Cities4Cities United4Ukraine

What Cities4Cities United4Ukraine does

Cities4Cities United4Ukraine is a non-profit municipal partnership initiative founded in 2022 and headquartered in Lviv, operating as the International Municipal Cooperation component of the Swedish-Ukrainian Polaris Programme (2024-2028), funded by Sida and implemented by SALAR International. Its core product is the Cities4Cities web platform (cities4cities.eu), which provides a searchable database and interactive map of Ukrainian municipalities (hromadas), tailors partner shortlists for international counterparts, and supports partnership facilitation from initial consultation through cooperation agreements. The platform currently tracks 100+ active partnerships across 8-10 European countries plus the United States.

The initiative's second core asset is the Cities4Cities ACADEMY (academy.cities4cities.eu), an online learning management system delivering 7+ courses on EU integration, project management, international cooperation, and civil-military cooperation, used by 4,500+ students and taught by 50+ lecturers from the EU and Ukraine; some courses carry NAAS accreditation (1 ECTS). Adjacent services include a mentorship programme for hromada capacity building (99 applicants, 10 selected in the first cohort), grant disbursement (EUR 150,000 across 15 Swedish-Ukrainian partnership pairs), and recurring forums and delegation visits.

The business model is entirely grant-funded: all services are provided free of charge to municipalities, no commercial revenue is generated, and the legal host is the City of Sindelfingen (Baden-Württemberg, Germany) per German § 5 TMG disclosure. Distribution is hybrid: self-serve via the web platform and ACADEMY, supplemented by event-driven engagement (Nordic-Ukrainian Municipal Partnership Forum, EU Regions Week, bilateral delegations) and institutional channels through Sida, SALAR International, and the EU Committee of the Regions.

Name

Cities4Cities United4Ukraine

Legal name

Stadt Sindelfingen

Website

https://cities4cities.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cities4Cities United4Ukraine is a non-profit initiative, founded in 2022, that facilitates municipal partnerships between Ukrainian hromadas and international counterparts via a web platform, the ACADEMY learning portal, mentorship, and grant programmes, all funded by Sida through the Polaris Programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Municipal Partnership Facilitation

NAICS

Business Service Centers (56143)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Bilateral Development & Aid Agencies (HLAJAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Democracy, Human Rights & Governance Assistance (BPADABAG), Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

Keywords

• Municipal partnership facilitation
• European integration training
• International development cooperation
• Online municipal education
• Civic capacity building

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Grant funding and donor-supported operations: Cities4Cities is a donor-funded initiative implemented under the Swedish-Ukrainian Polaris Programme 'Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine' (2024–2028), financed by Sida and implemented by SALAR International. All services, including partnership facilitation, mentorship, and the ACADEMY, are provided free of charge to participating municipalities. Revenue is not generated commercially.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cities4Cities United4Ukraine facilitates municipal partnerships between Ukrainian hromadas and international counterparts, primarily across Europe and the United States, through a web platform (cities4cities.eu) that hosts a searchable database of Ukrainian municipalities and an interactive partnership map. The initiative delivers structured partnership consultation, matching, and one-year facilitation support, complemented by the Cities4Cities ACADEMY online learning platform offering accredited courses on EU integration, project management, international cooperation, and civil-military interaction for Ukrainian municipal officials. All services, including a seven-month Mentorship Programme and grant administration for joint Swedish-Ukrainian projects, are provided free of charge under the donor-funded Polaris Programme.

Product overview

Cities4Cities United4Ukraine is a multi-platform initiative supporting municipal partnerships between Ukrainian communities and international partners. The core offering consists of the Cities4Cities Platform for partnership matching and network facilitation, complemented by the Cities4Cities ACADEMY educational platform offering 7 online courses covering European integration, project management, and international cooperation. Additional services include a Mentorship Programme for hromada capacity building, grant support for Swedish-Ukrainian partnerships, and the Ambassador of Cities' Friendship Award. The platform network includes 100+ partnerships across 10 European countries and the United States. The ACADEMY platform provides training to 4500+ students with 50+ lecturers from EU and Ukraine, while the mentorship programme connects municipalities with experts across 14 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cities4Cities ACADEMY: Educational platform of Cities4Cities offering online courses on international cooperation, European integration, project management, and municipal partnerships for Ukrainian municipalities. The academy has over 4500 students, 50+ lecturers from EU and Ukraine, and 7 developed online courses.

