ISAR Ednannia and the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine have signed a cooperation agreement and announced the launch of the Varto: Ednannia 2.0 grant competition for civil society organizations (CSOs).
Up to 2 million UAH in funding is available for projects aimed at helping veterans acquire new professional skills and enhance their competitiveness in the job market. Key insights from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation survey: 39% of surveyed veterans anticipate challenges in finding employment, 51.7% believe that the lack of adapted workplaces and retraining programs are key barriers, and 42.28% report a skills gap or skill loss due to military service.
"High-quality policies and services for veterans can only be achieved through cooperation — between the government, businesses, civil society, and our partners. We also recognize how critical it is to strengthen veterans' economic opportunities. This can be done by enhancing their competitiveness in the labor market, particularly through access to education. So, we are launching such projects together with the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation and ISAR Ednannia," explained Yulia Kirillova, Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine.
Civil society organizations that win the competition will receive between 500,000 and 1 million UAH from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation to implement projects.
"Community initiatives have proven their effectiveness. They are aimed at the reintegration of veterans and their families into active life, the restoration of their physical condition, the provision of mentorship support and consultations on veteran entrepreneurship, as well as social support for veterans and their families," said Nina Rohovets, Acting Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.
Additionally, participants may apply for co-funding from ISAR Ednannia from 100,000 to 1 million UAH, depending on the category of expenses. The support will include the organizational development of veteran and pro-veteran CSOs, activities focused on researching the needs of veterans and their families, advocacy for their rights, and organizing events aimed at the recovery and reintegration of veterans into active community life.
"Veteran policy today is a crucial factor in national security and defense. How the state cares for veterans influences many on whether to serve. ISAR Ednannia is pleased to contribute to strengthening veteran policy, assist the Ministry in its initiatives to develop veteran organizations and provide them with additional support. We also want to thank our Norwegian and Swedish partners, Norad and Sida, for giving us this opportunity," emphasized Natalia Klymova, Deputy Executive Director of ISAR Ednannia.
The application process for the Varto: Ednannia 2.0 grant competition starts on February 11 and will run until February 20 (inclusive). For detailed information about the competition, visit the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation website.
The Varto: Ednannia 2.0 competition is implemented by the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation in partnership with ISAR Ednannia as part of the Strong Civil Society of Ukraine a Driver Towards Reforms and Democracy Project, implemented by ISAR Ednannia with support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
