Resilient Initiatives for Self-Employment "RISE"

Estonian Refugee Council has launched the Programme RISE - Resilient Initiatives for Self-Employment (RISE), aimed at supporting the establishment or expansion of businesses affected by the conflict in Ukraine to ensure stable sources of income.

The goal of the programme is to support livelihoods through the establishment or expansion of local micro-businesses in order to improve the ability of the conflict-affected population in Ukraine to meet their basic needs.

The programme is designed for two categories of participants affected by the conflict in Ukraine:

• people with business ideas;
• existing micro-businesses in need of support (individual, family, those with up to 10 employees).

Residents of Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions are invited to participate in the programme.

Business grants for the most promising business plans. This assistance will be directed towards the purchase of assets (equipment, tools, etc.):

• to participants with the most promising business plans to support the launch of a new business up to $2,000 (in hryvnia equivalent at the NBU exchange rate);
• to participants with the most promising business plans to expand an existing micro-business up to $5,000 (in hryvnia equivalent at the NBU exchange rate) to expand their business.

The RISE programme  includes the following components: business training, mentoring support, and business grants.

1. Business trainings will be implemented in partnership with the Ukrainian company LLC "Webpromo". Within the framework of this component, about 573 participants from among those who have business ideas or already have an existing micro-business will receive knowledge within the framework of business trainings. The online training programme consists of a series of trainings and simultaneous mentoring support from experienced specialists in the following areas: financial planning, marketing, branding, legal aspects of doing business, development of a business plan and formation of skills for public presentation of business ideas. Within the framework of this component, programme participants will receive assistance in developing business plans or expansion plans for existing micro-businesses. Programme participants with the most promising business plans will receive access to the following two programme components.

2. Comprehensive business mentoring, which is aimed at helping in the implementation of business plans and business development plans. The duration of such online support will be up to four months. It will cover key aspects of entrepreneurial activity, including: finance and planning, branding and marketing, legal aspects of doing business, self-presentation skills, development of psychological resilience, networking, etc. The consultations will be conducted by experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts, who will provide practical advice and individual support to programme participants.

3. Business grants will be awarded to applicants with the most promising business plans: up to 234 participants of the training programme may receive funding in 2025–2026 to purchase essential assets (equipment, tools, etc.).

• Participants with the strongest business plans for launching a new micro-business may receive up to $2,000 (in UAH equivalent based on the NBU exchange rate).
• Participants with the most promising business plans for expanding an existing micro-business may receive up to $5,000 (in UAH equivalent based on the NBU exchange rate) to scale their activities.

1. Submission of applications for participation in the program until 23:59, December 21, 2025.
2. Verification of the Application with the Programme requirements.
3. Assessment of business plans and development plans.
4. Signing of the grant agreement.

Applications can be submitted via the online form available at the link on the program page.

• Verification of application with the technical requirements of the competition (confirmation of the applicant’s location in the programme areas, availability of all supporting documents, correctness of the completed application etc.). Applications that have not passed the eligibility check will not proceed to participate in the business training component.
• The selection of the most promising business plans will be carried out by an expert jury.
• The following will be assessed: business potential, realism and relevance of the business plan, action plan, list of necessary assets, financial forecast and presentation of the business plan.

The programme provides for the development of their own business, programme participants must:

• make efforts to provide their households with a stable source of income;
• implement business plans and business development plans created during the program following the action plan.

The grant is provided free of charge on a non-refundable basis, subject to the intended use, as stipulated in the Grant Agreement between the Estonian Refugee Council and the recipient of the assistance.

• Citizenship of Ukraine and permanent residence of programme participants in the territory of Ukraine.
• For programme participants with existing micro-businesses, it is mandatory to have a registered individual entrepreneur at the time of applying for participation in the programme.
• The place of business, location of production facilities, location of the office, and provision of services in one of the following regions: Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Kharkiv, and Cherkasy regions.
• The programme participant is the founder or owner of the business.
• Absence of legal obstacles: the applicant is not in the process of liquidation or bankruptcy and has no tax debts. Employment (if any) in accordance with the requirements of official labor legislation, absence of criminal or corruption proceedings against the manager or ultimate beneficial owners of the business.
• The applicant and their family members must not have received similar assistance from ERC or other organizations within the previous 12 months at the time of application submission. However, exceptions may apply if the applicant’s family has been repeatedly affected by the armed conflict in Ukraine.