Grant competition for employers to create jobs for war veterans

The NGO "Agency for Economic Development," within the framework of the "Social Bonds" project, announces an open competition for employers in the Voznesensk territorial community. The initiative is implemented by The Possible in partnership with the local city council, with the support of the Robert Bosch Foundation. Its main goal is to support businesses that are ready to create appropriate conditions for the employment of war veterans, ensure their professional adaptation, and facilitate their successful integration into the workforce.

The program envisions providing 10 grants, each consisting of a fixed amount of UAH 207,000. Entrepreneurs can direct the received funds exclusively toward the creation or adaptation of a workplace: purchasing equipment, furniture, tools, specialized software, or covering training and retraining for the veteran. A single employer has the opportunity to receive up to two grants if they create two corresponding jobs.

To participate in the competition, an enterprise must be officially registered and operating within the Voznesensk community for at least 6 months. A crucial condition is the business's capacity to independently pay the employed veteran's wages and maintain the newly created job for a minimum of 12 months. The official employment of the worker must take place no later than November 30, 2026.

• Individual entrepreneurs (FOP) and private law legal entities (LLC, PE, etc.) that are not in the process of termination or bankruptcy.
• Businesses that are officially registered and actually operate in the territory of the Voznesensk city territorial community (the workplace is created specifically in this territory).
• Candidates who have had the official status of an employer for at least 6 months prior to the date of application submission.
• Employers who have a real need for an employee and are capable of paying their wages and taxes at their own expense.

• The size of one grant is UAH 207,000 (this is the total accrued amount of the sub-grant, which already includes the tax withholdings prescribed by law).
• One employer can apply for a maximum of two grants (total amount up to UAH 414,000) provided that two jobs are actually created.
• Eligible expenses: purchase of equipment, furniture, tools, hardware, consumables, licensed software, payment for installation and configuration services, as well as expenses for training or retraining the veteran.
• Ineligible expenses: payment of wages, payment of payroll taxes and fees, repayment of debts, fines, provision of financial assistance to third parties, and the purchase of unrelated goods or services.
• Co-financing: direct monetary co-financing of the grant budget is not required; however, the employer is obligated to fully pay the veteran's wages at their own expense, cover all related payroll taxes, and financially sustain the created job for at least 12 months.

• Purchase of equipment, tools, furniture, technical devices, and other goods for arranging the workplace.
• Purchase of necessary consumables.
• Payment for works and services required to create or adapt the workplace (assembly, installation, configuration of equipment).
• Purchase, implementation, and configuration of software, digital services, and specialized programs required to perform job duties.
• Training, retraining, or professional development of the employed veteran (if directly related to their future position).

• September 11, 2026: Start of accepting competition applications.
• September 22, 2026 (until 14:00): Deadline for receiving consultations regarding participation conditions, budget preparation, and application filling.
• September 22, 2026 (until 20:00): Deadline for submitting applications (in PDF format via email).
• By September 26, 2026: Announcement of results (no later than 3 days after the committee determines the winners).
• Within 2 days from the announcement of results: Period for submitting appeals (challenging decisions).
• By November 30, 2026: Deadline for the targeted use of funds and official employment of the veteran in the created job.

During the next 12 months: Mandatory retention of the workplace for the employed veteran.

1. Prepare a document package in PDF format (all files must be signed by the head, individual entrepreneur, or authorized person manually or using a qualified electronic signature — QES).
2. Send the application to the email: zhukova@aer.net.ua.
3. In the subject line of the email, it is mandatory to indicate: "Grant competition for employers — [applicant name / Full name of individual entrepreneur]"

• Alignment with the competition's goal and the reality of the need for the workplace — up to 20 points.
• Quality and realism of the plan for creating or adapting the workplace — up to 20 points.
• Justification of the budget — up to 20 points.
• Experience and capacity of the employer — up to 15 points.
• Capacity to maintain the workplace for 12 months — up to 15 points.
• Plan for the professional adaptation of the veteran — up to 10 points.

Note: If necessary, the competition committee may conduct additional interviews with selected candidates.

1. Filled out and signed application form in the established format (Annex 1).
2. Detailed grant budget for a total amount of UAH 207,000 (Annex 2).
3. Current extract or statement from the Unified State Register (EDR).
4. Document confirming the taxation system.
5. Documents confirming the employer status for a minimum of 6 months (tax reporting regarding employed persons with confirmation of its acceptance, staffing table, or certificate on the number of employees).
6. The latest submitted financial or tax reporting with confirmation of its acceptance.
7. Calculation of the capacity to pay wages, taxes, and maintain the workplace for 12 months.
8. Bank details of the business or corporate account.
9. Signed declaration of compliance with the competition conditions, accuracy of information, absence of prohibited affiliation, and conflict of interest.

• The sub-grant recipient is obliged to use the funds in a targeted manner exclusively in accordance with the approved budget and exclusively for the creation/adaptation of a workplace for a veteran.
• Grant funds are transferred only to an official business or corporate bank account.
• The employer must provide consent for document verification, activity monitoring, and reporting on the use of received funds.
• The official employment of the veteran must take place no later than November 30, 2026, after which the position is retained for them for at least 12 months.

• The competition is conducted by the NGO "Agency for Economic Development" within the framework of the "Social Bonds" project (implemented by The Possible together with the Voznesensk City Council and the Robert Bosch Foundation).
• The concept of a "war veteran" is regulated by the Law of Ukraine "On the Status of War Veterans, Guarantees of Their Social Protection" and includes combatants, persons with war-related disabilities, and war participants.
• An individual grant agreement is concluded with each winner, which fixes the final budget; submitting an application in itself does not guarantee receiving funding.
• After the application deadline, changes to the proposed workplace, general concept, or overall budget are not allowed.