Technical assistance for the Support for the Institutional Reform of Cultural Institutions

The Technical Assistance (TA) will support the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and selected cultural institutions in advancing reforms to strengthen financial autonomy, improve governance, and enable diversified and sustainable financing, in line with the Strategy for the Development of Culture in Ukraine until 2030 and the Ukraine Facility Plan. The TA will apply an integrated approach combining analytical work, policy and regulatory support, institutional capacity strengthening, and the testing of adaptable organizational and financing models to ensure coherence between reform design and implementation.

The TA will establish a validated analytical baseline through a structured assessment of legal, financial, governance, and operational constraints affecting cultural institutions, leading to the prioritization of reform needs. Based on this evidence, it will support the preparation of feasible and legally compliant policy, regulatory, and legislative solutions, including technical assistance during drafting and stakeholder consultation processes.

In parallel, the TA will strengthen the managerial, financial, and operational capacities of selected cultural institutions, supporting the translation of policy reforms into improved institutional practice. Pilot initiatives will generate practical evidence on organizational and financing models that enhance institutional flexibility and financial resilience, with lessons learned informing policy refinement and sector-wide reform.

The mission will be implemented by a multidisciplinary team of international and national experts in cultural policy, public law, cultural financing, and institutional development. Under the Senior cultural policy expert leadership, the team will ensure analytical coherence, effective coordination with the Ministry of Culture, and the delivery of feasible, compliant, and sustainable reform outcomes.

Objectives of the technical assistance mission

General objective of the mission

General objective: Strengthen the financial autonomy of cultural institutions, through regulatory and legislative adaptation, and capacity-building of key cultural institutions.

This objective will directly support the modernization of Ukraine's cultural sector, promote diversified and sustainable financing, and advance the implementation of the Strategy for the Development of Culture in Ukraine until 2030 under the Ukraine Facility Plan.

Specific objectives of the mission

·         Specific objective 1 (SO1): Evidence-Based problem mapping.

To systematically identify, analyze, and document structural, legal, financial, and managerial challenges faced by cultural institutions in achieving financial autonomy and diversified revenue generation.

·         Specific objective 2 (SO2): Policy & regulatory reform.

To develop and support the adoption of regulatory and legislative solutions addressing identified barriers to institutional autonomy, in line with the Strategy for the Development of Culture in Ukraine until 2030 and the Ukraine Facility Plan.

·        Specific objective 3 (SO3): Institutional capacity strengthening.

To enhance the managerial, financial, and operational capacities of selected cultural institutions to lawfully design, implement, and sustain revenue-generating activities.

·        Specific objective 4 (SO4): Model development and testing.

To develop, adapt, and pilot organisational, legal, and financing models that enable cultural institutions to operate with greater flexibility and financial resilience.

·        Specific Objective 5 (SO5): Stakeholder alignment and reform validation.

To ensure that proposed reforms and institutional models are validated through structured consultations with public authorities and cultural institutions.

Expected deliverables

Timetable logic:

·        Months 1-2 – March-April 2026: Evidence base established rapidly but rigorously

·        Months 3-5 – May-June-July 2026: Policy and regulatory solutions developed and validated

·        Months 6-8 – August-September-October 2026: Pilots implemented with focused technical assistance

·        Month 9 – November 2026: Results validated, consolidated, and transferred

Expected results

The TA will place particular emphasis on skills transfer, institutional learning, and documentation of processes and tools, ensuring that the results of the action are sustainable beyond its duration and can be replicated or scaled within the cultural sector.

At the end of the mission:

Specific objective 1 (SO1): Evidence-Based problem mapping.

Results under SO1:

·     Result 1.1 – Comprehensive mapping of institutional challenges: a structured, evidence-based mapping of legal, financial, governance, and operational constraints affecting cultural institutions is produced and validated.

·    Result 1.2 – Analytical baseline for reform: a consolidated analytical baseline is established, linking identified challenges to institutional performance, financial sustainability, and governance limitations.

·       Result 1.3 – Prioritisation of reform needs: priority reform areas and capacity gaps are identified and ranked based on impact, feasibility, and alignment with national reform objectives.

Specific objective 2 (SO2): Policy & regulatory reform.

Results under SO2:

·       Result 2.1 – Reform-oriented policy options developed: policy options addressing legal and regulatory barriers to financial autonomy and revenue diversification are developed, documented, and presented to relevant authorities.

·        Result 2.2 – Draft regulatory and legislative instruments prepared: concrete draft amendments to laws, by-laws, and regulatory acts enabling greater financial autonomy of cultural institutions are prepared and technically justified.

·        Result 2.3 – Alignment with national reform frameworks ensured: proposed regulatory and policy changes are aligned with the Strategy for the Development of Culture in Ukraine until 2030, the Ukraine Facility Plan, and ongoing public administration reforms.

Specific objective 3 (SO3): Institutional capacity strengthening.

Results under SO3:

·        Result 3.1 – Institutional capacity gaps identified: capacity gaps in governance, financial management, business planning, and compliance are identified for pilot cultural institutions.

·       Result 3.2 – Capacity development roadmaps established: tailored capacity-strengthening roadmaps are developed for each pilot institution, outlining short-, medium-, and long-term actions.

·       Result 3.3 – Improved readiness for revenue generation: pilot institutions demonstrate increased readiness to initiate and manage revenue-generating activities within existing legal and governance frameworks.

Specific objective 4 (SO4): Model development and testing

Results under SO4:

·        Result 4.1 – Viable organisational and financing models identified: a set of organisational-legal and financing models suitable for the Ukrainian cultural sector is identified and documented.

·        Result 4.2 – Pilot projects implemented: up to five pilot cultural institutions test adapted revenue-generating and operational models with targeted technical assistance.

·        Result 4.3 – Lessons learned from piloting documented: evidence on the effectiveness, risks, and scalability of piloted models is collected, analysed, and documented.

Specific Objective 5 (SO5): Stakeholder alignment and reform validation.

Results under SO5:

·       Result 5.1 – Stakeholder consultations conducted: targeted consultations with the Ministry of Culture, cultural institutions, and other stakeholders are conducted to validate findings and proposals.

·      Result 5.2 – Institutional ownership strengthened: key stakeholders demonstrate increased understanding and ownership of proposed regulatory and institutional reforms.

·          Result 5.3 – Feasibility and compliance ensured: final reform proposals and institutional models reflect legal feasibility, administrative capacity, and institutional realities.

Expected deliverables from Senior cultural policy expert:

In line with SO1 (evidence-based problem mapping), SO2 (policy & regulatory reform), and SO5 (stakeholder alignment and validation), the Senior Cultural Policy Expert is expected to deliver:

1. Inception & Analytical framework note
2. Consolidated analytical synthesis report
3. Policy & Reform concept paper
4. Coordinated reform packaging
5. Stakeholder consultation & Validation report
6. Final Strategic Report

Coordination

The team of experts will work under the supervision of the Senior cultural policy expert, in close coordination with the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and other relevant national stakeholders. They will collaborate closely with international and national experts across policy, legal, financial, and institutional development areas to ensure methodological coherence and consistency of outputs. The team will also liaise with pilot institutions and other technical partners to ensure that analytical work, regulatory proposals, capacity-building activities, and pilot interventions are fully aligned and mutually reinforcing, guaranteeing the overall coherence and effectiveness of the TA mission.

 The team is expected to include a combination of international and national experts, potentially including: an International expert on cultural financial management and Institutional Models; a National policy and legal expert; and Institutional development/Capacity-building experts. This composition ensures complementary expertise in cultural policy, public finance, regulatory reform, governance, and organizational transformation.