A path to funding: a selection of grants for the development of Ukrainian initiatives

The Path to Funding: A Roundup of Grants for the Development of Ukrainian Initiatives

Expanding funding opportunities is a key stage in the development and delivery of initiatives across various spheres. In this overview we present a range of grant opportunities for Ukrainian organisations and startups aimed at supporting social, technological and economic initiatives.

1. THE SEEDS OF BRAVERY PROGRAMME FOR UKRAINIAN TECHNOLOGY STARTUPS

Budget: UP TO EUR 60,000

Seeds of Bravery is a project with a budget of EUR 20 million, funded by the European Union under the European Innovation Council (EIC) to support Ukrainian technology startups and bring them closer to the EU. The fund's mission is to strengthen Ukraine's technology landscape by supporting local entrepreneurs to achieve international success.

⏰ Deadline: 25 March 2024

✍️ Details: https://seedsofbravery.eu/

2. USAID GRANT FOR INTRODUCING COMMUNICATION STANDARDS INTO THE WORK OF HEALTHCARE FACILITIES

Budget: UP TO UAH 8,950,000

The USAID Health Reform Support Activity (hereinafter - the Project) announces a competition for a grant to organise and carry out a comprehensive set of measures to introduce communication standards into the work of at least 100 healthcare facilities.

The aim of this grant is to increase the communication capacity of a large number of healthcare facilities through the organisation of training on the fundamentals of strategic communications and on the skills of communications professionals, individual consultations for medical facilities on various communication matters, and mentoring. The training should be aimed both at the leadership of medical facilities and at the specialists who are directly responsible for building the communications of medical institutions. The medical facilities taking part in the project should also receive help in setting up the work of a communications unit within their facility, improving their brand identity and building internal communications.

⏰ Deadline: 12 February 2024

✍️ Details: https://dgrants.fluxx.io/user_sessions/new

3. The East Europe Foundation, together with the European Union in Ukraine, announces a competition to support initiatives that will contribute to the transparent recovery and development of communities, ensuring the active involvement of the public in these processes.

Budget: from UAH 600,000 to UAH 1.2 million. Project proposals must envisage activity under one or more of the following thematic priorities:

Increasing the capacity for sustainable strategic planning in territorial communities;

Strengthening the capacity of local government bodies to plan and implement reconstruction / local development projects and to attract funding;

Transparency and public oversight of the spending of reconstruction funds by local self-government bodies and military administrations, and increasing their openness and accountability.

Civil society organisations, public unions, self-organisation bodies of the population (SOBs) and charitable organisations are invited to take part in the competition.

⏰ Deadline: 15 March, by 15:00

✍️ Details: https://www.irf.ua/contest/konkurs-stijkist-vidnovlennya-ta-rozvytok-terytorialnyh-gromad/

4. A UAH 100,000 grant for your own business and comprehensive entrepreneurship training

Be aWARe about business - a social entrepreneurship development programme from the aWARe Zone network of youth hubs.

Kyiv and Chernihiv, weekends during March-April

Key points of the programme:

▶️ Full-fledged business training over 4 weeks, including help writing a business plan from scratch;

▶️ The opportunity to receive a grant to open a business;

▶️ The chance to establish partnerships with American companies to attract new investment;

Participant profile. A young and ambitious person aged 22-25. Your idea must be implemented in Kyiv, Chernihiv or Chernihiv oblast.

⏰ Deadline: 29 February

✍️ Details: https://aware-zone.com/aware-business-2024/

5) Grant competition to support organisations working in the field of veterans' affairs from Veteran Hub

Budget: UAH 1,336,069, within which one grant application will be supported.

Eligibility: civil society and charitable organisations with non-profit status, operating in territory under the control of the Government of Ukraine, founded and led by veterans (men and women) and/or members of their families.

*The organisation's main line of work must be volunteer or charitable activity aimed at supporting veterans (men and women) and the families of Ukrainian defenders, and/or involving veterans (men and women) and their families in volunteering.

Support is provided for:

• developing organisational capacity and establishing internal working processes to ensure the organisation's sustainable and effective operation over the long term, in particular after the funding ends;

• for example, developing internal policies and rules of work, training and courses for teams and volunteers, and conducting analytical research.

The proposed projects must clearly show how, exactly, the implementation of activities will help expand the opportunities of veterans and members of their families to become involved in volunteer activity.

The activities carried out within the project must also include:

• advocacy activity;

• and/or the implementation of a communications campaign;

• and/or the development of a partner network;

• other activities aimed at both the internal development of the organisation and the building and strengthening of the community.

⏰ Deadline: 03 March

✍️ Details: at the link https://veteranhub.com.ua/grant

6) Grant competition "Engaging young men and women in the recovery of Ukraine through youth exchanges"

1️⃣ LOT 1

Eligibility: non-profit youth organisations and/or organisations that work with young people, in particular charitable organisations, NGOs and public unions officially registered in Ukraine for at least 3 years.

Aim of LOT 1: selecting a CSO that will provide coordination support for the successful running of 24 youth exchanges, along with methodological support and training for the staff of youth centres / CSOs.

Grant size: up to USD 60,000

⏰ Deadline: 26.02.2024 by 18:00

2️⃣ LOT 2

Eligibility: non-profit youth organisations and/or organisations that work with young people, in particular charitable organisations, NGOs and public unions officially registered in Ukraine.

