Non-governmental organizations that take care of veterans, their families and families of fallen defenders can receive from 500,000 to 1 million hryvnias of funding.
What is the deadline and who can receive funds?
The deadline for submitting applications is May 4, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Kyiv time.
Organizations that:
protect the rights and freedoms of veterans and their family members;
ensure public, economic, social, cultural and other interests;
provide services and social support to veteran entrepreneurs;
provide personal mentoring for veteran entrepreneurs;
are engaged in increasing the competitiveness of veteran business;
popularize the veteran business on the Ukrainian and international markets.
Organizations that provide social support to veterans, members of their families and families of fallen defenders are also financed.
What can the funds be used for?
Funds are allocated for the social support of children of veterans and children of fallen defenders:
educational extracurricular activities of various directions: groups, children’s camps, trainings, cultural and mass events, cross-cultural interaction, social exchange programs;
legal protection, improvement of social support for meeting social needs: access to education, extracurricular, optional activities;
personal safety programs.
If your initiative is not in the list of categories, but you cooperate with veterans and their families, apply for participation in the program. Details on the website: https://veteranfund.com.ua/contests/varto-go2023/
Send questions and clarifications to uvfprojects@veteranfund.mva.gov.ua (with a mandatory indication of the subject of the letter “Varto+NGO”), or by phone: +380 (98) 009 48 72.
On April 17, 2023, the competitive selection of experts (three main and one reserve) to the Expert Council of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation for competitive selection of VARTO+NGO projects hes begun.
How to apply and when is the deadline?
We invite the cooperation of experienced specialists who are familiar with the specifics of the activities of public organizations and social projects.
The deadline for submitting documents is April 28, 2023 (until 12:00 p.m. Kyiv time).
The results of the selection will be announced to the candidates by e-mail .
What are the duties of UVF experts and requirements for candidates
Duties of experts of the Foundation’s Expert Council:
Conducting expert evaluation of application packages in accordance with the Methodology of expert evaluation (evaluation criteria – Annex No. 2);
participation in public presentation (defense) of projects by applicants;
formation of a ranking list of the winners of the competitive selection.
The requirements for a candidate for the Foundation’s experts are as follows:
higher education not lower than the secondary (master’s) level;
previous experience in the field of public organizations and social projects.
knowledge of business Ukrainian language;
impeccable business reputation;
project budgeting experience of at least one year.
The selection of candidates for Expert Councils takes place in accordance with the requirements of the Regulation on Expert Councils of the state budget institution “Ukrainian Veterans Foundation” and the Regulation on the Commission for the Selection of Experts for Expert Councils.
We want to emphasize: the Foundation’s experts do not have the right to simultaneously be tender applicants or to participate in the implementation of projects submitted to the Foundation (for this or other competitive selection of projects).
How to submit documents for the competition: key tips
To submit documents for the competition, you need:
1. Learn about the Regulation on Expert Councils of the state budget institution “Ukrainian Veterans Foundation” (in particular, paragraph 2.11) and the Methodology of expert evaluation;
Application (in accordance with Appendix No. 1 to the Regulation on Expert Councils);
letter of motivation (in any form);
a copy of an identity document;
a copy of the individual tax number;
consent to the collection and processing of personal data (in accordance with Appendix 2 to the Regulation on Expert Councils);
an extensive professional resume in Ukrainian with attachments confirming the specialized activity;
copies of the candidate’s documents confirming higher education at least secondary (master’s) level..
All copies of documents should be submitted in Ukrainian and/or the original language with a translation into Ukrainian and EXCLUSIVELY in PDF format. Documents in other formats WILL NOT be considered.
If you need to upload more than one document in one field (for example, multipe passport pages), it is better to combine them into one file.
2. Prepare and sign documents (a mandatory signature is required by the Candidate’s Application and Consent for Personal Data Processing). This can be done using electronic signature, or you can send scanned documents with a physical signature.
3. Fill in the information and submit documents for the selection of experts in this questionnaire within the time allotted for this.
