Grant for starting a business for vulnerable populations

The Czech humanitarian organization People in Need, with financial support from Switzerland through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, announces a grant competition for individuals with limited economic opportunities.

The program aims to support people who lost income or business due to the war and plan to start entrepreneurial activities in target communities. 

Project geography:

• Dnipropetrovsk region: Kryvyi Rih, Pavlohrad, Dnipro, Dniprovskyi and Samarskyi districts.
• Kharkiv region: Berestynskyi, Kharkivskyi, Lozivskyi, Bohodukhivskyi, Chuhuivskyi districts.
• Applicants must reside in the targeted communities.

Who can apply:

• Local residents or internally displaced persons without registered businesses.
• Individuals aged 18 and above.
• Persons with low income who lost a business or job due to the war.
• Applicants willing to register a business activity (sole proprietor or legal entity).

Financial criterion:

• Average monthly income per person must not exceed 2.5 subsistence minimums (currently UAH 8,320).

Priority is given to:

• Persons with disabilities.
• Internally displaced persons.
• Single parents/guardians.
• Pre-retirement (50+) and elderly (60+) individuals.
• Ethnic minorities.
• Veterans.

The grant program provides funding for business start-ups of up to $4,000.

Eligible expenses:

• Asset recovery.
• Salaries for newly created jobs — up to 30% of the grant (1 month).
• Rent of premises (1 month).
• Repair and setup of premises.
• Purchase of equipment and tools.
• Raw materials for production — up to 30% of the grant amount.
• Staff training (up to 1 month).
• Marketing and advertising.
• Legal and consulting services.
• Other activities related to project implementation.

Ineligible expenses:

• Purchase of land or real estate.
• Alcohol and tobacco products.
• Debt repayment and taxes.
• International travel expenses.
• Agricultural goods (seeds, food products, etc.).
• Vehicles (cars, motorcycles, etc.).
• Pharmaceutical products.
• Fertilizers and pesticides.
• Military and surveillance equipment.
• Abortion-related equipment/services.
• Luxury items.
• Gambling equipment.
• Weather modification technologies.

Launch and development of entrepreneurial activities.

The microgrant project provides not only competitive grant funding but also free training and mentoring support for selected participants, delivered in online or offline formats. These activities are organized by the Czech humanitarian organization “People in Need” with financial support from a Swiss organization for development and cooperation.

Mandatory training will cover areas relevant to business development, including accounting, efficient work organization, business registration procedures, financial literacy, and related topics.

Key stages:

• Application deadline: March 31, 2026.
• Business idea implementation period: up to 60 calendar days.
• All activities must be completed by July 31, 2026.

Additional note:

• The program information was published on March 11, 2026.

The application process requires completing several mandatory steps and complying with established requirements.

Main steps:

• Review the application guidelines.
• Complete the grant application form.
• Prepare and attach a detailed budget.
• Review recommendations on business model, finance, and marketing.

Key conditions:

• Application deadline: March 31, 2026.
• All sections must be fully and correctly completed.
• Only one application per household is allowed.

Important notes:

• Non-compliant applications will not be considered.
• The selection committee may request additional clarifications.
• Results will be sent to the email указан in the application.

The evaluation of applications within the grant program is conducted in two stages.

Stage I — technical screening:

• Verification of application completeness and business registration.
• Assessment of economic vulnerability and geographic eligibility.
• Confirmation of understanding project timelines (up to 60 calendar days).
• Review of the business idea and transparency of information.
• No prior grant support from the organization “People in Need”.
• Selected applicants proceed to an interview stage.

Stage II — substantive evaluation:

• Relevance and feasibility of the business idea and budget plan.
• Analysis of the financial plan and cash flow.
• Risk assessment and business analysis.
• Marketing and promotional strategy.
• Expected community impact.
• Social orientation of the project (if applicable).
• Preference is given to applicants who have not previously received grant funding.

Results:

• Applications are ranked based on scores.
• Final decisions are made by a dedicated selection committee.
• Grant agreements are signed with selected winners.

Once their business ideas have been implemented, the winners will be required to submit reports on the use of grant funds.

No prior receipt of business grant support from “People in Need”.

Willingness to officially register a business (sole proprietor or legal entity).

Business activities must not fall under prohibited sectors:

• agriculture;
• defense industry;
• production or trade of alcohol and tobacco;
• other goods and services prohibited by Ukrainian law.