Briefly
Program description
The International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX), with the support of the U.S. Department of State, has announced a call for applications under the Ukraine Veterans Rehabilitation and Reintegration Program (UVRR).
The program focuses on supporting veterans with disabilities who face significant barriers when transitioning to civilian employment. The key challenges identified include:
- limited opportunities to return to previous professions;
- the need for retraining and professional adaptation;
- difficulties accessing local labor markets;
- the need for individualized support and workplace accommodations.
The initiative aims to develop practical and scalable reintegration models that will help veterans with disabilities secure and maintain long-term employment.
The program also supports:
- partnership-based interventions;
- piloting and validation of evidence-based employment models;
- improved access to local labor markets for veterans;
- support for employers in workplace adaptation and inclusive hiring practices.
IREX will competitively select partners to develop, pilot, and validate reintegration models in the field of employment for veterans with disabilities.
Main Information
Eligibility
Eligible applicants under the grant program include civil society organisations (CSOs), specifically:
- non-governmental organisations;
- charitable organisations;
- charitable foundations;
- CSO consortiums with clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and budget allocations.
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- be officially registered legal entities under Ukrainian legislation;
- operate within the territory of Ukraine;
- hold non-profit status;
- ensure that proposed activities align with UVRR program goals and the RFA requirements.
Applications must clearly describe the expected results and the project’s long-term impact.
The program also requires formal partnership and cooperation arrangements. Applicants must provide confirmation of cooperation with local self-government bodies, public or private institutions, and employers. Such cooperation should be documented through letters of support, Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), or similar documents.
Program restrictions include:
- political parties and organisations pursuing political or lobbying objectives are not eligible;
- activities must take place only in territories controlled by the Government of Ukraine;
- organisations must not be suspended, disqualified, or otherwise non-compliant.
Applicants are also required to comply with relevant U.S. government regulations, including procurement standards and cost principles.
Applications may be submitted in either Ukrainian or English. Proposed implementation timelines must remain within the limits defined by the grant competition.
Financing
Subject to the availability of funding, IREX plans to award up to two grants with a total potential value of up to USD 200,000.
The program states that co-financing is not required from applicants.
At the same time, the subgrant funding includes several restrictions on eligible use of funds. Grant funding may not be used for:
- repayment of previous obligations or debts;
- fines, penalties, or gambling activities;
- international travel and business trips;
- purchase of alcoholic beverages;
- political or religious activities;
- loans;
- construction or reconstruction works;
- purchase or rental of land or buildings;
- commercial or venture projects;
- gifts, prizes, or individual scholarships;
- activities conducted outside Ukraine;
- procurement from suppliers restricted from participating in U.S. government tenders.
Grant funds also may not be used for:
- expenses not directly related to project implementation;
- procurement of large long-term equipment assets;
- support to military or defense structures;
- food products, humanitarian aid, or disposable goods;
- scientific research conducted for special experiments.
Supported Activities
The grant program supports projects focused on the employment and long-term labour market reintegration of veterans with disabilities.
Priority is given to initiatives that:
- are based on verified labour market demand;
- involve active employer participation;
- ensure workplace accessibility and adaptation;
- focus not only on training, but also on employment and job retention outcomes.
Supported activities may include:
- labour market assessments and vacancy mapping;
- reskilling and upskilling activities;
- workplace-based learning;
- internships, apprenticeships, and practical training;
- recognition of prior learning and military-acquired skills;
- workplace adaptation and accessibility measures;
- employment support and post-placement assistance.
Projects may target occupations and sectors related to:
- construction and repair services;
- energy and utility services;
- logistics and transportation;
- digital services;
- technical operations and machinery;
- prosthetics and rehabilitation;
- infrastructure management and related services.
The program specifically notes that proposals focused only on training, without a documented employer engagement or employment plan, will not be considered competitive.
The program also supports approaches involving:
- flexible, hybrid, and remote service delivery;
- assistive technologies and digital tools;
- participation of families, peer-support groups, and veterans themselves in program design;
- development of evidence-based practices and knowledge-sharing for future scaling.
Applicants are expected to demonstrate sustainability mechanisms and integration of services into local or national support systems after the completion of grant funding.
Roadmap
The grant program defines key timelines for application submission and project implementation.
Main stages include:
- applications must be submitted no later than June 10, 2026, at 23:59 Kyiv time;
- late or incomplete applications may not be considered;
- the expected project implementation period is 9–12 months;
- the planned project start date is July 2026;
- the indicative implementation period is July 2026 – August 2027.
The program предусматривает long-term project implementation with phased delivery of planned activities.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted in accordance with the requirements outlined in the Request for Applications (RFA). Organisations are encouraged to carefully review the competition guidelines and prepare a complete application package in advance.
