SAFE Program
SAFE supports the urgent needs and adaptive strategies of museums in Ukraine during wartime. Launched by The Ukrainian Museum following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the program connects professionals in North America with colleagues in Ukraine to support the stabilization of institutions, collections, and heritage sites, as well as the reinvention of museum practice and recovery strategies.
Expanding the Museum’s commitment to preserving Ukraine’s cultural heritage, SAFE responds to the need for critical engagement with Russian and Soviet colonial legacies and supports reparative approaches across international cultural institutions.
SAFE prioritizes:
- first-aid mobile teams of cultural workers in Ukraine, providing resources for stabilization, emergency transfers, conservation planning, and early recovery
- emergency financial support for museum workers in high-risk areas
- legal advocacy for the recovery of stolen artifacts and claims for reparations
- ongoing collaboration between donors, museum experts, and governmental and volunteer initiatives in Ukraine
This program is made possible through the generous philanthropic support of Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Booth Ferris Foundation, and the Leon Levy Foundation.
SAFE Grants | Open Call for Museums in Ukraine
The Ukrainian Museum in New York, in partnership with the Ukrainian Museums Association in Kyiv, launched the SAFE Grants initiative to support the next generation of museum professionals and advance innovative, forward-looking practices within Ukraine’s cultural institutions.
Through an open call, emerging curators, educators, collection specialists, designers, researchers, and interdisciplinary practitioners are invited to propose collaborative projects developed with Ukrainian museums. The program supports initiatives that reimagine the interpretation of collections, activate archives, experiment with exhibition design, expand public engagement, and develop new models of accessibility and community participation. Priority is given to projects addressing today’s cultural, social, and institutional challenges while strengthening the resilience and relevance of museums across Ukraine.
Following a highly competitive selection process, The Ukrainian Museum selected 23 inaugural recipients of SAFE Program Grants in June 2026, with the announcement to follow soon. The next open call will launch in September 2026.
SAFE Symposium
Through virtual panel discussions with leading speakers, the SAFE Symposium creates a platform for sharing firsthand experiences, practical knowledge, and collaborative solutions with international audiences. Featuring cultural practitioners from Ukraine, the program highlights both the ongoing challenges and innovative responses to preserving cultural heritage during wartime, fostering dialogue on museum resilience, international collaboration, and long-term recovery.
Past presentations:
https://www.theukrainianmuseum.org/museum-lifelines-directors-on-the-frontline/
To make a donation to the SAFE program, please click the button and write “SAFE” in the notes section:
Saving Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage Amid War
Marta Bilas is the Donor Relations Manager at the Ukrainian NGO Museum Open for Renovation, which received a SAFE grant in 2025. In this interview, Bilas reflects on how cultural heritage rescue operations have changed since the early days of the invasion and discusses the importance of sustaining collaborative networks that help Ukraine’s cultural professionals remain resilient in the face of ongoing conflict.
Q1. Since the full-scale invasion, your team, led by historian Leonid Marushchak, has saved hundreds of thousands of museum artifacts and works of art. Salvaging cultural objects in frontline territories often means working under extreme pressure and danger. Have you been able to adjust these operations in recent years compared to the early stages of the invasion?
Marta Bilas: It is thanks to the fact that since 2015 we have been actively engaged in researching territories of Ukraine and working with regional museums that we have built a large specialized network and maintained close contact across the field. Even before the full-scale invasion, we held a large-scale Zoom conference with museums in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, together with representatives of the Ministry of Culture and regional administrations. This gave us a clear understanding of the situation on the ground and, most important, of the materials and resources needed for the evacuation of collections.
From the first days of the full-scale invasion, we focused on the regions that are now active zones of conflict. This long-term groundwork allowed us to respond quickly and strategically.
Q2. Your NGO Museum Open for Renovation grew out of the initiative DE NE DE, which since 2015 has brought together artists, scholars, museum workers, and activists working in eastern Ukraine. In five years, your work expanded to nearly 200 regional museums. How are you maintaining these networks today, given widespread displacement among cultural professionals?
Marta Bilas: Our network has changed dramatically, but the key principle remains consistency and grounded, systematic work. This is what allows us to act effectively and stay focused on priority areas rather than becoming fragmented.
The main indicator shaping our response today is devastation and depopulation. Shelling and communication breakdowns have severe consequences in areas without civilian presence. At the same time, uncontrolled evacuations and spontaneous processes can be equally destructive.
Q3. Leonid has documented the collapse of Polovtsian stone statues near Izium in 2023 and the evacuation of Zhanna Kadyrova’s contemporary sculpture from Pokrovsk in 2024. What heritage sites or objects are you most concerned about today?
Marta Bilas: In our view, over the past three years it has become essential to draw clear conclusions at the national level and establish a defined algorithm of action for different emergency scenarios, with clearly assigned responsibilities.
Our concern also extends to collections stored in sacred buildings still managed by the Moscow Patriarchate, as well as to museum collections held in educational institutions — schools, universities, and others — that fall under different ministries and regulatory systems.
Q4. What are your priorities when collaborating with governmental and local authorities in situations where cultural heritage is at risk of erasure?
Marta Bilas: We are working to consolidate efforts across multiple levels of government and institutions in Ukraine. The goal is not only to rescue cultural objects from regions that may remain inaccessible or under threat, but also to ensure that no category of heritage is overlooked.
Even objects that may seem secondary — such as those in local museum rooms in schools, district institutions, or factory museums — are vital. Our position is clear: all cultural heritage, regardless of scale or status, is an essential source for understanding history and identity and must be protected, especially in times of war.