Cultural and business cooperation: the launch of a new educational program for cultural institutions in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, UNESCO, FUIB, MHP and KSE Graduate Business School

A public presentation of the educational program on fundraising and cultural partnerships for cultural institutions was held at the KSE Dragon Capital Building in Kyiv on February 17, 2026. The event marked the official launch of the initiative, implemented by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine in cooperation with the Recovery Support Office under the Ministry, UNESCO, FUIB, MHP, and KSE Graduate Business School, with the participation of business partners and representatives of the cultural sector.

The discussion between representatives of the Ministry of Culture, UNESCO, and the business community created a platform for substantive dialogue among cultural institutions, businesses, and donors on new models of cooperation — ranging from one-time grants to long-term partnerships that ensure the sustainability of cultural institutions and generate measurable social impact.

Event and program objectives

The presentation marked the official launch of an educational program designed to enhance the managerial capacity of cultural institutions and provide them with practical instruments for sustainable engagement with businesses, donors, and investors.

The program will help cultural institutions:

• to form clear value propositions for business and partners;
• to develop partnership and sponsorship models of cooperation;
• to create projects ready for investment and scaling;
• to move to systematic and long-term cooperation with business and donors.

The educational partner of the program is KSE Graduate Business School, which is responsible for developing the curriculum and supporting participating teams.

Key discussion: a new model of interaction between culture and business

The event focused on a panel discussion on the role of partnerships between cultural institutions and business in the development of Ukraine's cultural ecosystem. Participants from the Ministry of Culture, UNESCO, System Capital Management, MHP, and the Coalition of Cultural Actors discussed:

• how the role of business in supporting culture is changing;
• what expectations and motivations do business and cultural institutions have;
• how to create partnerships based on mutual value and long-term impact;
• what management approaches are needed for cultural institutions to work with business.

Special attention was paid to a practical case of cooperation between culture and business - the experience of the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater, which was presented by Yevhen Nyshchuk, its general director and artistic director of the theater.

“The institution of patronage in Ukraine is a tradition with a thousand-year history. It was thanks to patrons that key cultural and educational centers developed: St. Sophia of Kyiv, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, National Museum in Lviv. Private initiative, responsibility of elites and support for culture were a natural part of the social contract. The Soviet system tried to destroy this tradition by subordinating culture to a state monopoly. Today we are restoring it - already on a modern legal basis, in the format of transparent and predictable partnership.” — Tetyana Berezhna, Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy of Ukraine - Minister of Culture of Ukraine

“For MHP, supporting culture is an investment in the country’s stability and its future. Over the four years of full-scale war, the company has invested over UAH 130 million in the preservation and development of Ukrainian culture. That is why we joined the creation of this educational program, because we are convinced that culture requires not only funding, but also modern management decisions based on an understanding of its fundamental role in preserving Ukrainian statehood. This program is a joint initiative of socially responsible business and the state, aimed at forming values ​​and guidelines for the rapid recovery and development of Ukraine.” - Pavlo Moroz, Director of the Corporate Social Responsibility Department of MHP.

"Culture is not a luxury in the recovery process, but an infrastructure of resilience, identity and economic renewal. Recovery must be integrated with culture, not carried out in parallel with it, because investments in culture are not symbolic costs, but a development policy with a high return. The fastest recovery in the world occurs in those regions where culture was considered a driving force for development, not a secondary element. That is why UNESCO supports the creation of the educational program "Leadership and Partnership Building for Cultural Institutions", which will contribute to the formation of new effective formats of cooperation between public and private institutions."— Chiara Deci Bardeschi, Head of the UNESCO Office in Ukraine.

For the first time in Ukraine, we are launching a large-scale educational program that systematically teaches cultural institutions to work with business — and at the same time helps business better understand and respect the specifics of the cultural environment.
We want institutions to come with different ideas — ambitious, bold, sometimes not yet fully formed. Thanks to the program, these ideas will acquire a clear logic, management structure and turn into real projects in which business is ready to invest— Anton Lyagusha, Academic Director of the educational program "Leadership and Partnership Building for Cultural Institutions" at KSE Graduate Business School.

There is a famous phrase by Peter Drucker - culture eats strategy for breakfast. Strategy is about business logic, plans and goals. Culture is about the inner core, the value system and what determines our decisions in the long term. Investing in culture is an investment in values. And culture, in turn, forms the meanings that determine the direction of society's development. It is often believed that strategy and culture are inevitably in conflict. Our task is to bring them together at the same table within the framework of the educational program "Leadership and Partnership Building for Cultural Institutions". It is at the intersection of managerial logic and cultural meanings that new, respectful and sustainable models of cooperation are born. — Mykhailo Kolisnyk, Academic Director of the educational program “Leadership and Partnership Building for Cultural Institutions”, Professor of Finance, KSE Graduate Business School.

Due to the absence of a state in the past that systematically cared for culture, a strong tradition of patronage was formed in Ukraine early on. A significant part of cultural institutions emerged thanks to the support of such figures as Yevhen Chykalenko, Alchevski, and Tereshchenko. In fact, Ukrainian culture has largely developed on private funds - including during the times of Independence. At the same time, there are still few systematic modern cases of business and culture partnership, so business is careful in choosing who and how to cooperate. Therefore, the idea of ​​creating this program was born in my mind from the need to bring business and culture together at the same table - to discuss expectations, limits of responsibility, and principles of mutually beneficial and long-term partnership. — Natalia Yemchenko, Communications Director, System Capital Management

The role of the educational program in the development of the cultural sector

The educational program is designed to create a new model of interaction between cultural institutions and business, based on partnership, professional management, and mutual value.

Program participants will gain practical skills in the following areas:

• working with business and donors;
• forming partnership proposals;
• preparing presentations and negotiations;
• project management, creating transparent reporting for business;
• building sustainable models of cultural institutions.

Registration for the educational program opens

Registration for the educational program "Leadership and Partnership Building for Cultural Institutions" opens on February 19, 2026 at 6:00 PM. You can apply on the official program page:https://mba.kse.ua/heritage-rising

The selection will be conducted on a competitive basis in a team format — 2–3 representatives from one institution. The number of places is limited — 13 teams will participate in the program.

Anyone interested can view the list of documents required for submitting an application at the link.

The organizers emphasize that the competitive selection process is an integral part of the program’s value. Teams will be selected based on their demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, a realistic and scalable idea, and readiness to implement change. For more information about the selection process, please refer to the “Frequently Asked Questions” section on the educational program’s website.

 Information

The program “Leadership and Partnership Building for Cultural Institutions” is implemented at the initiative of the Office of Restoration under the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, in partnership with UNESCO, FUIB, MHP, and KSE Graduate Business School.