Introduction
The Kyiv Human Rights Hub is a multidisciplinary platform that supports the organizational development, networking and effectiveness of human rights and civil society organizations in Ukraine.
The Hub provides training, small grants, mentoring, networking opportunities and practical organizational-development assistance to help Ukrainian civil society organizations protect human rights, promote democratic values and influence public policy.
History and Background
The Kyiv Human Rights Hub emerged as a response to the growing organizational and operational needs of Ukraine’s human rights movement and wider civil society.
Its publicly documented programmes began appearing in 2025, including organizational-development training, recruitment of specialist staff and the launch of the “Capable to Influence” small-grants competition. The Hub’s official website does not identify a separate legal founding date.
The platform has developed through cooperation with the Center for Civil Liberties, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee and other partners. Several programmes are supported by Norway and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.
The Hub operates within the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine, which has created significant challenges for human rights defenders and civil society organizations.
These challenges include:
- Documentation of human rights violations.
- Support for prisoners of war and their families.
- Assistance to families of missing persons.
- Protection of vulnerable and displaced people.
- Promotion of equality and nondiscrimination.
- Preservation of historical and cultural memory.
- Advocacy for accountable and democratic institutions.
- Organizational sustainability during wartime.
By combining human rights education with institutional development, the Hub helps organizations become more resilient and effective.
Mission and Purpose
The Kyiv Human Rights Hub’s mission is to develop civil society institutions that expand freedom, affirm human dignity and strengthen human rights, democracy and solidarity in Ukraine.
Its wider purpose is to create conditions for effective cooperation between different sectors and increase civil society’s influence on Ukraine’s social and political agenda.
The Hub focuses on:
- Supporting human rights organizations.
- Strengthening organizational capacity.
- Providing human rights education.
- Developing advocacy skills.
- Improving governance and operational planning.
- Supporting fundraising and donor relations.
- Strengthening monitoring and evaluation.
- Improving communications and public outreach.
- Encouraging partnerships and networking.
- Providing small grants for civil society projects.
- Developing regional human rights networks.
The Hub’s values include:
- Freedom and human rights.
- Rule of law.
- Respect for human dignity.
- Solidarity.
- Openness.
- Nondiscrimination.
- Political impartiality.
- Democracy.
- Nonviolence with the right to self-defence.
- Justice.
Governance and Structure
The Kyiv Human Rights Hub’s public website does not provide details about a separate board of directors or a complete formal governance structure.
Its publicly available information presents the Hub as a collaborative platform working closely with the Center for Civil Liberties. The website’s copyright notice is held by the Center for Civil Liberties, and several activities are described as joint projects.
The Hub uses a programme-based operational structure involving personnel responsible for:
- Organizational development.
- Human rights education.
- Community development.
- Partnership building.
- Communications.
- Small-grants management.
- Finance and accounting.
- Training and mentoring.
- Monitoring and reporting.
The Hub has recruited specialist positions such as a community-development manager, communications personnel, an accountant and a subgrant manager.
The subgrant-management function includes:
- Preparing grant competitions.
- Communicating with applicants.
- Advising grant recipients.
- Monitoring implementation.
- Reviewing narrative and financial reports.
- Supporting compliance with grant conditions.
The Hub’s collaborative governance model involves civil society partners, trainers, programme managers, donors and participating organizations.
Funding and Grants
The Kyiv Human Rights Hub finances its activities through international development support, institutional partnerships and project-based donor funding.
Partners and supporters connected with its programmes include:
- Center for Civil Liberties.
- Norwegian Helsinki Committee.
- Government of Norway.
- Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.
- Civil society and training partners in Ukraine.
Funding supports training, mentoring, networking, small grants, staff, programme management and organizational-development activities.
Capable to Influence Small Grants
The “Capable to Influence” small-grants programme supports Ukrainian civil society organizations working on human rights, civic education, advocacy and institutional development.
The first published competition was part of the project “Ukraine: Strengthening Democracy through Civil Society.”
Its objective was to increase the ability of Ukrainian organizations to undertake human rights activities while strengthening their organizational capacity.
Eligible thematic areas included:
- Promotion of human rights.
- Equal rights and prevention of discrimination.
- Strengthening the capacity of human rights organizations.
- Development of regional human rights networks.
- Regional civic education.
- Advocacy related to regional and national human rights priorities.
The first competition accepted projects implemented in territories controlled by the Government of Ukraine.
Grant Amounts and Duration
For the 2025 competition, the available funding was:
- Minimum grant: NOK 70,000.
- Maximum grant: NOK 115,000.
Projects could run for six to 12 months.
Administrative expenses were limited to no more than seven per cent of the total grant.
Funding levels, eligibility requirements and project durations may change in future rounds. Applicants should consult the relevant announcement before applying.
Eligible Applicants
The first small-grants competition was open to Ukrainian civil society organizations, including:
- Charitable organizations.
- Public associations.
Applicants were required to:
- Be registered as legal entities in Ukraine.
- Be included in the register of nonprofit institutions and organizations.
- Submit activities aligned with an eligible thematic priority.
- Demonstrate the capacity to implement and report on the proposed project.
Applications included a project proposal, budget and supporting organizational documents.
Major Programs and Initiatives
Capable to Act Organizational Development and Human Rights School
The “Capable to Act” programme combines human rights education with practical organizational-development training.
