KCSA grants for own business

The microgrant program from the Kyiv City State Administration was created to support and develop veteran businesses in the capital. Its main goal is to help Defenders of Ukraine, as well as their family members, return to professional activities, implement their own entrepreneurial ideas, and create new jobs.

Financial assistance of up to 200,000 hryvnias is provided to existing or newly created individual entrepreneurs (FOP groups I, II, and III) who are officially registered and conduct their activities in Kyiv. The program covers a wide range of needs for starting or scaling one's own business, requiring a clear business plan in return. To support applicants at all stages, specialists of the Kyiv Military Hub conduct special trainings and provide individual consultations on the correct preparation of documents and calculations.

The program is designed exclusively for individual entrepreneurs (FOP groups I, II, and III) who are registered and conduct business in Kyiv. The applicant must belong to one of the following categories:

• Kyivite Defenders of Ukraine (who have a combatant certificate).
• Persons with disabilities caused by war.
• Wife or husband of the Defender.
• Family members of fallen (deceased) Defenders (able-bodied parents, wife/husband who have not remarried, and adult children).

Mandatory residency requirement: A mandatory condition is a registered place of residence in Kyiv OR IDP status with an actual place of residence in the capital (this status must be valid for at least the last year before submitting the application).

• Maximum amount: Up to 200,000 hryvnias.
• Co-financing: An own contribution from the recipient is required (the exact amount or share is calculated and specified directly in the business plan).
• Payments: Financial assistance is provided once, however, the business plan form provides for a breakdown of receipts into parts (tranches) with an indication of the desired schedule.
• What the funds can be spent on (according to the business plan form and conditions):
• • Purchase of property, equipment, materials, and software for carrying out activities.
  • Rent of commercial premises.
  • Payment of utility services (gas, electricity, water supply, waste disposal, etc.).
  • Marketing and advertising.
  • Transport, delivery, postal services, printing, and stationery.
  • Payment for communication services (phone and Internet), security, and insurance.
  • Payment for professional services (legal, accounting).
  • Labor costs (salary of the applicant and their hired employees).
  • Payment of mandatory taxes and fees to the state and local budgets.

The program finances the opening of a new business (startup) or the expansion/scaling of an existing business. There are almost no restrictions on the spheres; a wide variety of ideas are supported. Examples of real funded projects:

• Artisan and craft production (designer furniture, genuine leather goods, original jewelry).
• Environmental initiatives (wood waste recycling).
• Innovations and technologies (creation of interactive children's audio toys).
• Social entrepreneurship.

1. Preparatory stage: Forming an idea, collecting preliminary commercial proposals (invoices) from suppliers, preparing constituent documents.
2. Business plan development: Drafting a development plan for a period of up to 6 months, calculating monthly financial flows.
3. Consultations: Applying to the specialists of the Kyiv Military Hub for a preliminary check of documents and avoiding mistakes (optional).
4. Application submission: Physical submission of documents. Ordering a fresh extract from the EDR on the day of submission.
5. Evaluation by the commission: Review of the project by the competition commission of the KCSA and making a decision (as noted, meetings are held periodically).
6. Implementation: The period of implementation of the business plan and the use of funds is up to 6 months from the moment of their receipt.

1. Form a business idea and, independently or with the help of specialists, develop a detailed business plan using the template approved by the Order of the Ministry of Economy No. 1969.
2. Collect a full package of necessary certificates. Pay attention to their validity periods (some must be obtained at the last moment).
3. To check documents, prepare for the defense, and avoid mistakes, it is recommended to seek advice from the Kyiv Military Hub or the chatbot of the State Employment Service.
4. Generate an extract from the EDR (strictly on the day of application submission).
5. Submit the prepared package of documents in person at the address: Kyiv, 7-B Ivana Mykytenka St. (It is worth agreeing on the visit in advance by calling +38 067 115 17 22).

