15 cultural institutions presented projects for partnership with business

In July, 15 teams of managers of museums, reserves, cultural centers and art institutions presented to potential partners the projects they had been working on for three months in Kyiv. The final pitching concluded the educational program “Leadership and Partnership Building for Cultural Institutions” from KSE Graduate Business School. The program was created at the initiative of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the Recovery Support Office in partnership with UNESCO, MHP, FUIB, KSE Foundation and KSE Graduate Business School.

The program was attended by 30 participants from cultural institutions in different regions of Ukraine. Over three months, the teams completed 10 modules and over 50 hours of mentoring. They formulated the value of their projects, calculated budgets, identified risks and expected results, considered the role of a partner, and prepared for negotiations with business, donors, and patrons.

The training modules covered business logic, strategic management, reputational risks, negotiations, finance, KPIs, teamwork, communications, and scaling. The teams were worked on by Natalia Yemchenko, Katya Taylor, Yulia Hnat, Olga Sagaydak, Anastasia Obraztsova, Mykhailo Vidyakin, Tetyana Hrygurko, Olena Galushko, Volodymyr Polishchuk, and other experts.

“Partnership between culture and business opens up new opportunities for the development of the country. When cultural institutions are able to professionally present their projects, they have a better chance of attracting resources, implementing ambitious ideas, and creating long-term value for people and communities. This program helps to form these skills,” said Tetyana Berezhna, Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy of Ukraine - Minister of Culture of Ukraine.

At the final, 15 teams presented the project’s goal, implementation plan, budget, expected result, and format of cooperation with a partner. After each presentation, they answered questions and discussed with potential partners what is needed to launch the project.

Among the projects are a mobile laboratory for diagnostics of museum collections in the regions, the UA Digital Concert Hall for recording and distributing Ukrainian academic music, the completion of the restoration of the Onufriyiv ​​Tower of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and the creation of the Ivan Mazepa Museum, the digital preservation of the Shevchenko Memorial on Tarasova Gora, an ecosystem for the development of the Yavoriv toy, as well as new museum and public spaces in Lviv, Odessa, Kyiv, and Lanivtsi.

The final discussion was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy of Ukraine - Minister of Culture of Ukraine Tetyana Berezhna, Director of Communications of SCM Nataliya Yemchenko, Director of the Department of Corporate Social Responsibility of MHP Pavlo Moroz, Head of the Culture Department of the UNESCO Representation in Ukraine Maria Achetozo, Executive Director of the KSE Foundation Svitlana Denysenko, and Head of the KSE Graduate Business School Valentyna Sakhno.

The program "Leadership and Partnership Building for Cultural Institutions" was created at the initiative of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the Recovery Support Office in partnership with UNESCO, MHP, FUIB, KSE Foundation and KSE Graduate Business School. The next step for the teams will be to work with potential partners and find resources to implement the submitted projects.