Ukraine

American Center for International Labor Solidarity
$396,000
To continue to improve the capacity of the free trade union movement to bring Ukrainian laws into compliance with international labor standards. ACILS will work with the Confederation of Free Trade Unions of Ukraine (CFTUU) trade union trainers to enable them to reach more members, and will help improve workers' rights by facilitating dialogue between trade union leaders and local government officials. ACILS will also work with the CFTUU Women's Committee to more effectively advocate for women's rights on the local government level.

Association Spilniy Prostir (SP)
$50,000*
To monitor Ukrainian television, print, and internet media, as well as sources based in Russia, looking for biased or manipulative journalism. SP will analyze how events in Ukraine are portrayed in the Russian press and produce a series of bulletins to inform the public of heavily biased newspapers, television channels and internet sites.

Association Spilniy Prostir (SP)
$50,000
To collect basic data on the number of local and regional media outlets across Ukraine. SP will collect information on the outlets, including their distribution and level of activity, their degree of dependence of subsidies, and the professionalism and independence of their editorial policies. This information will be analyzed to make recommendations on reforming the communal media sector, and will be made publicly available.

Association Spilniy Prostir (SP)
$50,000
To conduct monitoring of Russian-language media coverage of Ukraine. Working in cooperation with Slovak media watchdog MEMO-98, SP will invite six Russian media experts to Kyiv for training on broadcast monitoring. The Russians will monitor the media in Moscow in cooperation with experts in Ukraine, and the results of their monitoring will be compiled into a book.

Center for International Private Enterprise
$72,078
To organize a conference for think tank representatives from the Balkans and former Soviet Union and key policymakers who are committed reformers. CIPE will work with the Tbilisi-based New Economic School of Georgia and a number of other U.S. and international donors to organize a three-day conference entitled "Freedom, Commerce, and Peace A Regional Agenda." The goal of the conference is to strengthen the capacity of pro-reform organizations to advocate for true democratic and economic values.

Center for International Private Enterprise
$207,361
To educate major Ukrainian political parties on economic reform in five target regions. Under the project, CIPE and the Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (UCIPR) will survey two political parties to determine their understanding of market economic concepts, and Ukrainian business community priorities. CIPE will develop a training program for political parties in the target regions, while UCIPR will assist them in developing comprehensive economic platforms.

Center for Research on Social Perspectives in the Donbas
$30,000*
To provide ongoing coverage of events in Donetsk oblast before and after the 2006 parliamentary election campaign. The Center hopes to arrange interviews and possibly live internet chat sessions with national political figures and their regional representatives, and will offer notable local journalists and political analysts the opportunity to produce online diaries to allow them to comment quickly on events.

Center of Information and Documentation for Crimean Tatars
$37,000*
To publish six issues of the analytical journal Crimean Studies, which is distributed to a wide variety of official and unofficial bodies. The Center will monitor the Ukrainian press' coverage of Crimean Tatar issues, and will coordinate the activity of an analytical group that will help the Center to develop policy recommendations for, and provide information to, a wide variety of official and non-official institutions in Ukraine and abroad.

Chernihiv Regional Youth NGO "Armada"
$20,000
To monitor elected officials' implementation of campaign promises, research problems faced by average citizens and convey this information to officials, and keep citizens informed of steps taken by the authorities to resolve social issues. Among other activities, Armada will set up a network of monitors around the oblast; hold roundtable discussions, training events, and press conferences; and produce bulletins, detailed reports, and a series of radio announcements.

Civil Society Organization "Initiative"
$20,816*
To organize a summer school for young activists from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, which will consist of a ten-day camp where participants will learn the basics of organizational management and have the opportunity to develop networks and contacts. Initiative will also develop a training course and use the materials from the camp to produce a guidebook, which will be distributed in both print and electronic form.

Democratic Initiatives Foundation (DIF)
$50,000
To bring public opinion to the attention of Ukraine's leaders, while informing the Ukrainian public about policy debates, bringing other NGOs and think tanks into these debates, and developing its own capacity as a think tank. DIF will carry out monthly public-opinion surveys on various issues, and will conduct roundtable discussions on the results for journalists, politicians, NGO leaders, and scholars.

Donetsk Branch of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine (DCVU)
$38,000
To build an informational network among NGOs in Donetsk oblast. DCVU will create an Internet portal and an NGO bulletin, and will hold focus groups and a series of presentations in 12 cities of Donetsk oblast. The project will allow NGOs to exchange information, publicize their projects through media exposure, share perspectives on local problems with officials, and learn about donor activities in Eastern Ukraine.

