Introduction
East Europe Foundation is a Ukrainian charitable, nonprofit, and nongovernmental development organization based in Kyiv. The Foundation supports civil society, democratic governance, digital transformation, community development, economic recovery, social innovation, humanitarian response, and Ukraine’s European integration.
East Europe Foundation works with Ukrainian civil society organizations, national and local authorities, businesses, educational institutions, international donors, and community leaders. Its activities combine grantmaking, training, institutional development, research, digital tools, public-awareness campaigns, and technical assistance.
The Foundation has implemented more than 100 programs of different sizes and durations, establishing itself as an important contributor to Ukraine’s civil society and development sectors.
History and Background
Origins of East Europe Foundation
East Europe Foundation was launched in November 2007 by the Eurasia Foundation as a locally governed Ukrainian development organization. It built upon the Eurasia Foundation’s experience of supporting civil society, entrepreneurship, public administration, and policy reform in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
The Eurasia Foundation began operating in Ukraine in 1993. Before the establishment of East Europe Foundation, it had invested more than $44 million in grants, loans, and technical assistance in Ukraine. It also supported initiatives in Belarus and Moldova.
East Europe Foundation was created to continue and localize this work, giving a Ukrainian organization greater responsibility for designing and implementing programs responsive to the country’s changing needs.
Evolution of the Foundation
During its early years, East Europe Foundation concentrated on local economic development, effective governance, social partnerships, community initiatives, and civil society capacity building.
Its work later expanded into areas such as:
- Electronic governance and digital public services.
- Open data and government transparency.
- Civil society development and civic participation.
- Social entrepreneurship and small-business assistance.
- Education and professional development.
- Energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.
- Humanitarian assistance and support for displaced people.
- Mine-risk education and mine-action capacity.
- Community recovery and reconstruction.
- Ukraine’s integration into the European Union.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Foundation significantly expanded its humanitarian, resilience, recovery, and civil society support. It has continued developing digital solutions while helping communities, nonprofit organizations, vulnerable groups, and small enterprises respond to the effects of war.
Mission and Purpose
Organizational Mission
East Europe Foundation’s mission is to transform Ukraine into a state that serves its people. Its work seeks to empower communities to take responsibility for their futures and develop sustainable social and economic well-being.
The Foundation’s vision is a globally competitive, modern Ukraine that is attractive to its people and prepared for the future.
Strategic Objectives
East Europe Foundation advances its mission by:
- Strengthening the institutional capacity of Ukrainian civil society organizations.
- Promoting transparent, accountable, and participatory governance.
- Supporting digital transformation and accessible public services.
- Helping communities respond to emergencies and recover from war.
- Encouraging cooperation between citizens, government institutions, businesses, and donors.
- Supporting local economic development, social enterprises, and small businesses.
- Increasing public participation in community recovery and democratic reforms.
- Promoting human rights, inclusion, gender equality, and environmental sustainability.
- Assisting Ukraine’s preparation for European Union membership.
Organizational Values
East Europe Foundation identifies people, dignity, rights, and diversity as central to its work. It aims to create conditions in which individuals and partner organizations can develop their capabilities and participate in decision-making.
Its principal values include:
- People: Respecting human dignity, rights, diversity, and individual potential.
- Integrity: Maintaining high standards of honesty, ethical conduct, transparency, and accountability.
- Professionalism: Applying experience, knowledge, and responsible management to development programs.
- Partnership: Working collaboratively with communities, government, civil society, businesses, and international organizations.
- Innovation: Using new approaches, digital solutions, and civic technology to address public challenges.
Governance and Structure
Nonprofit Governance
East Europe Foundation operates as an independent Ukrainian charitable and nongovernmental organization. Its institutional structure includes a Board of Directors, executive leadership, program teams, financial and administrative personnel, communications specialists, and technical experts.
The Board provides strategic oversight and helps ensure that the organization operates according to its mission, internal policies, donor requirements, and Ukrainian law.
The Foundation is led by President Victor Liakh, who oversees its strategic direction, organizational development, partnerships, and program implementation.
Ethical and Accountability Standards
East Europe Foundation maintains a Code of Ethics covering relationships with donors, employees, grant applicants, partners, consultants, and beneficiaries. The policy emphasizes impartiality, equal access to grant information, prevention of conflicts of interest, and responsible use of donor funding.
Employees, consultants, advisers, and board members may not accept gifts or benefits in exchange for favorable grant decisions. Organizations attempting to influence the grant-review process through gifts or favors may be excluded from current and future funding.
The Foundation also applies restrictions to grants involving close relatives of employees, consultants, advisers, or board members.
