Economic Resilience Lab Grant Program

Economic Resilience Lab is an educational and grant program designed for civil society organizations that provide adult education aimed at employment or self-employment development. The program focuses on strengthening the capacity of these organizations to effectively implement educational initiatives and contribute to the economic resilience of their beneficiaries.

Within the program, participating organizations receive support in structuring their ideas and transforming them into realistic implementation plans, as well as the opportunity to test key solutions in practice. This includes identifying target groups, defining required skills, preparing participants for employment or entrepreneurship, and measuring the results of implemented initiatives.

Participation in the program requires not only submitting an application but also active engagement in the learning process, including readiness to learn, test new approaches, and apply acquired knowledge in organizational activities. The program is result-oriented and supports organizations in improving the effectiveness and impact of their educational and economic empowerment initiatives.

The grant program will support organizations with experience in adult education that strengthen their communities' economies and have a clear intention to improve and scale their solutions.

Within the grant program, financial support is provided to civil society organizations to implement initiatives aimed at strengthening employment opportunities and economic resilience. The optimal grant amount is USD 30,000, enabling organizations to implement practical solutions and scale their programs.

In addition to funding, grantees receive practical knowledge, mentoring support, and expert guidance, which helps ensure effective project implementation and enhances overall impact. This integrated approach combines financial assistance with institutional capacity development.

At the same time, the program establishes certain eligibility and funding restrictions. In particular, grants are not provided to organizations registered outside Ukraine or implementing activities outside the country, nor to entities affiliated with political parties or elected officials. Furthermore, informal initiatives without legal registration are not eligible, ensuring transparency and proper financial accountability.

Within the grant program, a comprehensive set of supported activities is предусмотрено to strengthen organizational capacity, improve project proposals, and support the implementation of selected initiatives. The key activities include:

• training through the Organizational Capacity School — a 4-day intensive training held in Lviv with the participation of experienced experts. Representatives of organizations (leaders and project managers) take part to develop project management and organizational development skills;
• post-training mentoring support — participants receive individual expert guidance for three weeks to refine and strengthen their project proposals, improving their quality and readiness for funding;
• grant funding for selected projects — following the competition, the best revised proposals receive financial support to enable project implementation and employment-related outcomes;
• exchange and networking — participants have the opportunity to collaborate with other organizations, share best practices, and join the Razom for Ukraine community for continued professional development and partnerships.

To participate, please fill out the application form at the link.

The evaluation criteria within the grant program involve a multi-factor selection process aimed at identifying the most motivated and eligible participants.

• Participant selection is conducted through screening applications and assessing the applicant’s motivation to work in the chosen professional field and apply the acquired knowledge in practice.
• Priority is given to unemployed individuals and representatives of vulnerable groups, in line with the program’s social focus and its goal of supporting economic integration.
• Additional preference is granted to applicants whose professional interests align with the priority economic sectors defined by the program.
• These sectors include, in particular, light industry, technological and dual-tech manufacturing, construction, agriculture and processing, craft production, renewable energy, the care economy and veteran support, as well as skilled services.
• Overall, the evaluation aims to identify candidates with the highest potential for employment, professional development, and contribution to economic recovery within the targeted sectors.

Receiving the grant requires mandatory reporting on how the funds were used, including:

• financial reporting, including scanned copies (photos) of all invoices, contracts, acceptance certificates, and waybills;
• photos and videos demonstrating the key activities carried out under the grant project;
• a narrative report describing how the funds were used, including quantitative and qualitative indicators of the assistance provided and its impact on the civilian population of Ukraine;
• maintenance and submission of statistical data on the number of people who received assistance through the grant funding.