Oleksandr Holopoteliuk is a veteran, an owner of the “Veterano Pizza ” pizzeria in Odesa.
Oleksandr has been fighting since 2014 in the 28th Mechanized Brigade.
After being wounded and demobilized, he decided to open his own business. But before that, he received a relevant economic education.
The veteran bought a pizzeria and became the owner of the Veterano Pizza franchise in Odesa. As a new stage of business, Oleksandr planned to open another pizzeria.
Therefore, he applied for a competitive program from the UVF. Oleksandr says that he plans to supply the products to hospitals and hospitals for the wounded for free. He is also going to employ veterans and members of their families.
The veteran will spend the funds received from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation on the necessary equipment for the new cafe: an oven, refrigeration equipment, a dough bowl, etc.
The passion for Japanese culture grew into something bigger. The veteran is planning to build a children’s amusement park “Dragon Land”.
Anton Brostovskyi is one of the winners of the #VARTO competition program from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine.
In 2014, he became a volunteer and took part in the ATO in the East of Ukraine. Then he joined the ranks of the Armed Forces. And in 2016 Anton returned and joined the family business.
The veteran expanded the wood production his father established. They started with decorative furniture, wooden stairs, then gazebos, and now they are building amusement parks. Anton’s last project, “Gyurgivska fortress” in the city of Bila Tserkva, won the competition for funding from the public budget. The fortress was supposed to be opened in the spring of 2022.
However, with the first explosions on February 24, Anton and his younger brother went to the military unit. The parents continued the project. Anton is the head of the medieval club “Gyurgiv” (the ancient name of Bila Tserkva). He embodied all his knowledge and skills in the idea of creating a children’s entertainment interactive and educational park “Dragon Land”.
Exactly this project will be financially supported by the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.
“We submitted a project idea and we won. We already had experience in such a business. Anton participated in public procurements and tenders as a sole proprietor. The main thing was to stay within the allocated funds, to explain everything carefully and to agree in advance with the suppliers to fix the prices because they are growing quickly,” says the veteran’s mother, Iryna.
Financial support will be mainly used to purchase building materials. It is worth noting that the implementation of the project involves the creation of additional jobs.
While, according to Iryna, creative people also participate in the creation of the park on a volunteer basis. Japanese culture and architecture are dear to Anton Brostovsky’s heart. This project is a real rarity for the Ukrainian market. This is so original.
In 2014 Oleksandr Chub joined the ranks of the 2nd battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine, and then joined the newly formed Ukrainian Volunteer Corps.
In the battles for the Donetsk airport, he received a serious leg injury. Doctors said that Alexander would have to use crutches for the rest of his life. But he did not put up with it and recovered almost completely. During the rehabilitation, the veteran got the idea of a business with an important social mission.
As Oleksandr told in an interview with Hromadske radio: “The idea of the “Strokati Yenoty” (“Motley raccoons” in English) children’s camp came to me during a long rehabilitation after receiving a serious injury. I got to the USA, and there I cycled 10,000 kilometers. During the rehabilitation process and travelling around the country, I received so much kindness and support from other people, that I wanted somehow to thank the world for treating me this way.”
Publisher Vladyslav Kyrychenko supported Oleksandr’s idea. He provided the territory of the “Kuznia” Youth Movement Center in Unezh to host an adventure children’s camp. To realize his vision, Oleksandr Chub gathered a large team of volunteers, which provided assistance to volunteer veterans and families of the fallen defenders.
Oleksandr studied a lot, he tried different formats of fundraising for his business. In particular, he enlisted the support of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine for his “Strokati Yenoty” children’s camp. Later on, he was able to launch a full-fledged veteran business. “This project not only brings income and satisfaction but also gives an opportunity for self-realization. I made it profitable, independent of any external grants. The most important thing is the desire to do something interesting, to share It with the kids,” Oleksandr Chub told Ukrainianer.