Products and services

• Cities4Cities Platform Web-based platform supporting municipal partnerships between Ukraine and international partners, featuring a database of Ukrainian municipalities, partnership matching services, and a network of 100+ active partnerships across European countries and the United States. It is intended for Ukrainian and international municipal governments seeking structured cooperation.
• Cities4Cities ACADEMY Online learning management system offering free courses for Ukrainian municipal managers on international cooperation, European integration, project management, and municipal partnerships. Has over 4,500 students, 50+ lecturers from the EU and Ukraine, and seven developed online courses.
• Municipal Partnerships for European Integration Course Online course covering EU integration processes, cohesion policy, EU institutions cooperation, and practical skills for partnership development. Accredited by NAAS (1 ECTS) and aimed at Ukrainian municipal officials.
• EU Integration for Ukrainian Municipalities Course Comprehensive course covering EU terminology, policies, cohesion policy, EU programmes (Interreg, Erasmus+, URBACT, CERV, LEADER), and European integration preparation, aimed at Ukrainian municipal staff.
• Project Management in Communities Course Practical course on project management for municipal staff covering the project lifecycle, EU funding applications, partnership development, and collaboration with EU budget institutions.
• International Cooperation for Communities Course Foundational course on international municipal cooperation covering partnership establishment, EU project participation, and practical implementation cases for Ukrainian communities.
• Civil-Military Cooperation Training Three-day online training covering veteran business support, military recruitment centers, and family support services for local authorities and Ukrainian municipalities.
• Cities4Cities Mentorship Programme Seven-month international capacity-building programme for Ukrainian hromadas providing personalized mentoring in project management, fundraising, EU integration, communications, and partnership development. The first cohort selected 10 of 99 applicants to receive structured international mentoring.
• Grant Support for Swedish-Ukrainian Partnerships Grant programme under the Polaris Programme providing material and technical assistance for joint Swedish-Ukrainian municipal projects, awarding EUR 150,000 in total to 15 municipality pairs covering energy efficiency, environment, education, youth, and inclusion.
• Municipal Partnership Consultation Advisory service helping international and Ukrainian municipalities identify suitable partners, providing interpretation, facilitation, and partnership development support for up to one year from initial contact through cooperation agreements.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Romanian Association of City Managers (Asociația Administratorilor Publici din România)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025A memorandum of cooperation was signed on 11–12 December 2025 in Bucharest during the 'Rebuilding Ukraine: Security, Opportunities, Investment' conference. The partnership covers study visits, professional competency development, joint preparation for EU programmes and grants, and exchange of experience in digitalisation, logistics, and public services.
• SALAR InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024SALAR International implements the Swedish-Ukrainian Polaris Programme 'Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine' (2024–2028), within which Cities4Cities operates as the International Municipal Cooperation component. This is the primary institutional partnership enabling the initiative's operations.
• Stand with Ukraine (NGO, France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe French NGO Stand with Ukraine, led by president Edward Mayor, facilitates Ukrainian-French municipal partnerships. Through its work with the Ile-de-France region and the Congress of French Mayors, it has helped establish 5 partnerships (Boyarka–Palaisseau, Slavutych–Frankiville, Gostomel–Velizy Villacoublé, Kruty–Santenay, Koryukivka–Chavilly) with 7 more in development. The organisation was the first recipient of the Cities4Cities Ambassador of Cities' Friendship Award.
• EU Committee of the RegionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EU Committee of the Regions hosts the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine (~85 members), maintains a Working Group on Ukraine, and supports Ukrainian municipalities' access to EU funding and policy dialogue. Cities4Cities collaborates within this framework to advance municipal partnerships at the EU level.
• Mentorship Programme Partner Municipalities and Organisations (14 countries: Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Latvia, Germany, Poland, South Korea, Romania, Slovenia, USA, Finland, France, Sweden)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Cities4Cities Mentorship Programme connected 10 Ukrainian hromadas with municipalities, regional governments, international organisations, and professional networks from 14 countries including Latvia (Ventspils), Spain, Romania, Slovenia, and others, supporting international capacity building and partnership development.
• Swedish Municipalities (15 partner pairs under Polaris Programme grants)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner15 Swedish-Ukrainian municipal partnership pairs were awarded grants totalling EUR 150,000 under the Polaris Programme, including partnerships such as Poltava–Kalmar, Ternopil–Ronneby, Yampil–Vänersborg, Ivano-Frankivsk–Luleå, and Konotop–Jönköping, covering energy efficiency, education, youth, and inclusion projects.
• Nordic Municipalities (Norway, Finland, Sweden)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner34 Nordic municipalities participated in the first Nordic-Ukrainian Municipal Partnership Forum in Lviv (March 2025), co-organised by SALAR International and Cities4Cities. New partnerships were established including Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi–Sunne, Novovorontsovka–Tjörn, Pavlohrad–Lier, and Yampil–Vänersborg.
• European Programme Partners (Interreg, Horizon Europe, URBACT, Creative Europe, CERV, Erasmus+)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCities4Cities mentors helped Ukrainian hromadas join international consortiums for EU programmes including URBACT, Creative Europe, CERV, and Horizon Europe. These EU funding programmes are accessible through established European partnerships and serve as key tools for long-term municipal cooperation.
• European Partnership Hub / Bridges of TrustminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe European Partnership Hub (Bridges of Trust), a collaboration between ULead and CEMR, supports systematic municipal partnerships with Ukraine. Cities4Cities facilitates access to this platform for its network municipalities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG): Global network of cities, local and regional governments. Comparable in its mission to connect municipalities for peer learning and capacity building; relevant at the international rather than Ukraine-specific layer.
• Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (Council of Europe): A founding institutional partner of Cities4Cities and a multilateral platform for local democracy. It overlaps on governance capacity building, monitoring missions in Ukraine, and exchange programmes for municipal officials.
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): German bilateral development agency implementing municipal and decentralisation programmes in Ukraine and globally. Comparable institutional role in donor-funded municipal capacity building across multiple EU member states.
• ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability: International network for sustainable city development with comparable activities in capacity building, peer exchange, and project consortia. A near peer in the 'municipal capacity network' category even if not Ukraine-specialised.
• CEMR - Council of European Municipalities and Regions: Pan-European municipal association co-managing the Bridges of Trust platform with ULead. It is the largest body representing European local and regional governments and is the umbrella political actor whose members Cities4Cities helps activate into Ukraine partnerships.
• European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine: Coalition of ~85 European cities and regions hosted by the EU Committee of the Regions. Cities4Cities actively feeds partnerships into this alliance, making it both an upstream convener and a parallel coordination mechanism for Ukraine-focused municipal solidarity.

