Creative Business Survival Kit: expertise and funding

Sector: Culture and creative industries
Type: Programme
Location: Online
Deadline: Finished
Organiser: House of Europe

Creative Business Survival Kit is emergency support for your creative enterprise. 

In two months of weekly personal consultations with leading experts, you will realise how to advance your business even during the war. Our consultants will advise you on updating your business model, internationalisation, overcoming the challenges in the Ukrainian market and other issues. 

On top of that, you will get EUR 1,000 to fund the changes: translate your website into foreign languages or launch online marketing. You can also rent a space for relocation, pay salaries, or purchase equipment.

Apply to keep going!

What do I get?
  • The realisation of how to overcome challenges and advance your business even in times of war.
  • Five two-hour consultations with experienced Ukrainian business experts: Anna Petrova, Volodymyr Vorobey, Inna Shynkarenko, Kostiantyn Vorobiov, Olena Kobylianska, Oleksandr Romanishyn. You can choose the expert yourself. Please find more info on our experts.
  • Two one-hour consultations with the Estonian expert. Our partners from Creative Estonia will find a consultant to perfectly meet your request. 
  • EUR 1,000 to adapt your creative business to the new reality.
  • Membership in our alumni community — new contacts with the most proactive Ukrainian, EU and UK cultural actors, networking online meet-ups, and even more grants.
Can I apply?

Creative Business Survival Kit will be beneficial for owners and managers of creative businesses who have the capacity to introduce changes.

Apply, if your business: 

  • Was bringing revenue before the full-scale invasion and continues to work now
  • Is registered in Ukraine
  • Is an active legal entity: private entrepreneur, privately held company, LLC, etc.
  • Commercial: NGOs and charitable foundations cannot apply
  • Is run by you solely or has a team
Which spheres make up the creative industries?
Your business can be related to advertising, marketing, architecture, crafts, creative hubs, digital media, video gaming, fashion, film, TV, radio, museums, galleries, libraries, music, the performing arts, publishing, literature, the visual arts, photography, entertainment, product, and graphic or interior design.
What do I need to apply?
  • Completed application: elaborate on your business, the problems you faced due to war and your ideas on how they can be solved. Do not forget to share your plans for the stipend. 
  • Extracts from the Unified State Registry of Enterprises and Organisations and Taxpayers Register
  • A bank document with the banking details of your business in Ukrainian Hryvnia
How do I apply?

Apply with a short form via our online platform. The application will take up to 30 minutes. Please find the questions in the application form example.

Please log in, click the “Start entry” button, choose the chapter “Creative businesses” and open call “Creative Business Survival Kit 2/2023”. 

We receive more quality applications than we can finance. We select the participants based on the situation of their business and how effectively will they spend the stipend.

Good to know
  • The consultations will start in February and last till April. 
  • From 24 December 2022 to 8 January 2023 House of Europe is on vacation. We will answer all your questions after 8 January.
  • You will have to provide two short reports. Please share your feedback on consultations within a week after the end of the mentorship programme. In two months after receiving the stipend, spend the money on advancing your business and send us up to 300 words on how the money was used.
  • The payment of the stipend will be made in UAH according to our internal exchange rate on the day of the transfer. Our rate is UAH 3-5 lower than the market one.
  • Keep in mind that you may need to deduct taxes. The sum to spend on your business might be a bit lower than EUR 1,000.
  • You can be supported under Creative Business Survival Kit only once. If your application was unsucessfull, feel free to apply again.
  • Directly or indirectly funding entities or people listed in EU restrictive measures, as well as benefiting Belarusian or Russian public authorities is prohibited.

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