“Strokati Yenoty” adventure camp has become the place where children from all over Ukraine dream of going. The first visitors to the camp were the children of the fallen and wounded defenders of the battalion where Oleksandr once served.
“Strokati Yenoty” overturned the idea of ordinary children camps with its compulsion and boring programs. Here, children are taught to be active and independent. But, of course, there are certain rules of the so-called game that they should follow so that it wouldn’t turn into chaos. These rules include, for example, sorting garbage, speaking without any swear words and only in Ukrainian with maximum live communication possible.
Children play sports, travel, have different creative activities and communicate with each other a lot. The camp is designed to encourage children’s desire to learn more about the world and lead an active life. Oleksandr pays special attention to his “motley team” of the camp. Those who want to camp with children must first organize a class or an event for them. And only then, if they can get on the same level with children, without building any hierarchies, then they get into the team of instructors. “Strokati Yenoty” is a social project that became a business, but remained true to the values and goals that were set at the beginning.
Nowadays, Oleksandr Chub rejoined the ranks of the defenders of Ukraine, doing everything possible to bring Victory, so after that, the Ukrainian children will once again have happy childhoods with lots of trips and adventures.
The Ukrainian Veterans Foundation begins cooperation with the “After Service” Charity Fund.
The memorandum on cooperation was signed by the deputy executive director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, Karina Doroshenko, and the director of the “After Service” Foundation, Halyna Sernivka.
Main tasks and areas of cooperation:
financial
humanitarian
medical support for veterans of Ukraine and their family members, family members of fallen (deceased) war veterans and family members of fallen (deceased) defenders of Ukraine
reintegration of Ukrainian veterans into peaceful life
creation of social projects and programs for Ukrainian veterans and their family members
The basis of cooperation will be the prioritization of the interests of Ukrainian veterans and their family members, transparency and efficiency, maximum assistance and strict compliance with the legislation of Ukraine, zero tolerance towards corruption.
Signing this Memorandum means strengthening both sides: increase in the amount of funds for the creation of new opportunities for veterans, military servicemen and their families, promotion and comprehensive support.
It is notable that the “After Service” charity fund was founded by the American Edward Marshall.
Edward Marshall is a former public official and a member of the advisory board of the America’s Warrior Partnership, a veteran organization that has been active for 10 years and unites hundreds of successful businesses started by former veterans.
… Rockets flew from the Black Sea. The 31-year-old man was fast asleep. It was 02/24/2022. He lived 10 minutes away by bus from Odesa. Woke up. He wore prostheses – both of his legs were amputated. I put the kettle on, made myself some coffee and went outside. Rockets flew from the Black Sea. A full-scale war began. And he knew exactly what he would do next.
This 31-year-old man is Oleksandr Fasolya, a veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, sergeant. A sapper who diligently performed his work in the area of the anti-terrorist operation. He mined and demined. He left “surprises” for the Russian invaders just a few meters from their positions.
In 2018, Oleksandr blew himself up on an enemy anti-personnel mine while performing a combat mission near Maryinka. He lost two limbs. But with a full-scale invasion, the Russians found a way to be useful. His story follows.
We met on a windy March day in the territory of one of the capital’s medical facilities. The other day, another fragment was removed his body, which have remainded there ever since his severe injury in 2018. Oleksandr is not against drinking coffee outside, in a small park on the territory of the hospital.
The unobtrusive pleasant smell of men’s perfume is periodically interrupted by tobacco smoke. But before lighting a cigarette, the veteran asks in a gentlemen manner: “Do you mind?”. He has blue and yellow bracelets on his hands.
We talk to this stubborn man about his path to the army, about war, about landmines and mined areas, and of course about victory.
“I went to the Military Commissariat when apples were being harvested”
In Alexander’s life, the civilian and the military aspects of his live were intertwined. At the age of 18, after finishing school, he went to serve in a military unit in Kamianets-Podilskyi. They specialized in training sappers there. Passed the course of a young fighter, took an oath. Then there is the 28th separate mechanized brigade named after the Knights of the Winter Campaign. The streak lasted from 2010 to 2011.