Responsible Donor Engagement
East Europe Foundation does not accept funding when there is an unacceptable risk that the donor is responsible for serious human-rights violations, severe environmental damage, gross corruption, forced labor, child exploitation, or other major ethical violations.
Since January 2019, the Foundation has also maintained a policy against accepting funding from alcohol and tobacco producers.
As a participant in the United Nations Global Compact, it seeks to observe principles concerning human rights, labor, environmental responsibility, and anti-corruption.
Funding and Grants
Funding Mechanisms
East Europe Foundation finances its work primarily through partnerships with international development agencies, foreign governments, humanitarian funds, European institutions, charitable organizations, private-sector partners, and other donors.
Funding is generally assigned to specific programs addressing agreed development or humanitarian priorities. The Foundation then uses these resources to:
- Award grants and subgrants to civil society organizations.
- Provide microgrants to businesses and social enterprises.
- Deliver humanitarian and technical assistance.
- Develop online educational courses and digital platforms.
- Conduct research and organizational assessments.
- Organize training, mentoring, networking, and public consultations.
- Build digital public-service infrastructure.
- Implement communication and public-awareness campaigns.
Grant Competitions
East Europe Foundation periodically announces competitive funding opportunities that align with its strategic priorities. Depending on the program, eligible applicants may include:
- Ukrainian civil society organizations.
- Charitable and nonprofit organizations.
- Local and regional community groups.
- Social enterprises.
- Micro and small businesses.
- Analytical and resource centers.
- Organizations assisting internally displaced people and war-affected communities.
- Groups working on recovery, advocacy, inclusion, environmental sustainability, or European integration.
Grant Assessment
Grant requirements differ between programs, but applications may be evaluated according to:
- Alignment with the competition’s objectives.
- Demonstrated needs of the target population or community.
- Organizational and financial capacity.
- Feasibility of the proposed activities.
- Expected results and measurable impact.
- Realistic and cost-effective budgeting.
- Inclusion, gender equality, and environmental considerations.
- Sustainability beyond the grant period.
- Experience working with relevant communities or beneficiaries.
- Compliance with legal, ethical, and donor requirements.
Applicants should review the official guidelines for each competition because eligibility, geographic coverage, funding amounts, deadlines, and application procedures vary.
Major Programs and Initiatives
EGAP: E-Governance for Accountability and Participation
The E-Governance for Accountability and Participation Program, commonly known as EGAP, supports digital transformation, accountable governance, and public participation in Ukraine.
The program has contributed to the development of electronic public services, digital platforms, open-data tools, and civic technologies. It encourages citizens to participate in governance while helping public institutions provide more efficient and accessible services.
EGAP has also supported digital participation instruments that enable residents to submit petitions, participate in consultations, propose local initiatives, and communicate with public authorities.
Zrozumilo! Online Educational Platform
The Foundation operates the Zrozumilo! educational platform, which offers free online courses for civil society representatives, public officials, local governments, educators, students, and members of the public.
Courses cover subjects such as:
- Project and results-based management.
- Fundraising and organizational sustainability.
- Digital transformation and open data.
- Humanitarian response.
- Participatory budgeting.
- Strategic planning.
- Communications and advocacy.
- Risk management and crisis communications.
- Mine safety.
- Civil society organizational development.
The platform makes professional learning available to people across Ukraine, including those unable to attend in-person training.
Capable and Resistant Program
The Capable and Resistant Program strengthens Ukrainian civil society organizations and helps them respond to the humanitarian and social consequences of war. It is implemented with financial support from Switzerland.
The program provides grants, institutional development, training, mentoring, and humanitarian support. It assists organizations serving vulnerable groups, war-affected residents, and communities requiring recovery services.
During the first two phases in 2022–2024, the program reported reaching 15,594 and 13,832 unique beneficiaries, respectively.
Impulse Project
The Impulse Project runs from 2024 to 2027 and is implemented by East Europe Foundation and the International Renaissance Foundation with support from Norway and Sweden.
It aims to strengthen civil society organizations in Ukrainian regions severely affected by war. Its activities promote participation in early recovery, human-rights protection, democratic reform, gender equality, inclusion, and environmental sustainability.
The initiative includes:
- More than 100 small grants for local and regional organizations.
- Institutional grants for analytical and resource centers.
- Organizational Capacity Assessments.
- Individual organizational-development plans.
- Mentoring and professional consultations.
- Training in financial management, communications, and project management.
- Online courses for civil society organizations.
- Networking and experience-sharing events.
The project covers selected regions, including Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Chernihiv.
