BLOOM: Applications for new grant programs accepted

On October 8, registration began for two grant programs aimed at supporting businesses in Ukraine: self-employed individuals and microbusinesses, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises. Entrepreneurs working in eight frontline regions can apply for grants: Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia regions. The programs apply to both local and relocated businesses.

Both initiatives are being implemented by the international humanitarian organization Mercy Corps as part of the BLOOM (Building Livelihoods and Opportunities for Markets Optimization) Program with the support of the UK Government through UK Aid, the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.

"Supporting frontline regions is one of the Government's priorities. The grant programs launched under BLOOM are aimed at helping micro, small, and medium-sized businesses operating in these regions. The support will help entrepreneurs expand or modernize their production facilities and create new jobs," said Taras Vysotskyi, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine.

"We are working to ensure that representatives of creative industries in frontline regions can recover and develop their businesses. Grant support is an investment in economic stability and support for business, including creative industries. After all, they are the ones who create Ukrainian content, cultural context, and jobs. This helps overcome the consequences of war and build the future," said Tetiana Berezhna, Acting Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.

Background Information

Mercy Corps is an international humanitarian organization operating in more than 35 countries around the world. Since the start of the full-scale war in 2022, Mercy Corps has supported more than one million Ukrainians in Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, and Romania. It provides cash assistance, food, hygiene and construction kits, psychological support, grants for micro, small and medium-sized businesses, particularly in agriculture, and conducts information campaigns to promote these opportunities.

The BLOOM program aims to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable households and communities affected by the war by protecting and restoring their means of food production and other sources of income to improve food security and self-reliance. It is implemented by the BLOOM Consortium, which includes Mercy Corps, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Swisscontact, and Right to Protection (R2P), with the support of the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine and the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications. It was made possible with financial support from the UK Government through UK Aid. 

More information is available at the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture official website.