The public organization “Agency for Private Initiative Development” (ARPI) is conducting a competitive selection of territorial communities for further participation in the project “Revealing the potential of heritage for the economic development of small communities”.

The project is implemented by ARPI within the framework of the HOVERLA USAID Project (Enhancing Local Self-Government Work and Accountability Efficiency). The project “Revealing the potential of heritage for the economic development of small communities ” aims to increase the economic sustainability of target communities by rapidly assessing the economic potential of their heritage, developing the capacity of local authorities to assess, manage and use existing heritage, and developing effective local development programs aimed at using the potential of local heritage. The project’s objective is to provide selected partner communities of the Project HOVERLA with effective local economic development tools and increase their capacity to manage and use their cultural and natural heritage for local development purposes.

Based on the results of the competitive selection, 12 target communities will be identified, for which an express assessment of the economic potential of cultural and natural heritage will be carried out, followed by the preparation of an analytical report and targeted recommendations for each community. In addition, trainings will be organized for representatives of target communities that will increase their ability to generate and implement local development projects based on local heritage. Also, within the framework of the project, plans (local target programs) for the interpretation of cultural and natural heritage with practical recommendations for the development of tourism products will be developed for three selected communities.

Rural and settlement territorial communities of Lviv, Volyn, Poltava, Zhytomyr, Odessa, Zakarpattia and Rivne regions are invited to participate in the competitive selection in the person of the relevant councils that are partners of the HOVERLA Project and have on their territories:

· objects of tangible cultural heritage (architectural, archaeological, historical, etc.);

· and/or objects of intangible cultural heritage (personalities, culture of work and crafts, traditions, legends, folklore, holidays, etc.);

· and/or objects of natural heritage (natural monuments, objects of the protected fund, other natural objects).

To participate in the competitive selection, the relevant village and settlement councils submit an application by filling out the online form at the link https://forms.gle/bvs2i7ejJKpru2xeA.

When submitting an application, participants add (upload):

· a motivation letter, which in particular demonstrates consent to participate in the project, as well as the participant's motives and expectations related to such participation;

· texts of current community development strategies/programs and/or target community programs/strategies in the field of culture and tourism or links to such texts on the Internet (if available);

· a current community passport or a link to such a passport on the Internet (if available).

The deadline for submitting applications is February 20, 2024.

ARPI will provide participants with individual consultations on the preparation and submission of applications, if necessary. For such consultations, please contact the email address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or the ARPI Facebook page

According to the results of the competitive selection, the 12 territorial communities that scored the highest number of points will be invited to participate in the project “Identifying opportunities for using heritage for the economic development of small communities”. The results of the competitive selection will be published on the ARPI and HOVERLA Project websites no later than March 15, 2024.

This publication were developed by NGO Agency for Private Initiative Development within the project Revealing the potential of heritage for the economic development of small communities and were made possible by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the generous support of the American people through USAID HOVERLA Activity. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

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