Phoenix: The Power of Communities
Phoenix: The Power of Communities supports the recovery of Ukrainian territorial communities and strengthens civil society participation in reconstruction and European integration.
With European Union support, the initiative provides grants for recovery projects, advocacy campaigns, institutional development, public accountability, and cooperation between civil society and local authorities.
Supported initiatives may address transparent reconstruction, citizen participation, community planning, inclusive recovery, and preparation for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union.
Humanitarian Response and Shelter Assistance
Through initiatives such as Together We Shelter, East Europe Foundation has supported organizations providing accommodation, shelter improvements, and humanitarian assistance to internally displaced people and other war-affected populations.
Local nonprofit organizations have received grants to renovate shelters, deliver essential assistance, and improve living conditions for displaced families.
Support for Small Businesses
East Europe Foundation has provided microgrants and technical assistance to Ukrainian micro and small enterprises affected by the war.
One earlier microgrant initiative planned to assist more than 300 enterprises with financing of UAH 150,000 each. Related programs have supported business continuity, job preservation, energy independence, and local economic recovery.
Mine Safety and Mine Action
The Foundation has implemented mine-risk education and public-awareness programs in cooperation with Ukrainian institutions and international donors. These initiatives inform people about explosive hazards and promote safer behavior in contaminated or formerly occupied territories.
Its mine-safety communication work has received international recognition, including awards at the Digital Impact Awards. The Foundation has also expanded into programs designed to strengthen Ukraine’s broader mine-action capacity.
Ukraine’s European Integration
East Europe Foundation supports Ukraine’s progress toward European Union membership through research, public communication, policy dialogue, civil society participation, and cooperation with European partners.
Its programs help communities and organizations understand EU standards, monitor reforms, advocate for transparent recovery, and participate in decisions connected to European integration.
Impact and Examples of Work Funded
Strengthening Civil Society Organizations
According to the Foundation’s 2023–2024 report, East Europe Foundation provided more than 100 grants to civil society organizations for institutional development, humanitarian response, and community projects.
Grant recipients have worked in areas such as:
- Assistance for internally displaced people.
- Community recovery and reconstruction.
- Protection of vulnerable populations.
- Advocacy and government accountability.
- Digital innovation and civic participation.
- Human rights and social inclusion.
- Organizational sustainability.
- Environmental and energy initiatives.
Development Despite Disruption
The European Union-funded 3D Project: Development Despite Disruption supported civil society organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic and the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
An external evaluation reported that:
- 93.75% of surveyed participants improved their ability to use innovative tools and knowledge in civil society operations.
- 94.1% strengthened skills in areas including policy analysis, project management, fundraising, budgeting, communication, and advocacy.
- 68.75% improved their access to local decision-making.
- 82% increased their ability to operate effectively during pandemic restrictions.
The project demonstrated how training, grants, digital tools, coaching, and institutional support can improve organizational resilience.
Digital Transformation of Public Services
East Europe Foundation has helped introduce digital tools and registers that make Ukrainian public services more accessible, transparent, and efficient.
Its partnerships with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, local authorities, and international donors have supported digital public infrastructure and new forms of citizen participation. These tools have become particularly valuable during wartime, when people may be displaced or unable to access government offices.
Humanitarian and Community Resilience
Through local grantmaking, East Europe Foundation has enabled Ukrainian organizations to deliver humanitarian assistance directly to communities. This community-based model allows support to be adapted to local needs and delivered through organizations familiar with the affected population.
Examples include improving shelters for displaced people, assisting vulnerable groups, supporting social services, and strengthening local organizations involved in recovery.
Economic Recovery
Business microgrants and energy-support initiatives have helped Ukrainian enterprises continue operating despite war-related disruption. Such assistance can contribute to preserving employment, restoring local services, supporting household income, and strengthening community economies.
Educational Reach
The Zrozumilo! platform extends the Foundation’s impact beyond direct grantees. Its free digital courses allow public officials, nonprofit professionals, educators, students, and community members across Ukraine to acquire practical skills.
Online learning also helps the Foundation share tested practices in humanitarian response, organizational management, digital governance, advocacy, and public participation at scale.
Conclusion
East Europe Foundation is a major Ukrainian development organization working at the intersection of civil society, democratic governance, digital innovation, humanitarian response, and community recovery. Established in 2007, it has built on decades of development experience while continually adapting its programs to Ukraine’s changing social, political, and economic environment.
The Foundation’s combination of grants, training, institutional support, digital platforms, research, and partnerships enables it to strengthen both individual organizations and wider public systems. Its work has become especially important since 2022, as Ukrainian communities respond to war, displacement, economic disruption, and the challenges of reconstruction.
For more information, visit here.