It is intended for leaders, managers and staff responsible for organizational development, internal processes, programmes, projects or partnerships.
Training modules cover:
- Fundamental human rights principles.
- Organizational governance.
- Operational planning.
- Fundraising and donor relations.
- Diversification of income sources.
- Monitoring and evaluation.
- Advocacy.
- Public relations and communications.
- Organizational resilience.
- Team and process management.
Participants examine how human rights principles apply to their existing activities, including work that may not traditionally be described as human rights advocacy.
The programme has been delivered in online and in-person formats. In 2026, an intensive four-day offline course was organized in the Carpathian region in cooperation with Curly Management Bureau, the Center for Civil Liberties and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, with support from Norway.
Training and Mentoring
The Hub provides practical guidance to help civil society organizations improve their systems and long-term sustainability.
Training and mentoring can cover:
- Strategic and operational planning.
- Organizational-capacity assessment.
- Leadership and governance.
- Team development.
- Human-resource management.
- Fundraising.
- Partnership development.
- Programme design.
- Monitoring and evaluation.
- Advocacy planning.
- Communications.
These activities help organizations move from informal or intuitive management toward predictable and sustainable systems.
Human Rights Education
The Hub works to make human rights principles understandable and applicable to a broad range of civil society organizations.
Human rights education addresses subjects such as:
- Human dignity.
- Equality.
- Nondiscrimination.
- Freedom and democracy.
- Rule of law.
- Rights-based programme design.
- Protection of vulnerable groups.
- Advocacy and civic participation.
The Hub encourages organizations to recognize the human rights dimensions of their existing community and humanitarian work.
Community and Networking
Community development is a central part of the Hub’s work.
The platform brings together civil society representatives to:
- Exchange experience.
- Identify shared challenges.
- Develop partnerships.
- Create regional networks.
- Share resources and expertise.
- Coordinate advocacy.
- Build professional relationships.
Regional networking events have been organized for nongovernmental organizations in locations such as Vinnytsia and Kropyvnytskyi.
Advocacy Support
The Hub helps organizations develop advocacy strategies that connect local experience with regional and national policy debates.
Support can include:
- Identifying advocacy objectives.
- Mapping stakeholders.
- Developing evidence-based messages.
- Engaging public institutions.
- Building advocacy coalitions.
- Communicating human rights concerns.
- Monitoring policy change.
- Presenting civil society recommendations.
Fundraising and Donor Relations
The Hub trains organizations to diversify their funding and communicate effectively with donors and potential partners.
Its fundraising guidance includes:
- Identifying suitable donors.
- Developing partnerships with businesses.
- Preparing funding strategies.
- Explaining organizational impact.
- Connecting budgets with programme objectives.
- Building sustainable income models.
- Avoiding dependence on a single funding source.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Participating organizations learn how to translate activities and achievements into measurable indicators.
Monitoring and evaluation helps organizations:
- Track progress.
- Demonstrate results.
- Improve programme quality.
- Communicate impact to donors.
- Identify lessons.
- Strengthen future project design.
Public Communications and Cultural Activities
The Hub uses public events, exhibitions and visual materials to communicate human rights issues to wider audiences.
In 2026, it co-organized the exhibition “No Translation Needed! Visual Art for Human Rights” at the Protasiv Yar Festival in Kyiv.
The exhibition used posters and visual art to address:
- Human rights during war.
- Equality.
- Accessibility.
- Discrimination.
- Freedom of prisoners and detainees.
- Cultural diplomacy.
- Public advocacy.
The event was organized with the Center for Civil Liberties and Norwegian Helsinki Committee, with support from the Government of Norway.
Impact and Examples of Work Funded
The Hub’s early activities demonstrate significant demand for organizational-development and human rights funding in Ukraine.
The first “Capable to Influence” grants competition received 145 applications from civil society organizations.
Applicants proposed projects addressing:
- Human rights and nondiscrimination.
- Organizational development.
- Regional human rights networks.
- Civic education.
- Regional and national advocacy.
The Hub subsequently selected organizations to receive small grants for projects in these areas.
The second “Capable to Influence” competition received 143 applications in 2026.
Applications were distributed across the programme’s priorities as follows:
- 69 applications for human rights, equality and nondiscrimination.
- 30 applications for regional civic education.
- 28 applications for human rights advocacy.
- 16 applications for organizational capacity and regional networks.
These figures demonstrate strong demand for small grants supporting human rights and civil society development.
The first “Capable to Act” training cohort included 24 representatives of civil society organizations and initiatives.
Participants represented organizations working on issues such as:
- Searching for and securing the release of prisoners of war.
- Supporting families of missing persons.
- Documenting stories of people killed during the war.
- Developing a culture of remembrance.
- Protecting cultural heritage.
- Delivering community education.
- Supporting vulnerable populations.
Organizations completing the course have reported gaining practical tools, peer connections and improved approaches to internal management.
The Hub has also contributed to the development of organizations such as the inclusive bakery Good Bread From Good People, whose representatives participated in its educational programme.
Conclusion
The Kyiv Human Rights Hub is an emerging platform for strengthening human rights organizations and civil society institutions in Ukraine.
Through small grants, organizational-development training, mentoring, networking and public education, the Hub helps organizations become more resilient, effective and influential.
Its programmes address both immediate human rights challenges arising from the war and the long-term need for strong democratic institutions, accountable governance and active civil society.
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