Direct peers

• SALAR International: Sister organisation implementing the Swedish-Ukrainian Polaris Programme. SALAR International runs the broader framework within which Cities4Cities operates as the International Municipal Cooperation component, sharing the same Nordic donor base, Ukrainian municipal network, and EU-integration thematic focus.
• Stand with Ukraine (France): French NGO facilitating Ukrainian-French municipal partnerships through the Ile-de-France region and Congress of French Mayors. It is the inaugural recipient of the Cities4Cities Ambassador Award and a co-implementer on concrete pairings like Boyarka–Palaiseau, functioning as the France-side counterpart for partnership matchmaking.
• ULead (Ukraine Local Economic Development Programme): Capacity-building programme for Ukrainian local self-government with overlapping services including partnership matching, training, and Bridges of Trust platform. ULead co-runs the European Partnership Hub that complements Cities4Cities' matching work, making it the most direct functional counterpart on Ukrainian municipal cooperation.

Regional players

• Romanian Association of City Managers (AAP Romania): Romanian counterpart Cities4Cities signed a memorandum with in December 2025. It runs training, study visits, and EU-programme preparation for Romanian city managers and exchanges experience with Ukrainian municipalities on topics like digitalisation, logistics, and public services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6AiM6M8nRQ2sQQA_qMIBNw
• Facebookfacebook.com/cities4citiesunited4ukraine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cities4citiesunited4ukraine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cities4Cities United4Ukraine