Edu & Grant Program for Development Veteran-owned Businesses

The “Living with a Purpose” educational and grant program is being implemented as part of a platform designed to integrate veterans—both men and women—into entrepreneurship, financial processes, and public life. Its goal is to expand the economic opportunities for veterans and active-duty military personnel through training, mentoring, and grant funding to help them start or grow their own businesses. The program was initiated and is funded by PUMB and is implemented in partnership with the NGO “Redut Business” and KSE Graduate Business School.

Applicants must meet the programme eligibility requirements and comply with the participation conditions related to status, team composition, and business registration.

Key requirements include:

• the applicant must be a veteran or combat participant who already operates a business or plans to start one;
• the team must consist of two members;
• the applicant must already be registered as a sole proprietor (FOP) or be willing to register one if selected for funding;
• the applicant must have, or be ready to open, a business account with PUMB Bank;
• the application must be submitted by the first team member.

Applicants choose one of two categories:

• "Beginners" — teams with a business idea, prototype, or up to one year of business experience;
• "Experienced" — teams operating an existing business for more than one year.

Active military personnel may apply except military officers who are legally prohibited from conducting entrepreneurial activities.

The programme is implemented throughout Ukraine, excluding temporarily occupied territories and areas where active hostilities are taking place.

Among others, applicants are not eligible if they do not meet the programme requirements, engage in certain prohibited activities, are subject to legal restrictions, are undergoing bankruptcy proceedings, have significant outstanding debts, or submit false information.

Successful applicants may receive grant funding depending on the team category:

• up to UAH 500,000 for teams in the “Beginners” category;
• from UAH 500,000 to UAH 1,000,000 for teams in the “Experienced” category.

Grant funds may be used, among other things, for:

• purchasing equipment, software, consumables, raw materials, and packaging;
• marketing, advertising, consulting, and logistics services;
• video and photo content production;
• rent and utility costs during project implementation;
• certification (e.g. HACCP, ISO) and construction materials for project-related renovation works;
• other expenses directly related to launching or developing the business.

Grant funding cannot be used for direct financial assistance, transfers to personal bank accounts, purchases for the security and defence sector or dual-use goods, medical assistance for individuals, procurement of goods or services abroad, luxury items, gambling equipment, staff salaries, vehicle purchases, staff training, or any other expenditures prohibited under the legislation of Ukraine.

The programme supports veteran entrepreneurship and projects focused on launching, restoring, or expanding businesses.

Key supported activities include:

• starting and developing businesses by veterans, combat participants, military personnel, and their family members;
• implementing projects that promote economic independence, professional self-realisation, and job creation;
• supporting businesses through training, mentoring, and grant funding;
• scaling sustainable business models with strong market potential;
• restoring and developing business activities that were suspended due to the war.

The programme also promotes partnership building, knowledge sharing, and continued cooperation through its alumni community.

The programme is implemented through two consecutive phases: a preparation phase and a project implementation phase.

• Phase 1 (September – December 2026):
  • two-month online training on business plan development;
  • mentoring and expert support throughout the training period;
  • offline business plan presentations in December 2026.
• Phase 2 (January – April 2027):
  • signing agreements with the winning teams and conducting monitoring visits;
  • three months of mentoring and expert support;
  • implementation of procurement and tender procedures;
  • submission of project reports and final monitoring visits in April 2027.

To participate in the programme, applicants must submit an online application and meet the established eligibility requirements.

Main steps:

• Open and complete the online application form.
• The application must be submitted by the first team member, who must be a veteran or an active service member with combat participant status.
• The applicant must already be registered as a sole proprietor (FOP) or be willing to register one if selected.
• The business idea must belong to the applicant and be implemented through the applicant's FOP.
• Applicants operating under other legal business structures are not eligible for support under the programme.

Applications are submitted via the Google Form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfoVPt15J2_JvuSyvhWf3ibL6q0jIti2a6_MMf9TSPh1z-TA/viewform

Following the application deadline, the selection process is conducted through several stages.

• Technical screening verifies whether applications meet the Programme requirements.
• Expert evaluation is carried out by two independent experts, who assess each application based on:
  • the quality and potential of the business project;
  • the presence of a team and its capacity to implement the project;
  • the applicant's motivation and readiness to participate in the Programme.
• Each criterion is scored up to 10 points, with a maximum total score of 30 points.
• Applicants also undergo a business reputation review.
• Teams with the highest expert evaluation scores are invited to an interview.

After all selection stages are completed, a final list of 40 participating teams for the fourth season of the educational grant programme is established.

When filling out the application, you must upload a copy of your combat veteran ID or your war-related disability ID.

Within the programme, personal data are used exclusively for applicant registration, verification of eligibility, and programme implementation.

Key provisions include:

• each application is assigned a unique identification code, and the application undergoes a depersonalisation process to protect applicants' personal data;
• during the evaluation process, expert committee members do not have access to the applicant's name, identity documents, registration details, or any other information that could identify the applicant;
• personal data are processed and used in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On Personal Data Protection" and other applicable legislation of Ukraine;
• applicants may request the deletion of their personal data by submitting a written request to business.redut@redut.org.