Business development grants under the REMARKET project

The Recovery and Empowerment through Market Access and Resilient Economic Transformation in Ukraine (REMARKET) project is a three-year initiative implemented by Caritas Switzerland in partnership with Caritas Ukraine, Caritas-Spes Ukraine, and SPARK.

Funding is provided directly by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the If Foundation, as well as with the support of international partners of the Caritas network: Caritas Austria, Cordaid, and Trócaire.

The goal of REMARKET is to improve resilience, earning opportunities, and positively impact the development of the beekeeping, sewing, and bakery sectors through support for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

The project provides equal opportunities for Ukrainians who have been internally displaced, non-displaced, or host communities, as well as those returning to Ukraine. Selected businesses will receive support in the form of grants, business development services, and better access to finance.

• Applicants can be micro, small, or medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
• The business must be officially registered and operating for at least 6 months (this must be confirmed by data from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs, and Public Associations - EDRPOU).
• Applicants must be registered and operate in one of the designated regions: Odesa, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ivano-Frankivsk, or Lviv.
• Enterprises must operate in the sectors of beekeeping, the sewing industry, bakery, or related areas of activity (provided that at least 25% of the business income is directly related to the goods or services of the target sector).
• Active military personnel cannot be applicants and grant recipients within this competition.

• Applicants can apply for grant support for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) up to 237,000 hryvnias.
• Co-financing is not a mandatory condition for receiving a grant, but the readiness to invest own funds is an advantage during evaluation.
• Expenses for production equipment can account for up to 100% of the grant amount.
• Expenses for equipment for related areas of activity and/or modernization of existing production equipment together must not exceed 30% of the grant.
• Expenses for software for production equipment, delivery and installation of equipment, marketing, purchase of raw materials, and certification together must not exceed 30% of the grant.
• Alternative energy supply equipment is supported exclusively as auxiliary funding for production equipment (subject to technical justification, a payback period of up to 24 months, and the absence of other funding sources).
• Funding exclusively for alternative energy supply is unacceptable.
• All allowed expenses must clearly correspond to the project goal set out in the applicant's business plan.

• Development, expansion, or strengthening of business amidst current economic challenges.
• Improving market access, strengthening business capacity, and increasing the financial resilience of the enterprise.
• In the beekeeping sector: honey production, its processing, manufacturing products with added value, packaging, storage, and the development of sales channels.
• In the sewing industry: improving product quality, expanding assortment or product lines, transitioning from single orders to stable contracts, working with branding, packaging, or standardization.
• In the bakery sector: regular production of bakery and/or confectionery products for the purpose of sale.
• Undergoing business development training (business development services).

The entire processing process—from application submission to direct grant disbursement—can take about 3.5 months.

• Applicants must submit their applications by 11.10.2026.
• The submission process takes place through filling out a special online registration form via links on the KoboToolbox platform.
• For each target region (Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, Odesa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv), a separate registration link and separate contact details of the local teams of the Caritas Ukraine or Caritas-Spes Ukraine project are provided.

• The main selection criterion is business viability and its positive impact on the target industry.
• Expansion of market ties: it is evaluated how clearly the applicant demonstrates the ability of investments in equipment to strengthen or establish new commercial relationships.
• The business's possession of multiple sales channels, the ability to effectively use the grant for production development, and the maintenance of basic financial accounting are evaluated.
• Belonging to vulnerable groups: priority is given to enterprises owned or managed by women, youth, the elderly, veterans, persons with disabilities, and/or representatives of ethnic minorities.
• Preference will be given to applicants who are ready to reasonably invest their own funds in the implementation of the proposed business idea.

• Certificate of registration

OR

• Extract on registration in the EDR

OR

• Excerpt from the EDR.

• Grant recipients are required to submit exclusively reliable data about their activities and use grant funds for the purposes specified in the business plan.
• Grant recipients must provide all necessary documents for the application and reporting.
• Participants are obliged to facilitate the integrity check (due diligence), provide all necessary documents, and actively participate in on-site monitoring visits.
• To avoid double funding and ensure the targeted use of funds, appropriate checks on legality and integrity will be carried out.
• The project strictly adheres to a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption, abuse of power, discrimination on any grounds, sexual exploitation, and violence.
• Failure to fulfill any of the obligations may result in the suspension or termination of the grant agreement with the right to demand the return of disbursed funds.

• Applicants must be officially registered and operating for at least 6 months (confirmed by information from the EDRPOU).
• 
  The enterprise's activity must be carried out in one of the designated regions: Odesa, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ivano-Frankivsk, or Lviv.
• MSMEs must operate in one of the target sectors (beekeeping, sewing industry, bakery) or related areas of activity provided that at least 25% of the business income is directly related to the goods or services of the target sector.
• Active military personnel cannot be applicants and grant recipients within this competition.
• Grant recipients are obliged to use grant funds exclusively for the purposes specified in the business plan and to submit reliable data about their activities.
• Participants are obliged to provide all necessary documents for the application and reporting, as well as to facilitate the integrity check (due diligence) and take an active part in on-site monitoring visits.
• The project strictly adheres to a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and abuse, abuse of power, discrimination on any grounds, as well as sexual exploitation and violence.
• Failure to fulfill any of the obligations may result in the suspension or termination of the grant agreement, while the organization reserves the right to demand the return of disbursed funds.