MHP-Gromadi Launches New Season of Do Your Business Contest: Entrepreneurs Can Get Up to UAH 100,000 to Kickstart or Grow Their Business Ventures
On March 12, the new grant season of the Do Your Business competition of business ideas organized by the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation started. This year, the total grant budget amounts to UAH 10 million. The organizers plan to support up to 80 entrepreneurs from 13 Oblasts.
The competition is open to veterans, military personnel, members of their families; entrepreneurs who already have a business; entrepreneurs whose business was affected by the full-scale invasion; and community members who just plan to launch a new business.
“Every year, the Do Your Business competition is transforming and offering support to more and more Ukrainians. The only thing that doesn’t change is that we help entrepreneurs, step by step, build sustainable local businesses, which, in turn, contribute to the development of their communities. This year, we want to expand the support we provide to the military and veterans, thanks to whom we can work and develop communities to make them worth living in. The Do Your Business contest of business ideas serves as yet another proof that the economy keeps developing while the dreams pursued by entrepreneurs come true, and this year, the number of such dreams will only increase,” says Tetiana Volochai, Director of the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation.
In addition to a grant worth up to UAH 100,000, the winners will get an opportunity to enrol in a training program encompassing marketing, business planning, accounting, etc. courses that will be delivered by renowned subject-matter experts. Moreover, the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation will cover the tax expenses associated with the grants.
The Do Your Business contest of business ideas offers ample opportunities for developing, studying, finding new partners, and raising financing, and, of course, gives a chance to get invaluable experience. It is bound to foster personal growth and become a crucial component in the development of Ukraine and our communities. This year, we will continue to focus on the projects pursued by military personnel, veterans, and members of their families. After all, based on last year’s projects, we see that own business can motivate, help cope with traumatic events, and promote reintegration,” noted Volodymyr Panchenko, Head of National Projects at the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation.
The grants can be used to purchase equipment, raw materials, supplies, and services required to support micro and small businesses.
This year, the key requirements for the projects will include co-financing by contestants (i.e., they will have to contribute the amount totalling or exceeding the grant amount) and the benefits of the business projects to the community (e.g., the creation of new jobs, community development in one way or another, improvement of logistics processes, enhancement of infrastructure, social impact, etc.).
43 winners of the 2023 competition have launched business projects aimed at supporting food security, and 12 of these ventures specialize in craft production. Consumer services (18 business concepts) and educational and informational services (seven business projects) come second and third accordingly among the last year’s winners. The winners also launched inclusive businesses as well as energy security and healthcare projects. According to preliminary estimates, the winners of the 2023 competition paid over UAH 3 million in taxes to their local communities.
Applications to participate in the 2024 Do Your Business Competition can be submitted using a special form at https://doyourbusiness.com.ua/ until April 9.
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The MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation is a Ukrainian charity established in 2015 to help communities solve their social, economic, and environmental issues. The Foundation operates in 13 Oblasts of Ukraine and is present in over 700 cities and towns. The primary objective pursued by the MHP-Gromadi is the restoration and development of communities.
