Local Ukrainian funds helping defenders, civilians and animals affected by war — why more efficient & who to donate in Fall 2023

3 min readJan 24

The russian aggression against Ukraine is far from being over, but since russian army couldn’t win on the battlefield, it started waging war against the civil society. So the need for civilian assistance is higher than ever.

Me in front of the Kharkiv Regional Council building @ Freedom Square, Kharkiv, Ukraine, August 20, 2022. Kharkiv is my home town, and home to 1.5 million residents.

I recommend supporting smaller local Ukrainian foundations. They are more efficient in their response than large international humanitarian organizations and funds. Why?

Smaller local foundations’ response is faster. They react more swiftly to the changing needs of Ukrainians on the ground and repurpose aid respectively. It means that Ukrainians striving for humanitarian support will get it with less of waiting time. The main reason behind it — smaller local foundations face less bureaucracy compared to hierarchical international humanitarian organizations.

On top of that, smaller local foundations have significantly lower operational costs, i.e., your donations would be used directly for the purpose you send them to. Often comprised of volunteers and civil activists, small local foundations provide timely and targeted support to the communities they have networks in. While international organizations run larger amounts of funds, their programs are less targeted and span over a larger time horizon.

I’ve compiled a short list of Ukraine-based foundations targeting specific civil needs (housing, rehab, etc). They all have a solid reputation within Ukraine, we personally donate to them on a regular basis. And we invite you to support them as well.

❤️️ Ukrainian defenders

Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation

Website: https://prytulafoundation.org/en
Mission: the foundation is focused on strengthening the Defense Forces of Ukraine and providing assistance to the civilians affected by russian aggression.
Link ti support: https://prytulafoundation.org/en

United24

Website: https://u24.gov.ua/
Mission: official fundraising platform of Ukraine; multi-purpose state fund (defence, humanitarian aid, medical aid, etc).
Link to support: https://u24.gov.ua/

🤗 People

Masha Foundation

Website: https://mashafund.org.ua/en/
Mission: the foundation provides psychological care and rehabilitation for war-affected women and children.
Link to support: https://mashafund.org.ua/en/ (at the top of the website)

Voices

Website: https://voices.org.ua/en/
Mission: the foundation provides psychological care and rehabilitation for war-affected children, assists in evacuation and temporary housing search for war-affected families.
Link to support: https://voices.org.ua/en/donat/

🏡 Housing

Nest

Website: https://nestprytulafoundation.org/
Mission: the foundation builds modern module houses for Ukrainian families residing in the de-occupied territories and whose homes have been destroyed by Russian shelling.
Link to support: https://nestprytulafoundation.org/donate?navigate-block=main

Dobrobat

Website: https://www.dobrobat.in.ua/en/
Mission: the foundation helps restore Ukrainian homes damaged by Russian shelling across the country.
Link to support: https://www.dobrobat.in.ua/en/#donate

🐾 Pets and animals

UAnimals

Website: https://uanimals.org/en/
Mission: the foundation rescues pets and animals from the warzone and temporary occupied territories.
Link to support: https://uanimals.org/en/yak-dopomohty/

Happy Paw

Website: https://happypaw.ua/en/
Mission: the foundation assists in evacuation of pets and animals from the warzone, matches homeless pets with new families, and supports shelters.
Link to support: https://happypaw.ua/en/contribution

🧬 Education

SavED

Website: www.savedschools.in.ua
Mission: the foundation aims to restore Ukrainian educational infrastructure destroyed or damaged by Russian shelling and air strikes.
Link to support: https://www.savedschools.in.ua/donate/