Then a bit of civilian life.
“Oh, I worked probably everywhere – I provided the Internet, and worked as a security guard, and as a sales consultant, and as a cook’s assistant, and at the factory I made all kinds of fruit juices,” he recalls with a smile.
He joined the Military Commissariat in 2014 as a volunteer from the Fasoly plant. He does not remember, he says, what month it was, but he remembers the time very well – the apple harvest was already over. Approximately, probably, August-September 2014.
“Yes, I went to the Military Commissariat on my own. Why? For the sake of the future. For the country. For its small children”.
At first, Oleksandr performed a combat mission in the ranks of the State Border Service of Ukraine in the Kherson region. They stood on the Crimean isthmus (Chaplinka, Kalanchak). In 2015, demobilization and… return to the army.
“A sapper makes a mistake only once – when he chooses a profession”
“I collected the documents again and went to the military commissariat. I signed the contract. Already with my 28th brigade. It was 2016. “I spent two months in the training center, then in a unit – and immediately went to the Luhansk region,” he recalls.
The first rotation lasted 11.5 months. In total, the sapper Fasola has three rotations behind his back. Oleksandr was the squad commander. He worked in a multi-task manner — both mining and demining.
“But, after all, we leave “gifts” for the Russians. Is it effective? Of course effective,” he smiles.
– They say that a sapper makes a mistake only once…, – I begin to form the next question. “No, why not,” the sapper Fasol interrupted me. – How can he be wrong just once? Once – only when he can choose a profession (laughs – ed.). In my case, you can be wrong three times. Because I am a kind of person that would go there again.
But still I ask – was there someone’s mistake then, in 2018, near Maryinka?
“There was no mistake on our part. Nor there was from me. All this happened on our side, controlled by Ukraine. These bastards knew that we should go there and walk through. Before this combat task, at the same place where I blew up, the day before, our whole group went around. From a combatant to my subordinate. The Russians invaded our territory at night. They were two landmines. Plus one homemade. This territory had our platoon strongholds. They were constantly encroaching on our territory. The place where I blew up was a kind of “dead zone”, where you can enter, make your way and “close up”. When we came in, no one even saw how it happened,” he recalls.
At 13:25 there was an explosion. The soldier was seriously injured.
It was Alexander Fasoli’s third rotation. His contract was about to end and he planned to sign a new one. Treatment and intensive rehabilitation continued until 2019. The fragments were still in his body. After being wounded in 2018, they got one, for example, as late as March 2023. And two more continue to flow through his body. I ask if there was a depressive state after the wounding, if so – how did he recover.
“To be honest? I didn’t have that. What is the main thing? Everything is here (touches temple with index finger — ed.). The main thing is not to lose heart. Psychologists came and at most drank tea and coffee with me, they did not make any special efforts towards me. I worked with myself. I did not allow psychological weakness. This is important,” he emphasizes.
“When I put on my uniform again, I felt better”
With the full-scale invasion of the Russians, this stubborn man did not stand aside.
I remember that morning very well, because I live near the sea – and it was flying from the sea. I live 10 minutes away by bus from Odesa. That morning I behaved like a normal person: I got up, turned on the kettle, made some coffee, went outside to smoke. It’s buzzing. Then it stopped banging. The next day, a friend came from work and said: “It’s boring, you have to do something.” I told him: “Well, now we’ll think of something.”
In the first days, Oleksandr and his friend started helping volunteers. Necessary things were transported to checkpoints.
Then he joined the Territorial Defense. He stood at the roadblock actually until the end of 2022. His main purpose was to check cars. Many refugees from Mykolaiv and Kherson, Irpen, Luhansk region, Bakhmut, and Mariupol traveled that way.
We ask about the main emotion-impression from the service at the checkpoint.
“To be honest? My heart felt better when I put on my uniform. I missed it..” he says with fire in his eyes.
