Grants for Women's Entrepreneurship Development under the STEP IN 2 EU Program

The call for proposals is launched under the STEP IN 2 EU international cooperation programme, implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The initiative is co-funded by the Governments of Germany and Norway, the European Union under its EU4Business initiative, as well as the Governments of Lithuania and Estonia. The main goal of the programme is to support Ukrainian government institutions in progressing on EU accession, as well as to create better economic conditions and financial opportunities for Ukrainian companies to benefit from further integration into the EU Single Market.

This call aims to support women's business associations and business support organizations in implementing projects aimed at building a sustainable and effective ecosystem supporting women's entrepreneurship in Ukraine. Project initiatives are implemented within five priority sectors of the economy: furniture and woodworking, food, textile, IT, and electrical equipment sectors. All activities must target female entrepreneurs with SME status. Furthermore, when planning activities, it is important to take into account the needs and challenges of female veterans and wives of veterans seeking to start or scale their own business.

The key focus of the projects is to develop and implement new or improved services (consultations, workshops, trainings) to explain the requirements of EU integration reforms and strengthen the export potential of businesses to EU countries. A mandatory component is the development of international partnerships with relevant organizations from EU countries for knowledge exchange and implementation of joint practical initiatives. Planned activities should align with existing state strategies (in particular, the SME Development Strategy until 2027 and the Export Strategy of Ukraine until 2030), promote digitalization, implement green economy principles, and reach at least 200 unique women entrepreneurs across Ukraine. Developed services and solutions must demonstrate viability and realistic prospects for continued operation after the completion of donor funding.

• Eligible applicants:
  • Women's entrepreneurship support organizations (women's business associations, business schools, NGOs, business support organizations, etc.) officially registered and operating in Ukraine.
  • Non-profit status of a public-benefit nature.
  • Statutory capacity to receive funds from international donors.
  • Confirmed experience of successfully executing at least 1 similar project in the last 5 years worth at least EUR 40,000 supported by international donors.
  • Mandatory active partnership with a relevant organization in an EU country.
• Geography and coverage territories:
  • Project activities can be conducted across all government-controlled territory of Ukraine (except temporarily occupied territories).
  • The programme identifies 9 priority oblasts: Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Kharkiv, and Khmelnytskyi.
• Ineligible applicants and restrictions:
  • Entities included in Ukraine, EU, or UN sanction lists.
  • Organizations in bankruptcy or liquidation processes.
  • Entities registered in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

• Funding amount: from EUR 30,000 to EUR 80,000 per project.
• Disbursement currency: funding is provided strictly in national currency (Ukrainian Hryvnia), transfer of funds to foreign accounts is prohibited.
• Eligible costs:
  • Direct staff costs (officially employed staff supported by payslips and timesheets).
  • Costs for integrated consultants (self-employed individuals or third-party employees seconded to the recipient working under their leadership and supervision).
  • External services (event management, printing, paid advertising, external experts).
  • Travel and subsistence expenses (strictly travel within Ukraine).
  • Procurement of materials and equipment (must be directly related to the project goal and not exceed 10% of the total budget).
  • Other costs and consumables (office supplies, software, licenses, bank fees, etc.).
• Ineligible costs and restrictions:
  • Recipient's revenues and profits (e.g., compensation for the cost of recipient's own premises for conducting training).
  • Staff overhead costs calculated pro-rata.

• Expansion of business services:
  • Development, testing, and implementation of new or improved services for women entrepreneurs (consultations, trainings, workshops).
  • Support for women entrepreneurs in adapting to EU integration reform requirements and building export potential to EU countries.
• Partnership development with EU organizations/associations:
  • Implementation of international partnership initiatives involving foreign EU partners based on prior successful cooperation experience.
  • Joint activities for SMEs: business partnerships, peer-to-peer learning, business support services, experience exchange, and integration into the EU Single Market.
• Communication campaign:
  • Conducting an information campaign to engage and reach the target audience (women entrepreneurs in 5 priority sectors) across Ukraine.
  • Using websites, social media, targeted advertising, local government resources, and hosting online/offline events.