Europe XXI Foundation
$35,000*
To organize focus groups of young voters in conjunction with Youth Alternative in order to produce four sets of voter-education materials for distribution in five regions of Ukraine. The Europe XXI Foundation will also publish two special editions of its Novyi Vybir (New Choice) newspaper and organize several events for young voters in small towns in the target regions.

Europe XXI Foundation
$69,000
To research and monitor state-civil society interactions in six regions of Ukraine, especially regarding the implementation of the EU-Ukraine Action Plan. Roundtable discussions will help promote a culture of public debate and communication among civil society organizations. Europe XXI will also publish two books on democratic reform for distribution throughout the former Soviet Union.

European Choice Business Club
$20,000
To hold a public education campaign covering membership in bodies such as the EU, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and NATO. European Choice will hold seminars, a roundtable discussion, and a conference for students, journalists, businessmen, and political leaders from Luhansk oblast. The experience of Poland's Lublin County during that country's accession to the WTO, NATO, and the EU will serve as a model.

Freedom House - Ukraine
$50,000*
To conduct a program of human rights monitoring and research, publication, and training for NGO leaders. Freedom House will compile an annual report on human rights in Ukraine, which will be distributed to NGOs and government agencies. It will also conduct a training and internship program for NGO leaders, and will hold several press conferences and other public events on human rights in Ukraine.

Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation
$66,978*
To hold six public hearings for 150 to 200 people each on Ukraine's integration into the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on the basis of its network of regional NGOs. These hearings will bring diplomats and experts together with the general population to discuss Ukraine's integration into the Euro-Atlantic community, and will take place in regions where polls have shown low public support for integration.

Institute of Mass Information (IMI)
$36,000
To continue its program of monitoring violations of press freedoms, analyzing legislative developments that affect journalists and the press, and keeping the public informed of relevant media issues. IMI will continue to investigate instances in which journalists are subjected to pressure or harassment as a result of their professional activities, and will conduct media campaigns to inform the public of each case.

International Republican Institute
$210,000*
To conduct a short-term election observation mission. IRI will send a delegation of 12 teams, each composed of a staff member and a delegate, such as a regional expert or a political leader. IRI's teams will be autonomous, but will work closely with other international observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European Network of Election-Monitoring Organizations.

Kharkiv Center for Women's Studies (KCWS)
$50,000
To build on its experience in training young women leaders in political and advocacy skills. The project will include training sessions on political participation, with a special emphasis on human rights; internships for young women with NGOs and social agencies; the sixth annual Conference of Young Women Leaders; and publication of the winning entries from KCWS' annual essay contest on women's role in society.

Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group (KHPG)
$42,000*
To develop the English and Ukrainian content of its website, publish three monthly bulletins on human rights, and distribute literature on new Ukrainian and European laws. KHPG also plans to continue monitoring Ukrainian laws for potential violations of human rights, as well as to run a seminar for human rights activists and a training session for lawyers on the prevention of torture.

Legal Council "LEGITEAM"
$25,000
To support a program of legal aid in cases where international legal conventions may apply. LEGITEAM will also prepare materials for two alternative reports to international human rights bodies on Ukraine's compliance with the United Nations Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. LEGITEAM will use its research in a training program for judges, human rights activists, and other members of Ukraine's legal community.

Legal Council "LEGITEAM"
$50,000
To continue its program of legal aid, training, research and advocacy. LEGITEAM will offer free legal consultation to the public, and will research and prepare publications on several issues related to the application of international legal mechanisms in Ukraine. LEGITEAM will use its cases and research as components of a training program for judges, human rights activists, and other members of Ukraine's legal community.

Luhansk Regional Organization Public Education and Legal Assistance (PELA)
$39,000*
To train and support novice NGO leaders. Twenty-four groups of 20 NGO leaders will undergo training in basic NGO management and planning, and will receive continued organizational support through PELA's network of resource centers. PELA will monitor the quality of trainees' management skills, as well as their ability to draw citizens into political life and have an impact on political processes in the region.

Luhansk Regional Women's Legal Defense Public Organization "Chaika"
$30,000
To help guarantee citizens' access to information and to promote a greater degree of government responsiveness in Luhansk oblast, Ukraine's easternmost region. Chaika will monitor the activity of the Luhansk city government and five other district seats on a variety of issues of widespread interest. Chaika will conduct activities to encourage citizens and civic groups to take a more active role in monitoring their government.

