PORA Launches New Grant Program for Sustainable Arctic Development

The Project Office for Arctic Development (PORA) is launching a new grant program designed to support initiatives aimed at the sustainable development of regions within the Russian Arctic Zone. Grants of up to 200,000 rubles will be awarded for the implementation of socially significant projects in the fields of education, science, healthcare, culture, arts, social assistance (support), physical culture and sports (excluding professional sports), as well as environmental protection.

To date, PORA has awarded over 440 grants totaling approximately 23 million rubles; more than 400 projects have been implemented by grantees, with others at various stages of realization.

The grant competition will be held twice a year:

Citizens of the Russian Federation aged 18 and over permanently residing in the country, foreigners with a residence permit in Russia, as well as Russian legal entities engaged in scientific, scientific-technical, or educational activities are invited to participate in the competition. An applicant may submit only one application per competition period.

Winners of the first round will begin project implementation on May 11, and winners of the second round on October 1. All projects must be completed and reports submitted by December 31 of the current year.

Funding will be provided for the following areas:

Selection Procedure and Funding

All applications meeting the formal requirements undergo independent expert review. From April 2 to 16 and from August 16 to 31, the expert commission will evaluate projects based on several criteria, including relevance, social significance, feasibility, budget justification, and team competence. Competition winners will enter into an agreement with the PORA Expert Center for the targeted and gratuitous provision of the grant. The grantee undertakes to use the funds strictly for their intended purpose and to provide detailed reports. In some cases, funding may be offered in a smaller amount than requested for the partial implementation of a project.