Ministry of Economy and Environment: Small and medium-sized businesses in frontline regions can receive financial support under the BLOOM Program
Applications have opened for financial assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises under the BLOOM Program. Support is available for businesses planning to scale operations, create or preserve jobs, and strengthen social or environmental impact.
SMEs provide employment, support local communities, and create economic opportunities for people affected by the war. The BLOOM Program is aimed at supporting people, businesses, and communities in affected regions: helping restore sources of income and find jobs, while enabling businesses to grow and reinforce local economies. The SME support track is implemented by the NGO West Ukraine Digital within BLOOM, funded by UK aid.
Conditions of participation
The program operates in Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Applications may be submitted by legal entities of all ownership forms (LLC, PE, LTD, etc.) and individual entrepreneurs who are internally displaced persons, veterans, or residents of territories where hostilities are ongoing or have taken place.
Applications are accepted until September 30, 2026. Financial support ranges from USD 17,000 to 30,000 (average amount in USD) in hryvnia equivalent at the NBU exchange rate. Funds are provided for the purchase of production assets. Business ideas must be implemented within 3–4 months.
Selection process
Selection is competitive. Evaluation criteria include business idea potential, job creation or preservation, justification of funding needs, social or environmental impact, business experience, feasibility and sustainability of the idea, and applicant’s business reputation.
Priority will be given to enterprises in socially important sectors: healthcare, rehabilitation and psychological support, education, social care, ecology, recycling, manufacturing, and other areas that contribute to community development. Businesses from other sectors may also participate if their activities have significant social impact.
Applications can only be submitted after mandatory registration on the program’s homepage: https://bloom.mercycorps.org/
Background
The BLOOM Program (Building Livelihoods and Opportunities for Optimised Markets) is implemented by the BLOOM consortium, which includes Mercy Corps, Swisscontact, and Right to Protection, with financial support from the UK government through UK Aid, and with the assistance of the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine and the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.
Mercy Corps is an international humanitarian organization operating in more than 35 countries, providing aid to people affected by disasters, wars, poverty, and climate change. Since the start of the full-scale war in 2022, Mercy Corps has supported over one million Ukrainians in Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, and Romania.
West Ukraine Digital is an NGO created to accelerate digital transformation in Ukraine’s regions. It unites efforts of the state, business, and civil society to develop the digital economy, improve quality of life, and create new opportunities for residents of western Ukraine.