The event “Connect for Change,” hosted by the ENA Foundation on December 4, brought together Non-Profit Organizations and businesses. They aimed to start a conversation about working together for social impact. During this event, the Foundation revealed the three projects chosen in the first cycle of the Grants for Change 2025 program. This shows the importance of teamwork, community involvement, and empowering local groups.
The program received over 40 applications from more than 80 organizations. It was created to support actions that meet real social needs and help local groups and NGOs carry out projects with lasting effects. With a budget of €60,000 for the first cycle and an open call for proposals, the “Grants for Change” program backs initiatives that encourage inclusion, skill development, and social unity, raising cooperation standards among civil society groups.
One of the three selected projects is ACCESS+. This initiative comes from Ablebook and “One Us”. It focuses on tackling accessibility issues in urban areas of Cyprus using practical technology. The project will gather data, images, and suggestions from people with disabilities, volunteers, and local organizations through participatory mapping in a Municipality. Plus, the Ablebook platform will get two new features: a system for reporting accessibility problems like illegal parking or obstacles on ramps, and a job section specifically for people with disabilities. This mix of research, technology, and collaboration makes it a powerful project with potential benefits for communities.
The second winner is the project PLAYSCAPE, created by Urban Gorillas and Gardens of the Future. This exciting project aims to transform public spaces for children through creative design and hands-on experimentation. It puts children at the heart of the process: they can design and shape their dream playground by taking part in every step. The process includes storytelling workshops, model building, and developing a new playground model that fits community needs while drawing inspiration from global practices. PLAYSCAPE will be an “imagination lab,” where play boosts creativity, problem-solving skills, and children’s connection to their surroundings while creating a model that can be used in municipalities, schools, and neighborhoods across Cyprus.
The third project chosen is “Women for Green Transition,” led by the Laona Foundation in partnership with the Larnaca Rural Women’s Association. This program aims to empower women in rural Cyprus by providing practical environmental education and skills they can use in their daily lives. Participants will learn about recycling, composting, circular economy practices, natural preparations, and resilient crops through seminars, workshops, business visits, mentoring, and forming local action groups. The program will take place in 27 communities in Larnaca and parts of Paphos facing environmental challenges. The goal is for women to play an active role in the green transition and promote sustainable practices within their communities.
After selecting projects for this cycle, one of ENA Foundation’s coordinators,Anastasia Ellina, said: “The first cycle of Grants for Change showed how rich and mature civil society’s potential is in Cyprus. We want to warmly thank all entities that submitted proposals and supported the program with such trust. The quality of ideas we received confirms that there are commendable organizations ready to offer meaningful solutions. The success of this first cycle gives us even more momentum for the next one. We invite more entities to participate, submit their proposals, and take advantage of this opportunity to turn their vision into real social action. ENA Foundation will continue supporting initiatives with genuine impact and ideas worth implementing.”
During the event, it was also announced that the next cycle of the Grants for Change 2026 program would start around mid-February. This renewed submission process encourages more organizations to create proposals with social impact.
The ENA Foundation remains dedicated to supporting initiatives that boost social unity, equal access to opportunities, and active participation from civil society while focusing on actions that deliver practical results.
