Deadline Date: May 18, 2026
The charitable foundation “Women’s Opportunities in Ukraine” has launched an all-Ukrainian mini-grant competition to support women entrepreneurs in the catering sector through funding for the creation and development of summer playgrounds for cafes, coffee shops, bakeries, fast food establishments, and similar local businesses.
The competition focuses on supporting the development and restoration of women-led businesses in the catering sector, arranging and improving summer playgrounds, strengthening economic sustainability during the warm season, supporting businesses operating in frontline regions, preserving and creating jobs in local communities, encouraging socially impactful initiatives, and promoting the “Water Circle” principle within business activities.
The total budget of the competition is 455,000 hryvnias. Selected participants can receive grant funding of up to 50,000 hryvnias for the arrangement, launch, or improvement of summer playgrounds connected to public catering establishments. The funding is intended to strengthen the economic sustainability of businesses during the summer season.
Grant funds may be used for purchasing equipment for outdoor operations, furniture such as tables and chairs, umbrellas and awnings for weather protection, decorative and street lighting, outdoor coffee or ice cream equipment, and small children’s recreation areas. The foundation does not finance raw materials, consumables, salaries, transport and delivery expenses, rent or repairs, debt repayments, or personal expenses unrelated to business operations.
Eligible applicants must be women entrepreneurs who are citizens of Ukraine and permanently reside in the country. Applicants must have a registered individual entrepreneur status (FOP) and operate a catering-related business such as a cafe, coffee shop, bakery, fast food establishment, or another small local food format.
Businesses must have been operating in Ukraine for at least three months, or applicants must have relocated their business to Ukraine after February 24, 2022 and hold confirmed internally displaced person status. Applicants must not reside or conduct business activities in temporarily occupied territories, must not have business ties with Russia or Belarus, and must not have debts to the state budget.
Priority consideration will be given to internally displaced women, wives of military personnel, family members of fallen defenders of Ukraine, women with disabilities, and women affected by the war. The competition is also open to applicants implementing projects in frontline regions including Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions. Preference will be given to projects located close to frontline communities and initiatives contributing to local economic recovery, business sustainability, and employment support.
For more information, visit Hume City Council.