Aim of LOT 2: selecting youth centres and/or youth CSOs that will act as coordination centres for organising youth exchanges under the VIDNOVA:UA National Youth Exchange Programme

Grant size: up to USD 18,000

⏰ Deadline: 04.03.2024 by 16:00

✍️ Find out more at the link https://www.undp.org/uk/ukraine/news/konkurs-hrantiv-zaluchennya-molodykh-cholovikiv-ta-zhinok-do-protsesu-vidnovlennya-ukrayiny-cherez-provedennya-molodizhnykh-obminiv

7) Emergency livelihoods support programme from the office of the "Estonian Refugee Council" in Ukraine

Budget: up to UAH 33,000 to purchase combinations of goods and services, provided that the expected activity increases food production and/or the generation of income.

The aim of the programme is to provide access to livelihoods for vulnerable households affected by the armed conflict, to create new sources of income, and to support people in reaching a living wage.

Geography of assistance:

• Zaporizhzhia oblast, Zaporizhzhia district: Shyroke and Novomykolaivka communities;

• Mykolaiv oblast, Bashtanka district: Bereznehuvate and Kazanka communities;

• Kharkiv oblast, Kupiansk district: Shevchenkove community;

• Kharkiv oblast, Chuhuiv district: Slobozhanske community.

Eligibility: households that want to launch or restore the following types of economic activity

• animal husbandry: producing eggs or any kinds of meat;

• dairy production;

• poultry farming;

• horticulture: growing vegetables and fruit in greenhouses and gardens, etc.;

• beekeeping: raising bees and obtaining bee products;

• other types of agriculture;

• food production: baking, making semi-finished products, bread, cakes, etc.;

• providing services: tailoring or repairing clothes, crafts, construction or repair, household services, beauty services, etc.

✍️ Details: at the link https://register.pagulasabi.ee/uk/livelihoods. Apply at the link https://register.pagulasabi.ee/uk/livelihoods

8) Seeds of Bravery (UASEEDs) - grants for Ukrainian innovative technology businesses

The project opens up an opportunity for Ukrainian innovative technology small and medium-sized enterprises (startups and scaleups) across five different programmes to support the integration of companies into European innovation ecosystems.

1️⃣ BUSINESS AND INNOVATION SERVICES

Grant size: up to EUR 10,000 to pay for business consulting services to improve their business model and/or business plan and/or improve growth strategies.

⏰ Deadline: 20.02.2025

2️⃣ INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Eligibility: innovative women-led startups whose technology readiness level is TRL 3 or higher.

Grant size: up to EUR 25,000 to support the continuity, creation or relaunch of a business in Ukraine and beyond.

⏰ Deadline: 25.04.2025

3️⃣ DEEP-TECH INCUBATORS

Eligibility: early-stage startups engaged in pre-MVP activities, at TRL 4 or higher.

Grant size: up to EUR 25,000 for user or demand testing, prototype validation and other pre-MVP innovation activities to verify the value proposition and develop their first MVP.

⏰ Deadline: 25.04.2025

4️⃣ RECONSTRUCTION OF UKRAINE

Eligibility: innovative technology SMEs at TRL 7 or higher.

Grant size: up to EUR 25,000 to support and develop innovative products or services that meet the demand for rapid post-war reconstruction in priority areas, for both individuals and the state.

⏰ Deadline: 25.04.2025

5️⃣ DEEP-TECH SCALING AND ACCELERATION

Eligibility: innovative technology SMEs at a TRL equal to or exceeding TRL 7, aimed at rapidly reaching/expanding markets.

Grant size: up to EUR 50,000 for scaling into EU and global markets (updating business plans, user/demand testing, feasibility studies and other large-scale activities).

⏰ Deadline: 25.01.2025

✍️ Find out more at the link https://seedsofbravery.eu/

9) The "Recover and Export" consulting initiative from the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Eligibility: micro, small or medium-sized enterprises that are able to produce a product the company plans to export, registered in territories under the control of the Government of Ukraine.

*Preference is given to displaced (relocated) companies that have a product with export potential, have not stopped their production process, and are eager to develop exports.

Free consultations are provided on the following matters:

• choosing new markets;

• finding potential partners and buyers;

• product certification and market requirements;

• labelling goods for sale on a foreign market;

• increasing sales volumes;

• customs matters - contracts, documents, origin of goods, transport;

• multichannel sales, international digital platforms, e-commerce;

• product promotion, marketing strategies;

• registering company profiles on well-known online marketplaces;

• business ideas, partnerships and innovation;

• other matters requiring clarification and support.

⏰ Deadline for participation in the programme: 01.05.2024

Only 250 companies in total will receive consultations, so hurry to take part.

✍️ Find out more at the link https://export.gov.ua/news/5172-startuvala_piata_khvilia_vidboru_kompanii_do_proiektu_vidnovliuisia_ta_eksportui. Apply at the link https://export.gov.ua/news/5172-startuvala_piata_khvilia_vidboru_kompanii_do_proiektu_vidnovliuisia_ta_eksportui

This roundup of grants offers a wide range of opportunities for those seeking financial support for their projects. From support for technology startups to programmes supporting veterans' affairs, these grants provide an opportunity to bring innovative ideas to life and contribute to social progress in Ukraine.