U.S. - UA Sisters Cities Program: Strengthening Partnerships for Security, Innovation, and Prosperity | PDS UKRAINE FY25 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for PDS UKRAINE FY25 01

The U.S. - UA Sisters Cities Program: Strengthening Partnerships for Security, Innovation, and Prosperity is a U.S. Embassy Kyiv Public Diplomacy Section grant competition intended to help Ukrainian and American communities rebuild and deepen direct city-to-city ties. The program supports efforts to either revive existing sister-city relationships or establish new partnerships between Ukrainian and U.S. municipalities, with a clear emphasis on practical collaboration that can outlast the immediate postwar period. It is framed as part of a broader strategy to strengthen long-term U.S.-Ukraine relations, support Ukraine's recovery and development, and reduce vulnerability to authoritarian influence by building durable people-to-people and institution-to-institution connections.

This opportunity is run by the U.S. Mission to Ukraine under the U.S. Department of State and is offered as a discretionary award using a cooperative agreement. A cooperative agreement typically means the funder expects an active role in shaping or overseeing implementation compared to a standard grant, so applicants should anticipate coordination with the Embassy during the project. The funding activity category is listed as "Other" and the CFDA (assistance listing) number is 19.040, which generally corresponds to public diplomacy and international exchange support.

The program is aligned with the United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund and is designed to promote sustainable partnerships that can help attract or facilitate U.S. investment while expanding bilateral cooperation relevant to Ukraine's postwar reconstruction. In practical terms, that alignment signals that proposals should likely connect local partnerships to tangible recovery needs and economic development opportunities, such as rebuilding local services, modernizing municipal systems, fostering innovation ecosystems, improving community resilience, or creating conditions that make investment and trade ties more feasible. The underlying theme is prosperity and security through local-level collaboration, not just symbolic twinning.

Eligibility is limited to non-profit, non-governmental organizations registered in either Ukraine or the United States. While the opportunity focuses on city-to-city partnerships, the applicants themselves are NGOs/non-profits rather than city governments, implying that civil society organizations are expected to organize, manage, and deliver partnership activities in coordination with relevant local stakeholders. The listing states that the competition is open to Ukrainian and U.S.-registered NGOs, and the eligible applicants category is broadly listed as "Others," but the narrative clearly points to the NGO/non-profit requirement.

Funding is capped at $200,000 for a single award, with the opportunity expecting to make one award in total. That structure suggests a competitive selection where one project is chosen for funding, so proposals will likely need to be well-scoped, credible, and strong on outcomes and sustainability. The opportunity was created on June 16, 2025, and the original application deadline is July 28, 2025. The funding opportunity number is PDS UKRAINE FY25 01, which can be used to locate the full announcement and application instructions in official systems.

Overall, the grant is best understood as a targeted public diplomacy and recovery-oriented partnership initiative: it uses the sister-city model to link Ukrainian and U.S. communities in ways that support reconstruction, innovation, investment-relevant cooperation, and long-term bilateral alignment. The Embassy is looking for projects that translate municipal and community relationships into practical collaboration with lasting benefits for Ukraine's recovery and for sustained U.S.-Ukraine engagement.

• The U.S. Mission to Ukraine in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. - UA Sisters Cities Program: Strengthening Partnerships for Security, Innovation, and Prosperity" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-06-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-07-28. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for PDS UKRAINE FY25 01

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