.2021 - the UYF is listed as a provider in the list of budget grant providers;
- Resolution No. 182 of 28.02.2023 - controversial provisions regarding budget grants from the state budget through the UYF have been removed.
The UCIPR draws your attention to the adoption of the Procedure for granting budget grants to support youth projects. Expanding the list of those who can receive budget funds increases competition, but also opens up additional opportunities to support local initiatives.
This information was prepared by NGO “Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research” with the support of the Askold and Dir Funda part of the the Strong Civil Society of Ukraine - a Driver towards Reforms and Democracy project, implemented by ISAR Ednannia, funded by Norway and Sweden. The content of the information is the responsibility of the NGO "UCIPR" and does not reflect the views of the governments of Norway, Sweden, or ISAR Ednannia.
Read also: Legislative Changes for the Public Sector. Digest for the Second Half of September 2025 from the UCIPR