As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues unabated, we are mindful that, at its core, the conflict is a fight for democracy and democratic values. The Mott Foundation has supported civil society in the region for over 30 years. Since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, we have awarded $5.7 million in grants to address humanitarian needs and bolster Ukraine’s civil society.
The lists of grants awarded for these purposes do not include instances when our grantees chose to apply other flexible funds from the Mott Foundation to support the needs of Ukrainian residents and refugees.
In 2024, grant support focused on helping people in Ukraine secure access to justice, strengthen local civic and philanthropic leadership and participate in the country’s recovery and reconstruction. Specifically, we provided:
$100,000 to Gorenie to deliver legal, social and psycho-social assistance to displaced victims of war in regions bordering Ukraine’s conflict zone.
$300,000 to the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union to support its efforts to protect fundamental rights and freedoms, especially the justice issues arising from Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
$150,000 to the Ukrainian Legal Aid Foundation to strengthen the practice of community paralegals in Ukraine, paying special attention to digital processes for linking paralegal assistance with the formal state-supported legal aid system.
$200,000 to the National Network of Local Philanthropy Development in Ukraine to support the capacity, resilience and sustainability of Ukrainian community foundations and YouthBank initiatives.
$150,000 to the Association for Communities Participatory Development for its institutional development needs, enabling it to better promote participatory practices and resident involvement in recovery on the local level.
$100,000 to Central European University to conduct its Dunamis Ukraine initiative, which provides 100 Ukrainian students with essential leadership skills and knowledge needed to join the next generation of Ukrainian civil society leaders.
$180,000 to the Czech Environmental Partnership Foundation to take multi-sectoral groups of Ukrainian local leaders on study visits to Central European communities, where they learn about practical environmental solutions and processes of citizen consultation.
$220,000 to the International Alumni Center (iac Berlin) to support the establishment of a funder network called Foundations for Ukraine, aimed at increasing and improving the effectiveness of philanthropic investments in Ukraine.
Support in 2023 included:
$900,000 to Ednannia, to provide core support to existing Ukrainian community foundations, seed grants to help launch new community foundations, and matching grant funds to support local civic groups involved in recovery and reconstruction.
$250,000 to the Institute for Human Sciences for Documenting Ukraine, a project that supports and archives the work of Ukrainian scholars, creative professionals, journalists, intellectuals and civil society leaders in establishing a factual record of the war.
$350,000 to the Legal Development Network in support of 30 community centers that provide legal assistance and information to those in need.
$50,000 to the Council on Foundations to continue to provide funders in North America with regular briefings on the ways to support philanthropy’s response to the war.
$100,000 to the Czech Environmental Partnership Foundation for a study program that brings Ukrainian local leaders from various sectors to Central Europe to learn about sustainable development issues.
$250,000 to Right to Protection to provide a range of legal support and services to internally displaced persons and others affected by conflict.
Support in 2022 included:
$300,000 to the Academy for the Development of Philanthropy in Poland to help community foundations address the needs of Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Romania, Hungary and other European countries.
$25,000 to the Charity and Health Foundation to help expand the practice and understanding in southeast Ukraine of successful approaches to community-based justice and policing, and to promote grassroots organizing on issues of public safety and access to social and legal services.
$50,000 to the Council on Foundations to provide funders in North America with monthly briefings on ways to support philanthropy’s response to the war.
$500,000 to Ednannia to help Ukrainian community foundations respond to humanitarian needs in their local communities.
$110,000 to the Global Investigative Journalism Network to help journalists and news correspondents improve the documentation and reporting of potential war crimes in Ukraine.
$100,000 to help Gorenie expand its efforts to provide timely and relevant information and support to people evacuating active warzones in Ukraine, and to raise awareness among those mobilized to military duty under martial law of their rights while in service.
Two grants — $400,000 and $100,000 — to People in Need to help respond to widespread humanitarian needs arising from the war, and to support the work of Ukrainian civil society organizations during the conflict.
$100,000 to the Legal Development Network to help its members provide legal services and access to other key supports to Ukrainians affected by the war.
$200,000 to the Network of European Foundations to help civil society organizations in Europe respond to the needs of refugees fleeing the war.
Two grants — $200,000 and $150,000 — to the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union to support the emergency relocation of its employees, expand its network of public reception offices providing legal assistance for Ukrainians, allow UHHRU to monitor and document potential human rights abuses and war crimes committed by Russia’s occupation forces, and build legal practitioners’ knowledge of international humanitarian and human rights law.
Two grants — $100,000 and $50,000 — to the Ukrainian Legal Aid Foundation to enhance training for paralegals working to coordinate humanitarian and legal assistance in conjunction with government agencies and other civil society partners.
We are committed to helping Ukrainian civil society remain resilient and to encouraging philanthropy to engage deliberately, consistently and strategically in supporting Ukraine.
We continue to stand in solidarity with our current and former grantees, partners, consultants, friends, family and all the people of Ukraine.
