Civil Society Organization "The Initiative Center to Support Social Action "Ednannia" was founded in 1997 and officially registered in 1999. Ednannia that stands for "unity" is really our philosophy and mission embodied in the title of our organization.

ISAR Ednannia has deep historical roots. Initially established in 1983 as a private American nonprofit organization, the Institute for Soviet-American Relations (later known as the Initiative for Social Action and Renewal in Eurasia) was created to promote cultural relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. In 1992-93, ISAR was established in Ukraine and other former Soviet Union countries. ISAR’s aim was to implement support programs for local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and charitable organizations. 

As they evolved, these programs became the basis for creating an organization that could respond to the changing needs of the civic movement in Ukraine. ISAR dedicated itself to the establishment and development of the civic initiatives in Ukraine, in particular, to supporting civil society organizations (CSOs, i.e. NGOs and Charitable Foundations) through information sharing, education, funding, and partnership development with other sectors of society (the state, business, academia).

In 1999, ISAR’s team in Ukraine established an independent Ukrainian organization, The Initiative Center To Support Social Action And Develop Civic Initiative “Ednannia ''. The abbreviation ISAR was preserved to honor its historical origins and commitment. Like its predecessor, ISAR Ednannia has adapted to the emerging needs of civil society in Ukraine. Today, even as the Russian War casts its shadow over Ukraine, ISAR Ednannia continues its critical works in support of local and regional communities and the non-government organizations that support the civil and democratic development of Ukraine.

ISAR Ednannia’s main areas of focus are to promote the development of: 

1. Self-reliant civil society in Ukraine through grant support, training and mentoring of civil-society organizations.
2. Communities and philanthropy through increasing the involvement of community residents in supporting local projects in their own cities, villages and territorial communities, and building a culture of philanthropy and charity.
3. Intersectoral dialogue and cooperation by developing, expanding and strengthening relationships between government, business and the civic sector in order to improve local communities, and jointly address emergent needs and achieve strategic goals. 
4. Build a community of like-minded people by connecting activists, enterprising members of society to support the activities of civic organizations and develop civil society.

Annually, ISAR Ednannia provides financial support to over 500 organizations from all regions within Ukraine and it partners with many of the world's foremost agencies and organizations including, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the European Union (EU), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Government of Sweden, the World Bank, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Mott Foundation, the DOEN Foundation, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe, IZ Vielfalt Dialog Bildung, and the Akademia Rozwoju Filantropii w Polsce.  

Since its founding, ISAR Ednannia has funded over 6000 grants and is one of the most experienced organizations in Ukraine. Not only has ISAR Ednannia been a leader in the sector through its development of new systems of grant monitoring and management (System of Automatized Grant Management, or “SAGMa”), but it has been highly successful in its comprehensive approach to community and organizational development through micro-grant support, training, mentoring, and consultation. ISAR Ednannia has continued to innovate, and in 2009 launched a unparalleled Civil Society Capacity Development Platform MARKETPLACE (http://cd-platform.org) that connects CSOs seeking capacity development services with organizational development providers on a demand-driven basis (versus donor-driven approaches that were previously used). Currently new and updated website for Civil Society Home https://home.ednannia.ua/en is in the launch phase and will be continued to fill in with relevant information.