Public Organization "Telekritika"
$50,000
To continue its program of media analysis. Telekritika will expand and redesign its website, which provides a public forum for discussion of media issues and covers political pressure on the media, the legislative and regulatory environment for media, and issues of journalistic ethics. Telekritika will also continue to publish its journal, Telekritika, which contains original content and reprints of items from the website.

Pylyp Orlyk Institute
$49,732*
To help ensure that the transfer of more authority to sub-national governments serves the interests of Ukrainian citizens. As one component of a multi-year program that will lead to the founding of an independent Center for Local Democracy, the Institute will hold a series of 12 roundtable discussions in cooperation with the Rada and the participation of community leaders and academics.

Regional Informational Center for Women
$25,000
To maintain its 17 Civic Education Network centers in rural Kirovohrad and to continue its program of training and publication to support local NGO networks. Each of the centers in the network will provide access to the Internet and legal information, maintain a contact database of local NGOs, and carry out a variety of educational activities related to recent changes to Ukraine's constitution.

Smoloskyp, Inc.
$62,000*
To organize a series of seminars and roundtables, on a variety of issues related to the general topic "Changes in Ukraine's Political Spectrum Consequences and Perspectives of Ukraine's Democratic Choice." Smoloskyp will also produce several publications and will begin preparations for an encyclopedia of the Ukrainian dissident movement. Finally, Smoloskyp will continue to develop and operate its samizdat archive and museum.

Sumy Regional Committee of Youth Organizations
$24,000
To identify, train, and support youth leaders from Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv oblasts. 150 students and young activists will participate in three four-day seminars addressing leadership skills and other aspects of good NGO governance. The Committee will also publish guidelines and accounts of its training programs in a youth digest and carry out three sociological surveys of youth in the three oblasts.

Total Action
$27,000
To monitor the activity of the city government on a variety of issues of widespread interest. Total Action will use the results of this monitoring in training for Luhansk activists and provide mini-grants in support of five campaigns by regional NGOs. Total Action will undertake a variety of activities to encourage citizens and civic groups to take a more active role in monitoring their government.

Ukrainian Catholic University
$25,000*
To support the Religious Information Service of Ukraine website. The site will post translations and edits of translations, as well as commentary on news stories from other sources; original reporting; analytical texts, commentary, interviews, and features to provide context for the news; announcements and other information about smaller religious communities; and a database of primary source documents on religious communities.

Ukrainian Center for Economic and Political Research
$50,000
To publish five issues of the journal National Security and Defense, one of the most comprehensive and widely read policy journals in Ukraine. The journal, which provides a thorough examination of an issue of particular importance in Ukrainian politics, will examine issues as diverse as church-state relations, urban government, energy policy, and Ukraine's relations with the EU.

Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (UCIPR)
$50,000*
To carry out three special studies on the changes made to the structure of the government after the Orange Revolution. UCIPR's Democracy Advocacy Group will monitor the national legislature for compliance with democratic norms, and will propose various items of legislation to support citizen participation in government. Finally, UCIPR will produce 10 issues of Parliamentary Review and 40 issues of their Research Update bulletin.

Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA)
$50,000
To hold 15 town hall meetings that will bring the major 2006 parliamentary candidates to cities in central and eastern Ukraine, where campaign abuses have been most widely reported. The meetings will stimulate greater debate and interaction between voters and the candidates, who will be able to present their views free of media bias. Voters will also receive copies of UCCA-produced voter-education materials.

Ukrainian Youth Association of Ukraine
$40,000
To conduct a program of research, hold a training of NGO leaders, and support for projects through mini-grants. Research into residents' concerns about local government in eight target cities across Ukraine will be used to train 100 civil society activists. After the training seminars, a mini-grants competition will be held to support one project in each city.

Young Rukh
$50,000*
To address the issue of clean elections for student government by forming a network of student electoral committees. Young Rukh will hold several training seminars for students across Ukraine, and will conclude with a seven-day training session for 50 of the most promising youth activists. During the fall, the student electoral committees formed during the project will monitor elections at their home universities.

Youth Alternative
$94,000
To continue its internship program for university students, "Students for Parliament." This year, Youth Alternative will arrange for 40 students to intern in Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, with a further 80 students interning with local legislatures in 14 cities. As in the past, Youth Alternative will carefully select and place the interns, and organize training sessions and seminars to develop these students' leadership skills.

Youth of Cherkassy Coalition
$30,000
To continue and expand its program for the leaders and activists of youth NGOs. The Coalition will hold training seminars, organize conferences for seminar participants, and distribute a series of publications. The Coalition will also organize a mini-grants program for local NGOs, publish an informational digest covering the activities of youth NGOs, and organize efforts to bring together young journalists in the region.