Returning to strategic leadership—Open Society

With support from WHLF, the Institute of Local Democracy "Open Society" strengthened its institutional capacity, updated its strategic direction, and expanded partnerships with women-led organisations across Vinnytsia region. The project enabled the organisation to move beyond emergency-response activities and return to its role as an expert organisation advancing gender equality, women's leadership, and inclusive local governance.

According to the Institute of Local Democracy "Open Society": "After the full-scale invasion, like many organisations, we shifted much of our attention to responding to urgent humanitarian needs. WHLF gave us the opportunity to strengthen our institutional foundations and return to a more strategic role as an expert organisation working on gender equality and public policy.

“Through the project, we updated our Strategic Plan for 2025–2029, developed and approved seven key organisational policies and procedures, strengthened our fundraising and strategic planning capacities, and launched a new website to improve transparency and communication with partners and communities. These policies—including safeguarding, anti-corruption, procurement, PSEA, conflict of interest, partnership, and ethics policies—helped formalise internal processes, strengthen accountability, and create a safer and more predictable organisational environment.

“The project also allowed us to invest beyond our own organisation. We involved representatives of newly established civil society organisations in trainings on governance, policy development, and organisational management, helping them build stronger foundations for their own growth. Through networking events and the creation of the Equal Partnership Platform, we brought together women’s organisations from Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, and Zhytomyr regions to exchange knowledge, strengthen cooperation, and develop a shared vision for collective action.

“Today, we are contributing to the development of action plans under UN Security Council Resolution 1325, supporting the implementation of the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life, and helping prepare a new generation of gender experts. WHLF helped us move from managing individual activities to creating the conditions for long-term, systemic change."