• Validity of goals: Goals must be formulated according to the SMART principle (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound) for the current year and the next 1-3 years.
• Social and veteran component: An additional advantage is the creation of new jobs, the provision of services to other veterans/families, or the development of rehabilitation opportunities.
• Applicant's competencies: Availability of relevant previous experience, education, completed courses, or trainings that will help to successfully run this business.
• Quality of marketing strategy: Understanding of your target audience, its needs, as well as a clear promotion plan (website, social networks, exhibitions, etc.).
• Market analysis: Adequate assessment of your competitors (their advantages and disadvantages), understanding of market threats and opportunities.
• Financial realism: A comprehensively calculated forecast of cash flows (income, expenses, taxes), where all cost indicators are indicated in hryvnias including VAT, and the financial result is positive or break-even.

1. Main project documents:

• Microgrant application.
• Business plan drawn up in the official form (with a personal signature).
• Invoices from suppliers of equipment or materials (if available, to confirm the cost).

2. Personal documents and status confirmation:

• Copy of passport (ID card with an extract on the registration of the place of residence).
• Copy of the identification code (RNOCPP).
• For veterans: combatant certificate or certificate of a person with disabilities caused by war.
• For IDPs: internally displaced person certificate with a mark on actual residence in Kyiv.
• For family members: marriage certificate (for wife/husband) or birth certificate (for children) + copy of the relative's veteran certificate.
• For families of the fallen: death certificate, certificate of a family member of the deceased, and full extract from the State Register of Civil Status Acts regarding the marriage record.

3. FOP documents and financial certificates (pay attention to validity periods!):

• Full extract from the Unified State Register (EDR) — obligatorily generated on the day of application submission.
• Certificate of absence of tax debt from the State Tax Service — valid for 10 days.
• Certificate from banks on the absence of credit debt — valid up to 30 days.
• Certificate of no criminal record (via "Diia" or the Ministry of Internal Affairs) — valid for 30 days.
• Certificate from the bank on opening a separate FOP account (2600 standard) for the grant OR a certificate of an existing account with a zero balance and a statement confirming the absence of movement of funds over the last 3 months.

• Financial transparency: The grant is transferred exclusively to a specially opened FOP account (2600 format) or to an existing account that has a zero balance and has had no movement of funds over the last 3 months.
• Absence of debts: The applicant undergoes a strict check. It is not allowed to have a criminal record (certificate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs/Diia), any arrears on bank loans, or a tax debt to the State Tax Service.
• Immutability of the plan: After submitting the application and the business plan, making corrections is not allowed. The use of grant funds must strictly correspond to the expense items that were defended before the commission.

• Regulatory framework: The development and submission of the business plan are carried out exclusively according to the official template approved by the Order of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine dated July 06, 2022, No. 1969 (as amended by Order No. 4021 dated May 24, 2023). The recipient undertakes to strictly follow the instructions for filling out this document.
• Organizational and legal form: Only individual entrepreneurs (FOPs) who are in the I, II, or III taxation group are allowed to participate. The FOP must be registered and conduct its economic activity on the territory of the city of Kyiv.
• Confirmation of the applicant's legal status: Financial assistance is targeted. Only Defenders (with an official combatant certificate or a certificate of a person with disabilities caused by war), their spouses, adult children, or family members of fallen Defenders have the right to receive it. This status must be indisputably confirmed by appropriate state certificates and IDs.
• Residency requirements: The applicant must have an officially registered place of residence (propiska) in the city of Kyiv. For internally displaced persons (IDPs), the legal requirement is an IDP certificate with a mark on actual residence in the capital for at least the last year prior to submitting the application.
• Financial and legal transparency (absence of encumbrances): The applicant undergoes an integrity and solvency check. Legal obstacles to receiving a grant are: a criminal record, tax debt to the budget (confirmed by a fresh certificate from the State Tax Service), and outstanding bank loan debts.
• Bank account requirements: Funds cannot be transferred to a regular personal account. The applicant is legally obliged to open a separate FOP account (2600 format) specifically for the grant, or provide a certificate of an existing account with a zero balance, where there was no movement of funds during the last three months.
• Immutability of conditions and targeted use: After submitting the application and business plan, any corrections in the documents are not allowed. Grant funds have a legally established targeted purpose and can be used only for those expense items that were officially approved by the commission in the business plan.