Civil Society Development Platform – Aids-121-A-14-00003

The project enhances the organizational development of civil society organizations (CSOs) to ensure their sustainability and advocacy capacities, empowering them to participate in policy dialogue at national and local levels. Capacity building support was provided to 228 CSOs through 202 mini-grants on organizational development issue, totaling $154,388. The number of applications increased, but the current Marketplace capacity does not allow for all organizational development needs of Ukrainian NGOs to be met. Advocacy skills development focused on training 15 youth leaders at three Module Schools on Advocacy and Policy Dialogue, resulting in advocacy campaign development with experts' review and potential implementation in the field. Organizational development culture promotion was achieved through various activities aimed at increasing the number of CSOs that understand and internalize the organizational development culture. The National Civil Society Development Forum "REFORM! INFLUENCE! UNITE!" was held on November 29-30, 2016, in Kyiv, gathering over 1,300 participants from Ukraine, the USA, and Europe. The Forum focused on strengthening civil society's capacities and promoting national unity, with President Petro Poroshenko signing a Decree on priority measures for national unity and public initiatives in support of this goal. Two Organizational Development Schools were organized in Svyatohirsk and Lutsk, targeting CSOs from different regions. The Schools focused on organizational development, with participants from IDPs, youth, and retired groups, among others. The United States expressed its commitment to supporting Ukraine's transformation, with U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission George Kent emphasizing the importance of civil society's role in promoting democratic governance and accountability. Community of practice and webinars on organizational development were carried out, with approximately 1,552 participants. The on-line application and grant management system was fully implemented, with on-line selection and grant management piloted. ISAR Ednannia officers promoted the Marketplace as an instrument for CSO organizational development through four sessions and three USAID Mistecko activities. To increase ISAR Ednannia's role in agenda setting for Ukrainian CSOs and its role as an Intermediary Support Organization, several training opportunities were provided to ISAR Ednannia staff, including training on new ways of providing trainings to interested CSOs, Organizational Capacity Assessment, and Fundraising, among others. Following the USAID financial review, ISAR Ednannia made significant changes in the accounting and financial system, recruiting a new Financial Manager to introduce changes into the vouchers and develop the salary calculation system based on payment by the hour. The project's overall goal is to strengthen and promote civil society's role as active agents of change, advocating for democratic governance, accountability, and responsiveness of local governments in Ukraine. The project enhances the organizational development of CSOs to ensure their sustainability and advocacy capacities, empowering them to participate in policy dialogue at national and local levels.