Alexander did not receive any money for all this. Everything is voluntary. He only had a certificate with the seal of the village council.
“They stood for their people,” he says succinctly.
– In your opinion, is our state ready to become a full-fledged veteran country in the center of Europe? And after the victory, and already now. With the availability of infrastructure, with inclusiveness, etc., the Uklon service, for example, launches an “Inclusive” class taxi. Little by little, businesses and entrepreneurs are beginning to harness themselves and understand that we live, after all, in a country of veterans, and, in particular, there will be a lot of veterans with amputations…
– It is good that there is such inclusion. Look, even here, on the territory of this hospital, there are many people who move around in wheelchairs. I also have thoughts and plans — opening a rehabilitation center. So far, everything is just and idea. I don’t want to say too much in advance. As for accessibility and inclusiveness, I don’t go into it much, because I try not to move around in a wheelchair. I don’t need it. I had several volunteer carts – I distributed them all. The more you ride the cart, the more you get used to it. I prefer to walk. Even with prostheses, but I walk more. It`s more fun.
– What were the feelings when you first wore prostheses after the injury?
– But what a feeling… They took it and did it: got up and left. At first it was difficult. It’s hard to get used to. But everything is in our hands.
– What is your favorite joke about amputations?
– In the sea, the water is always warm and the heels never get cold (he smiles – ed.). .
– Does sex life continue after amputations?
– My son is already one year old. Is this sufficient argument? (he smiles – ed.)
– What do you dream about?
– What I dream about will definitely not come true. They won’t grow back (nods at the limbs — ed.). But… I really want everyone to live quietly and peacefully. So that the chaos of the war ends. And the most important thing is that everyone will be healthy. And to end the war
– What would be a victory in the Russian-Ukrainian war for you?
– It seems that it is still too early to voice this issue. How to find an answer to it. As a sapper, I can say this: to freely travel through the lands, for example, Kherson region, we need to work on this land at least another ten years. There are so many ”bad seeds”! Donetsk region, Luhansk region, Mykolaiv region, Kherson region – they are full of them too.
Therefore, victory for me will be the day when every little child can walk where It wants. On demined Ukrainian land. And It will not be forbidden to go elsewhere, because part of the land is mined. Then there will be victory – when the territory of Ukraine will be completely demined.
… year 2022. Checkpoint in Odesa. The flow of cars every day is intense. But people do not go to the sea on vacation. The region became a refuge for many Ukrainians whose homes were taken away by the occupiers. People come here from Mariupol, Kyiv region, Mykolaiv region, Kherson region. Security measures in the region are strengthened. A man is standing at one of these checkpoints. Lean. The face is modest. Periodically smokes a cigarette. In military uniform. He checks the documents. He is looking for unwanted “guests” of his native region. He cares about the safety of his settlement, he cares about the peace of people. Drivers show their documents, show the contents of their trunks. Passengers are annoyed why the check is so thorough and meticulous. Children are fussy. … And they all have no idea how stubborn the man in front of them is.
Support your own. This is the goal veteran Serhiy Lugerya sets himself. He will increase the power of his village community and local production through his own business.
Veteran Serhiy has won the #VARTO competition from the Ukrainian Veteran Foundation. He will develop his own business for the production of animal feed and fuel pellets in the Moshni village and in Cherkasy region.
The man started entrepreneurship after returning from the war. He went to the front in 2015. He was the chief sergeant of the reconnaissance platoon of the mechanized battalion of the 128th brigade. He returned home after being wounded near Debaltseve.
But now he is again in the Ukrainian Armed Forces defending our country. Serhiy does not want to mention the combat operations from 2015. There is a place in his memory only for pleasant memories – new acquaintances, support of relatives and help of volunteers. And there is no time to talk about the current battles.
The main goal of Serhiy Lugery’s project is to provide the village population with cheaper animal feed and fuel pellets of local production, as well as village and community development. That is why he will purchase the material and technical base for farming with money from the Foundation.
