Over UAH 15 million in grant support for women’s entrepreneurship
From June 2025 to July 2026, the Ukrainian Red Cross implemented the Supporting Women’s Economic Empowerment in Ukraine programme, aimed at strengthening the economic resilience of women affected by the war.
The programme reached women across all regions of Ukraine, including internally displaced persons, women who lost employment or businesses due to the war, single mothers, women with disabilities, and members of the veteran community.
A key component of the programme was the REDpreneur Women initiative, which formed two training cohorts of 25 participants each. The first cohort focused on supporting women veterans, while the second supported women seeking to start, restore, or develop their own businesses. The training was delivered in partnership with the Ukrainian Future Business Incubator and included a comprehensive entrepreneurship curriculum, mentoring support, and guidance in developing business ideas. The strongest projects received grant funding of EUR 7,000 each to launch or restore their businesses.
Programme results:
- 2,051 applications received
- 50 participants completed the training
- 42 participants received grant support
- Total grants disbursed: UAH 15,057,252
Through the programme, dozens of women were able to start or expand their businesses, generate new income sources for themselves and their families, and contribute to community recovery.
The second component of the programme included inspiration sessions within the RED HUB business incubator — a series of online events designed to strengthen entrepreneurial skills, support professional development, and promote micro- and small business growth. These sessions were implemented with organisational and technical support from the UMIND NGO.
Within this component:
- 27 online events were conducted on key topics related to business development and self-employment
- 3,673 applications were received
- Approximately 3,500 women and 175 men participated in the sessions
The programme demonstrated that access to knowledge, mentoring, and financial resources creates new opportunities for women’s economic independence, supports entrepreneurship, and strengthens community resilience in times of war.
The programme was implemented by the Ukrainian Red Cross in partnership with the Austrian Red Cross, with support from NACHBAR IN NOT and the Austrian Development Agency.