Performance report 2024

This year, we implemented 19 projects in cooperation with ALIPH foundation, Cultural Emergency Response, UNESCO, and the Foundation for Resilience of Ukraine and raised more than $800 for the preservation and development of cultural heritage in Ukraine.The second phase of the joint project with UNESCO took place, and a number of activities were implemented to provide emergency assistance to cultural institutions in Odesa and preserve the cultural heritage that has suffered as a result of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine: 

• Installed 186 Blue Shield signs in the historic center of the city and in the region.

• Assisted in the digitalization of more than 2000 items from the collection of the Odesa National Art Museum.

• In cooperation with the city council, we updated 5 protective structures that were installed on the monuments in 2022 and already required additional maintenance.

• Organized photographic documentation of 6000 exhibits of the Odesa Archaeological Museum of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

In 2024, the NGO “Museum for Change” joined the “Heritage. Space for work” program, focusing on mentoring and expert support for pilot projects, in particular the exhibition Museum History at the Odesa National Fine Arts  Museum. The organization provided curatorial support, assisted in developing the exhibition concept, design, textual and visual content, and coordinated collaboration between the museum team and external contractors. In addition, Museum for Change contributed to the implementation of the public program and offered consultations on financial management, communications, documentation, and strategic planning. The shift from emergency support to institutional capacity building marked an important stage in expanding the organization’s activities and strengthening partnerships with cultural institutions. Summary of CER projects in the city and region.

Supporting Odesa’s Museums in Cooperation with Cultural Emergency Response
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During the first six months of project implementation, the Museum for Change team, in partnership with Cultural Emergency Response, provided support to 13 cultural institutions across the Odesa region. As part of the project, equipment and services were procured in several key categories:
technical equipment, packaging materials, fire safety measures, specialized storage cabinets for collections, as well as tools and services for digitizing museum objects. Additionally, budget savings made it possible to supply museums with charging stations, which are particularly vital during frequent power outages, and to extend assistance to one more museum that was not initially included among the beneficiaries.The Odesa region is a multicultural area with a rich and diverse cultural heritage preserved in its local museums. Many of these institutions are relatively small, yet they play a crucial role in safeguarding cultural memory, fostering community pride, and providing access to the history of the region. For a long time, this area has remained on the margins of major aid programs, which makes the support delivered through this project especially significant.The provided equipment and services have enabled institutions to substantially improve collection storage conditions, launch or advance digitization efforts, enhance safety standards, and maintain stability of operations even in times of crisis. As a result, museums have strengthened their capacity to preserve Odesa’s unique heritage, become more resilient, and prepare to actively contribute to the region’s post-war recovery.Institutions supported through the project:

• Chornomorsk museum of art
• Izmail Local history museum
• Emilia Evdokimova Regional Center for Aesthetic Education
• Belgorod-Dniester Museum of Local Lore
• Izmail Military History Museum Complex
• Artsyz historical and local history museum
• Balta historical Museum
• Folk history and local lore museum of Zakharivka village council
• Kodyma historical and local history museum
• Historical and local history museum of Ovidiopol village council
• Tatarbunary Museum of History and Local Lore
• Shabiv local history museum
• Historical and local history museum of the village of Horodnye

With the support of the Aliph Foundation, storage conditions for evacuated collections were improved in five institutions.Additionally, with the support of the Aliph Foundation, a pilot project was implemented to systematically improve the preservation conditions of evacuated collections in institutions from one of Ukraine’s regions.

We also assisted more than 10  museums from various regions of Ukraine in preparing for the potential evacuation of their collections.