The veteran says: “As a result of the project implementation, the farm will reduce the costs of technological services, because they will be provided at lower prices than now. It will also provide feed and fuel pellets to local industries at a lower cost, thanks to the development of local production. New jobs will be created. Especially for veterans. And all this, in turn, will ensure the sustainable development of our village community…”
Serhiy Lugerya intends to sell his products not only in the territory of Moshny village, but also in the nearest villages of the Cherkasy district, thereby providing the region with animal feed and fuel pellets of his own production.
Once again, we get convinced by how strong people are our winners of the #VARTO program. A great example of this is Natalya Gumba, the mother of the fallen defender Astamur Gumba.
Astamur was born in Abkhazia, a territory of Georgia which was occupied by Russia. So he lived most of his life in Ukraine. He joined the ranks of the Territorial Defense Forces on the first day of the full-scale Russian invasion.
He first fought in the Kyiv region, in the city of Irpin, then he went to the eastern front. Unfortunately, Astamur died on June 28 near the village of Dementiivka, Dergachiv district, Kharkiv region.
But even after this tragic event, Natalya did not get despaired. She showed her personal strength and decided to honor her son’s memory, Natalya founded the Astamur Gumba Peace Fund. It is planned that the Foundation will unite those who study conflicts and will explore the possibilities of overcoming conflicts that take millions of lives and often simmer for years; the Fund will be engaged in the research of conflicts in Southeast and Eastern Europe.
Natalya is an international journalist. In the summer of 2014, she and a team of like-minded people organized the photo exhibition “Donbas: War and Peace”, which at the time was exhibited in the European Parliament. Therefore, she knows how important the information component is in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Natalya is the winner of the first competitive program #VARTO from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine. With the help of the funds received from the UVF, she plans to produce visual content, for example, social advertising promoting the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Natalia is going to use the help for the acquisition of technical equipment, training in video making, editing, etc. It should become, according to Ms. Natalia’s plan, a full-fledged production studio with professional equipment, lighting, etc.
“Yes, my son died. But in a virtual sense, his life goes on. Therefore, this project is also his project. And we have to keep his memory alive,” says Natalya.
We support the strong. We make the strong stronger. The story of Mrs. Natalia, who lost her son in the war, but did not lose her yearning for victory, and she shows it so vividly.
At the age of 25, Oleksandr Morozov patented oil napkins for cleaning weapons. The need for such invention was dictated by his own combat experience.
“Once in 2015 I had to use my wounded comrade’s weapon for two weeks, because I did not have the opportunity to clean my machine gun. There was simply nothing. Then it occurred to me that something practical and reliable was needed,” says Oleksandr Morozov, who served in the ranks of the 95th Air Assault Brigade in the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
During the battles, in addition to the pollution that occurs as a result of intense shooting, dirt also sticks to weapons. Therefore, after the assault, the weapon becomes unusable, it needs to be cleaned. But the opportunity to do this often does not exist.
Oleksandr Morozov’s invention was designed to solve this pressing need of our servicemen. Now Clean Shot is the only Ukrainian manufacturer of oil-based napkins for cleaning weapons.
Oleksandr Morozov’s product has already managed to win the favor of the Ukrainian sector of national security and defense and international partners.
Reviews are only positive. The need for such napkins for our Defense Forces is only growing: intensive combat operations, assaults, and counter-offensives are ongoing for the liberation of Ukrainian land. Weapons must be loaded and clean.
“The transition of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to new weapons creates a demand for the improvement and expansion of means for cleaning both small arms and heavy weapons. Therefore, for production processes, we need to purchase additional equipment that will allow not only to expand, but also to reduce the cost of final products”, — Oleksandr Morozov comments on the plans for the development of his veteran business.
In addition, in the future it is planned to provide volunteer organizations and military personnel with free tools for cleaning weapons.
There are two ways to do this: investment by the enterprise and the opportunity for retail buyers to make a donation in the form of napkins for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
