Culture Helps Solidarity / Культура допомагає: Солідарність
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 well-being.
- 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.
Culture Helps Solidarity / Культура допомагає: Солідарність builds on the Culture Helps programme implemented between 2023 and 2025 and is delivered by a consortium comprising Insha Osvita in Kyiv, zusa in Berlin, the Veteranka Movementin Kyiv and the European Cultural Foundation in Amsterdam.
Meet the Partners
Insha Osvita
Insha Osvita works throughout Ukraine and deals with issues of quality management of non-formal education and adult education.
Insha Osvita
Insha Osvita works throughout Ukraine and deals with issues of quality management of non-formal education and adult education.
The European Cultural Foundation celebrates Europe Day with a festival that tells the many stories of Europe and imagines a better Europe. The festival connects the local and the European, presents cultural solutions to European challenges, making our continent more inclusive, more democratic, more culturally aware and a better place to live.
The special theme this year is the recovery of the cultural and creative sectors, and their role in imagining a more sustainable, green and inclusive Europe. Check out the online and physical programme with lectures, talk shows, films, exhibitions and much more!
VETERANKA Movement
The Ukrainian VETERANKA Movement supports women in the military, protects the rights of women in the security and defense forces, and helps women veterans return to civilian life.VETERANKA Movement
The Ukrainian VETERANKA Movement supports women in the military, protects the rights of women in the security and defense forces, and helps women veterans return to civilian life.
The special theme this year is the recovery of the cultural and creative sectors, and their role in imagining a more sustainable, green and inclusive Europe. Check out the online and physical programme with lectures, talk shows, films, exhibitions and much more!
zusa
zusa, an international organisation working for and with cultural and civil society actors, practices and promotes the art of collaboration as a force for systemic change.
zusa
zusa, an international organisation working for and with cultural and civil society actors, practices and promotes the art of collaboration as a force for systemic change.
European Cultural Foundation
The European Cultural Foundation develops and supports cultural initiatives that foster belonging, solidarity, and democratic values - building connections across Europe and empowering communities to shape a shared future.European Cultural Foundation
The European Cultural Foundation develops and supports cultural initiatives that foster belonging, solidarity, and democratic values - building connections across Europe and empowering communities to shape a shared future.
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. It is 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.
Photo by Natalia Martynenko