• October 26, 2026: Official launch of the call.
• Until 17:00, November 04, 2026: Deadline for registration for the briefing webinar (by sending an email to stepin2eu@giz.de).
• November 06, 2026: Briefing webinar for potential applicants.
• Until 18:00, November 23, 2026: Deadline for submitting the complete application package.
• Within 48 hours after submission: Electronic confirmation of application receipt from the organization.
• December 14, 2026: Tentative results announcement date (on the STEP IN 2 EU Facebook page and via official emails).
• February 2027: Tentative start of supported projects.
• January 2028: Tentative completion of projects (maximum project duration — up to 12 months).

• Fill out standard application forms: Project Description in Word format (Annex 5) and Project Budget in Excel format (Annex 4).
• Prepare registration documents (Statute, EDR extract).
• In case of co-applicants — prepare letters of intent for cooperation (on official letterhead with signature, stamp, and English translation).
• Compile the full application package and send it via email to stepin2eu@giz.de by 18:00 on November 23, 2026.
• Specify the email subject line in exact format: Lead Applicant Name_Application_Support for Women's Entrepreneurship Projects.

• Applicant evaluation:
  • Compliance with all selection requirements and criteria.
  • Prior experience in successfully implementing similar projects supporting women's entrepreneurship (at least 1 project in the last 5 years supported by international donors worth at least EUR 40,000).
  • Quality and level of cooperation between the lead applicant and co-applicants in partnership projects.
  • Mandatory active partner in an EU country to organize an international partnership event.
• Project evaluation:
  • Alignment with goals, target group, timelines, thematic focus, and state strategies (SME Development Strategy until 2027, Export Strategy of Ukraine until 2030).
  • Clarity, realism, and measurability of quantitative and qualitative results (outreach to at least 200 unique women entrepreneurs).
  • Overall logic, structure, and clarity of linkages between individual project activities.
  • Ensuring project viability and scaling of services after completion of donor funding.
• Budget evaluation:
  • Compliance of the financial part with established requirements and limits.
• Additional aspects:
  • Implementation of innovative approaches and digitalization, promotion of dialogue between business and government, application of green and circular economy principles.

1. Project Description: completed template in Word format (Annex 5 / Annex 5).
2. Project Budget: completed template in Excel format (Annex 4 / Annex 4).
3. Lead Applicant Registration Documents: copy of Statute and extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, Individual Entrepreneurs, and Public Formations (EDR).
4. Letters of Intent: from co-applicants (in case of a partnership project), prepared in free format on official letterhead with signature and stamp together with English translation.

• Procurement procedures:
  • Procurement of goods and services worth up to EUR 1,000 is carried out under an informal procedure (direct placement allowed).
  • Procurement from EUR 1,000.01 to EUR 20,000 requires requesting at least 3 written offers and written justification for supplier selection.
  • Procurement over EUR 20,000.01 requires conducting a formal tender with publication or a closed tender with documentary justification.
• Sanctions and status compliance:
  • Mandatory verification of applicants against Ukraine, EU, and UN sanction lists.
  • Applicants must not be in liquidation, closure, bankruptcy, or registered in temporarily occupied territories.
• Submission rules:
  • One organization can act as a lead applicant in only 1 project. Submitting two or more applications from the same lead applicant leads to disqualification of all its applications.
  • Participation as a co-applicant is permitted in a maximum of 2 projects simultaneously.
• Document retention:
  • Applicants are required to retain original copies of all submitted documents for the contract signing phase in case of selection.

• Call regulations: the call is conducted according to EU and GIZ procedures and regulations.
• Currency and financial conditions: all payments are disbursed in Hryvnia; transfer of funds to foreign bank accounts is prohibited.
• Grounds for application rejection:
  • Submission of documents after the final deadline (18:00, November 23, 2026).
  • Submission of an incomplete package of mandatory documents.
  • Violation of the single application rule per lead applicant (all applications will be disqualified if multiple are submitted).
  • Exceeding the participation limit as a co-applicant (maximum 2 projects simultaneously).