Key application requirements include:
- All questions regarding the competition must be submitted in written form no later than 10 days before the application deadline.
- Questions should be sent to: tender-ua@irex.org.
- The email subject line must state:
“FY26-UVRR- Piloting a practical and effective model of employment for veterans with disabilities”.
The organisers note that responses to submitted questions will be consolidated and published as official clarifications after the question submission period ends.
To participate in the competition, applicants must submit a complete application package by the established deadline. Late or incomplete applications may not be considered for review.
Evaluation Criteria
Applications are evaluated through a 100-point scoring system. The assessment focuses on the technical quality of proposals, implementation feasibility, and long-term impact potential.
Main evaluation criteria include:
- Technical Approach — 15 points
- alignment with UVRR and RFA objectives;
- a clear Theory of Change (ToC) and measurable outcomes.
- Labour Market Relevance and Employer Engagement — 20 points
- demonstrated labour market demand;
- formal employer participation and documented commitments.
- Workforce and Employment Pathways — 15 points
- realistic transition pathways from military to civilian employment;
- measurable employment and retention outcomes.
- Adaptability, Accessibility, and Participatory Design — 15 points
- consideration of different types of disabilities;
- workplace accessibility measures;
- cooperation with veterans and relevant organisations.
- Sustainability and Systemic Change — 15 points
- integration of practices into existing systems and policies;
- scalability to other sectors or regions.
- Organisational Capacity — 10 points
- proven experience in achieving measurable results;
- qualified teams and risk management systems.
- Realism and Cost-Effectiveness — 10 points
- realistic and justified budgets;
- feasible implementation timelines;
- demonstrated cost efficiency.
The guidelines also note that recommendation or selection does not guarantee grant funding. Applicants must demonstrate sufficient management and reporting capacity.
Required Documents
To participate in the grant program, applicants must prepare and submit a complete application package in accordance with IREX requirements.
The application package must include:
- A project proposal using the IREX template, including:
- organisational information;
- program description;
- beneficiaries, expected results, and impact;
- work plan;
- communication plan;
- monitoring plan.
- Resumes or short biographies of key project staff.
- A budget prepared using the template provided by IREX.
- Scanned copies of registration documents, proof of non-profit status, and the organisation’s charter/statute.
- Additional supporting materials, such as:
- letters of support;
- memoranda of understanding;
- partnership or cooperation agreements.
The organisers note that supporting materials should not exceed 20 pages in total.
Applicants are also advised to keep copies of all submitted documents for their records. Finalists may additionally be required to complete an IREX due diligence review before the final funding decision is made.
Updates / Announcements
Program organizers state that applicants who correctly complete and submit their applications will receive an automatically generated confirmation email confirming receipt of the application.
Information about new grant calls is published:
- on the official Facebook page of the Veterans Reintegration Program;
- on the program website in the news section;
- through email distribution lists for organizations.
Applicants may also request email notifications about future competitions. To do so, they should contact contact.vrp@irex.org and use the subject line: “Add to the information database”.
Reporting and Compliance
Reporting requirements will be specified in the grant agreement, while reporting templates will be provided separately to grantees. The reporting process includes both programmatic and financial reporting components.
Key reporting requirements include:
- Periodic progress reports
- submitted according to the schedule defined in the grant agreement;
- include information on implementation progress, challenges faced, mitigation measures, and planned activities for the next reporting period.
- Final programmatic report
- provides a description of achieved objectives and project results;
- includes lessons learned, as well as challenges and solutions identified during implementation.
- Financial reports
- submitted in accordance with the agreed reporting schedule;
- the type and frequency of reporting depend on the grant type, project duration, and funding amount;
- submission of a final financial report is required.
The guidelines also state that the disbursement of the final subgrant payment depends on the receipt and approval of the final programmatic and financial reports by IREX/UVRR.
Legal Terms
Within the IREX grant program, applications are reviewed according to established procedures; however, submission or recommendation of an application does not guarantee grant funding.
Applicants must demonstrate that they possess, or are able to establish:
- adequate management capacity;
- financial control systems;
- accountability mechanisms for the use of grant funds and other assets.
Successful applicants may receive an official grant award letter signed by IREX. Together with the notification, organisations may be requested to submit a Due Diligence Questionnaire along with supporting documentation.
The grant award letter will be addressed to the designated contact person listed in the application.
Applicants that are not selected will receive written notification of the decision. IREX also states that it is not obligated to provide detailed comments or explanations regarding individual application outcomes.
Following the funding offer, final negotiations with selected applicants will take place before the grant agreement is signed.