On Tuesday, December 17, the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation and the MHP-Gromady Charitable Foundation signed a Memorandum of Cooperation and Partnership aimed at promoting the development of the cultural and creative industries in Ukraine. The document was signed by Anastasia Obraztsova, executive director of the UCF, and Oleksandr Pakholyuk, director of the MHP-Gromadie Charitable Foundation, UNN reports.
The purpose of the Memorandum is to strengthen support for cultural and artistic initiatives in communities outside agglomerations and regional centers, to engage people in creating a quality cultural product, and to ensure equal access to cultural services.
Anastasia Obraztsova, Executive Director of the UCF, expressed hope that the Memorandum will help Ukrainian communities become centers of cultural life, strengthen cultural ties and produce projects for the cultural revival of regional initiatives.
"At the UCF, we see a critical need to further strengthen partnerships between the state and socially responsible Ukrainian business for long-term support of culture, so we continue to work actively to find and attract new partners. Unlocking the cultural potential of communities, making culture in the regions accessible and close to their residents with the opportunity to create, develop and be inspired is what the signed document is all about. I am grateful to MHP-Community for supporting local cultural initiatives," Anastasia Obraztsova said when signing the Memorandum.
According to the agreements reached, the parties will cooperate, in particular, to implement the joint LOT (subprogram) "Culture in the Focus of Communities" of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation's grant program "Culture. Regions" grant program. The purpose of the program is to support and promote the creation of new relevant cultural and artistic projects that, among other things, will strengthen Ukrainian identity in times of war, show the world the resistance of the Ukrainian people to Russian armed aggression, and support the spirit of the struggle for freedom and independence of Ukraine, as well as veterans and their families.
Oleksandr Pakholyuk, Director of MHP-Community, emphasized that access to such funding for community projects is an important step in strengthening and shaping Ukrainian identity. After all, many transformational changes are currently taking place in communities: from discovering their own history to launching important local initiatives.
"MHP-Community Charitable Foundation has been working in communities for 10 years, changing lives for the better. Culture is an integral element of regional development, and today it is also a means of resistance. It is the foundation for the preservation of historical memory, national traditions and spiritual values that unite society and are defended by our military. Therefore, for us, as a Foundation that develops and restores communities, the launch of joint initiatives with such a powerful partner as UCF is an incentive for scaling and growth," said Oleksandr Pakholyuk, Director of the MHP-Community Charitable Foundation.
Recall
The Ukrainian Cultural Foundation (UCF) is a state investor in the development of culture and creative industries in Ukraine. The institution was founded in 2017 on the basis of the Law of UkraineOn the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. Support for individual, national, and international cultural and artistic projects is provided on a competitive basis within seven sectors: audial arts, visual arts, audiovisual arts, cultural heritage, literary affairs, performing and stage arts, cultural and creative industries. Over the seven years of its operation, the Foundation has funded 2717 projects. The amount of money invested in them is more than 1.6 billion UAH, and the number of people reached by the Foundation is 53 million people.
MHP-Community - is a Ukrainian charitable foundationthat was launched in 2015 to help communities solve their social, economic and environmental problems. The foundation operates in 13 regions of Ukraine and in more than 700 settlements. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Foundation has been systematically supporting people in the regions of hostilities, Ukrainian defenders, communities, charitable institutions that care for orphans and the elderly, as well as people who have lost their homes and livelihoods due to the war. One of the important areas of the Foundation's work is to support cultural initiatives (publishing books, supporting film production, helping local museums, etc.) Since the beginning of the full-scale war, MHP-Hromada has allocated over UAH 80 million for this purpose.