The “Trajectory 3” National Educational Grant Program

The National Educational Grant Programme Trajectory is implemented by the Diia.Business entrepreneur support network with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office, Projector Foundation, and Mercy Corps, with financial support from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. The programme supports veterans, family members of service personnel, and families of fallen Defenders of Ukraine through business education, mentoring, business plan development, and grant funding opportunities for business development or expansion.

Applications may be submitted by existing businesses that are registered and operate in the territory of Ukraine under the control of the Government of Ukraine, within one of the designated categories.

Eligible applicants include:

• Veteran-owned businesses:
  • veterans;
  • military personnel;
  • family members of veterans, military personnel, deceased, captured, or missing persons, including spouses, parents, children (including adopted children), brothers, and sisters.
• Veteran-friendly businesses:
  • sole proprietors or legal entities that, as of the application submission date, officially employ at least one veteran, with documentary proof of employment.

To participate in the programme, applicants are required to:

• prepare a business plan using the provided template;
• complete the registration form;
• review the programme rules and attend the application webinar;
• undergo an eligibility check after submitting the application.

After the application period closes, all participants receive the selection results by email.

Financial support is provided on the basis of a Charitable Assistance Agreement concluded between the NGO "Poltava Platform" and the programme winner.

To conclude the agreement, winners are required to provide all necessary documents requested by the organiser.

Funding is provided:

• in the national currency of Ukraine;
• in a cashless form;
• in accordance with the approved budget;
• in two instalments.

The total financial support fund of the programme is UAH 10,000,000. The programme provides funding for 10 winners, with each winner eligible to receive up to UAH 1,000,000 before the deduction of taxes and fees established by the legislation of Ukraine.

Grant funding may be used only in accordance with the approved budget and the approved business plan. Only expenses that are directly related to achieving the project's objectives are eligible.

The programme supports activities related to:

• business technological modernisation;
• business expansion;
• implementation of energy-saving measures;
• innovation;
• entry into new markets;
• recovery of businesses affected by the full-scale war.

The programme is intended, among others, for businesses operating in the following areas:

• kitchen metal products;
• garment manufacturing;
• clothing and footwear;
• toys;
• cosmetics and accessories;
• specialty food products;
• home furniture and décor;
• plastic products;
• portable lighting and power systems;
• B2B services.

The grant must be used within two months from the date of receiving the first instalment. Winners are also required to submit reports on the use of grant funds in accordance with their intended purpose and the programme requirements.

The programme is implemented in six stages, covering the process from application submission to the implementation of the winners' business plans.

• Registration — an application webinar, preparation of business plans using the approved template, and completion of the registration form.
• Participant selection — verification of applications against the programme eligibility criteria and announcement of the selection results.
• Educational component — delivery of three training webinars on business development and resource mobilisation.
• Selection of finalists — evaluation of business plans, preparation of the ranking list, and selection of 30 finalists.
• Online pitching — preparation and presentation of finalists' pitches, followed by the selection of 10 winners.
• Business plan implementation — grant funding for the winners, procurement, reporting, and promotion of success stories.

To participate in the programme, applicants should complete the following steps:

1. Prepare a business plan using the provided template.
2. Complete the registration form.
3. Review the programme rules.
4. Attend the application webinar to receive guidance and ask questions about the programme.
5. Submit the application by 31 August 2026 (inclusive).
6. After submission, the application is reviewed for compliance with the programme's eligibility criteria.
7. Once the application period ends, applicants receive the selection results by email.

Applicants who submit their applications after the deadline may still participate in the educational webinars but are not eligible for grant funding under the programme.

Applications are evaluated based on the submitted business plans. The evaluation results are used to create an overall ranking that determines the programme winners.

The assessment takes into account:

• participation in the programme's online webinars, which allows applicants to receive additional points;
• whether the business belongs to the programme's priority categories, as this is one of the evaluation criteria and may provide additional points.

Participation in webinars is confirmed through attendance on the real-time video conferencing platform. The knowledge gained during the webinars also helps finalists prepare their project presentations for the pitching stage.

Businesses that do not belong to the priority categories may also apply. However, compliance with the priority categories is considered during the evaluation of business plans.

Selection results are sent to all applicants by email. The results of the business plan evaluation will be published on the programme's official website no later than 30 September 2026.